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Hello from Moscow. The RMI Mt. Elbrus Northside team has all arrived and the trip is officially under way. We met up this evening for a meet-and-greet and then went out to dinner. The team seems very well aligned as far as goals and expectations for the trip. It was a short night for us as many folks have just arrived in Moscow and, it's raining with thunder and lightning all around the downtown area. Tomorrow we're scheduled to take a tour of the Kremlin and the other sights around Red Square. I'll take some photos and send them on in the afternoon. RMI Guides Seth Waterfall & Pete Van Deventer

The Five Day Climb, led by RMI Guides Jack Delaney and Leif Bergstrom, reached the summit of Mount Rainier this morning, marking a successful ascent despite the cloud cover below. The weather was favorable, with clear skies overhead, and the team made the most of the opportunity, choosing today for their summit attempt as forecasts predict rising winds and rain tonight. After celebrating their success, they began their descent from the crater rim just after 10 am. The team will return to Camp Muir for a well-deserved rest before tackling the final 4,500-foot descent to Paradise tomorrow.

Congratulations climbers!

Wednesday, May 22, 2024 3:23 pm PDT

We're resting again at 14k. We're in the sun, but the cloud deck is just below us. And strong winds continue to ravage the upper mountain above us. After a lengthy brunch, our team spent a few hours building snow walls to fortify camp. We're hopeful that the weather change we're looking for will arrive by the weekend so we can make a summit push. Signs are optimistic and our team's spirits are high.

RMI Guide Mike Walter and Team

UPDATE: September 6, 2023 10:59am PT Mike Walter and Team summit Mt. Shuksan via the Sulphide glacier in beatuiful weather. Nice work team!

 

We had a great day if training on the Sulphide glacier today. We covered snow and ice anchors, anchor systems, crevasse rescue, and did some ice climbing out of a crevasse. The weather forecast looks promising and we hope to try for the summit tomorrow morning. I'll check in tomorrow, hopefully from the top of Shuksan!

RMI Guides Mike Walter, Sam Hoffman and the Team on the Sulphide

RMI Guide Jake Beren and the Mount Rainier summit climb began their descent from the crater rim at 7:55 a.m. They spent over an hour on the summit in beautiful and crisp weather. Congratulations to today's summit climbers!

We broke a few personal altitude records today. Our stoves were lit shortly after 6 AM while Genet Basin was still deep in cold shadows. The weather didn't look perfect, but that was more of a concern for two of the other guided groups camped alongside us since they were trying to figure whether to commit to a move to 17K. We were just contemplating a carry to the top of the fixed ropes at 16,200 feet and we could do that in iffy weather. We set out at 8 AM and made easy progress as the clouds washed in and out a few times. Within a few hours we were at the foot of the intimidating fixed lines. The slope angle goes up in a hurry at that point, and looking at this incline for several days from 14K can psyche one out. Best to come to terms with the fixed section of the climb and to gain confidence on it, which was what we did today. We topped the ropes and made our cache at 16,200 feet in calm and sunny conditions. People were heard to say "This is pretty cool" in English, German and Russian. The confidence building continued as we dropped back down to 14 camp without difficulty. We own the place now as the other groups made their move to 17 camp. We all got a good look from above at a hundred empty tent snow walls, impressing us with how "crowded" this important camp can be in mid-season and how delightfully uncrowded it is now. RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

May 23, 2014 High winds aloft again thwarted our plans to move to high camp today. The team enjoyed another rest day, and we have now joined forces with Pete VanDeventer and his team, who arrived a few days ago, and together have built ourselves quite the RMI compound here in the Genet Basin. After breakfast, Mike, Steve, and I made a quick lap down to 11 Camp to dig up our cache and retrieve any usable food items, extra gas, and personal supplies to help us extend our stint on the mountain. We were hoping to get some promising news from the weather forecast this evening, but it sounds like we are going to have to dig our heels in and hang on, as high winds and multiple feet if snow are predicted over the next few days. On a positive note, we scored some brownies and oreo's from a descending team, and thankfully Mike's frozen Kindle came back to life. We are now all happily entertained campers (and snackers) at 14,000', prepared to ride out this weather system! Small miracles.... RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall & Team

La Malinche summit! Today was a busy day. After a fantastic breakfast at our hotel in Mexico City we met our driver and loaded the van to the brim with all our gear. By 9:00 we were bumping along the streets working our way out of the city and towards the hills. After a few hours we found ourselves winding through the forests on the flanks of La Malinche. We arrived at La Malintzi, an old Olympic training facility at 10,000 feet around noon and stowed our bags in our cabins. With day packs packed and the noonday sun warming us, we started our acclimatization hike. After two hours hiking through the forest, we broke out of the trees and began climbing up the scree trail to gain the ridge. At 4:30 we found ourselves on the summit of La Malinche, 14,640'. Higher than any point in the continental United States. With perfect weather we began our descent scree skiing through the sandy section and back into the forest. Happy and tired we all enjoyed our delicious dinner back at La Malintzi and headed to bed for some well-deserved rest. Thanks for following us. RMI Guide Geoff Schellens

On The Map

We packed up our bags this morning after several comfortable nights in Namche and set out on the trail. The first fifteen minutes are always the hardest; climbing up and out of Namche's steep and narrow streets don't allow for much of a warm up and we were quickly pulling off of our warm jackets as we climbed into the morning sun. Once out of Namche's bowl the trail quickly flattened out and we spent several hours traversing across the mountain sides high above the Dudh Kosi. The morning was clear again and we had wonderful views of Everest and Lhotse, still sailing their giant plumes of snow from their summits. By midday we reached Phunki Tanga - known also as Funky Town - where we stopped for a pleasant lunch amongst the fir and rhododendrons. During lunch we encountered our first train of true yaks - the legendary shaggy work animals of the high Himalaya. They are noticeable larger than the yak/cow crossbreed used lower in the Valley and we all paused during our meal to admire them, colorfully decorated by their Sherpa herders with strings and even earings. After lunch we set our sights upon our major climb of the day, gaining the several thousand feet from Phunki Tanga to Tengboche - a ridgetop community that is home to the largest Monastery in the area. The group climbed steadily and we made good time, quickly ticking off the many dusty switchbacks that led us to the top and before long we had crested the ridge and were standing in the open grounds in front of the large monastery. Clouds moved into the mountains by then and swirled amongst the peaks above us, obscuring the stunning panorama Tengboche is known for. After admiring the ornate architecture and colorful decorations of the Monastery we dropped down off of the other side of the ridge into the tiny village of Deboche, tucked amongst a large forest of rhododendron on the verge of blooming. Finding our teahouse amongst the trees, we settled in by mid afternoon to relax after a good day on the trail. Tomorrow we will stay another night in Deboche, taking time to visit the Monastery of Tengboche and go for a small day hike above the area. The team is in high spirits and doing well, sending their best to everyone at home.

Update January 5th at 3:30 pm PT This is the day that all the hard work, both at home and on the mountain, are for and it is always the hardest day of the trip. Thankfully, we made it to the summit and back to camp safely and in great style. With an early dinner in our bellies we will all sleep well tonight. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers for our safety. RMI Guide Walter Hailes [Call from the summit audio transcription] Hello, this is Walter from the summit of Aconcagua with our team. It's a beautiful day up here, blue skies, a little breezy- probably about 20 (mph) on the top. We did go through some pretty heavy wind down below, maybe constant 40 to 50 in some of the little saddles, but we made it! We're happy and it's sunshiny. Everybody's tired, so we're looking forward to the downhill. We'll call or send a dispatch out when we get there so you know that we arrived safely. Over and out from Aconcagua.

On The Map