Most Popular Entries

Yet another nice day. A bit breezy as we approached our high point of the trip so far. Altitude records for most, than a couple thousand feet descent into Barranco Camp home for the night. The team continues to do just what they should to move smooth and efficient. We pulled into camp nice and early, so much so that we even took a short hike to a waterfall and the base of the Barranco Wall, the first part of our climb tomorrow. Mixed in the team is a couple of families; fathers, daughters and sons, even an uncle. Great to see them out in the hills and having a gas. A few clouds have moved in obscuring a view of the upper mountain but we may get lucky in the next hour to get a few photos of the peak in the beautiful alpine glow condition we can be rewarded with for such an effort put forth. RMI Guide Mark Tucker & Team

Hi Everyone! We are enjoying a relaxing evening here at the beautiful La Casa Sol near the city of Otavalo. We left the comforts of Quito this morning and headed into the mountains (where many of us actually feel more comfortable!) for our second acclimatization hike. As we watched the city disappear in the rear view mirror we traded well paved roads for cobblestones and washboard. The van bumped along, and our driver skillfully negotiated the hazards of rural driving... while we all fought the urge to hold our breath and cross our fingers. Maybe we should have, because our luck soon ran out and Friday the 13th delivered us a logistical sucker punch. With a loud crack, our vehicle let us know it was done going uphill for the day. A dislodged cobblestone had broken the axel and stopped us, quite suddenly, in our tracks. Fortunately, our group has the perfect easy going attitude, and after getting the baggage and van transfer sorted out, we shouldered our daypacks and set off for some slightly more oxygenated exercise. Nearly three hours and five miles later we arrived at the trailhead! One of our local guides, Esteban (nicknamed Topo), had been busy reorganizing our logistics while we strolled, and he and a few others arrived to our rescue shortly thereafter in shining Toyota Hilux's. Delivered safely to our hacienda we enjoyed a delicious dinner and are now all busy packing our gear and getting organized and prepared to tackle our first big objective. Wish us luck as we travel towards Cayambe tomorrow! RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall

On The Map

The progress continues on Mt. Elbrus! We followed up yesterday's successful carry with a move to Camp 1 on today at 12,500'. Last night's rain cleared out, and this morning was beautiful when we woke. Having already seen most of the terrain seems to make things easier, and the group did great on our first move today. We are settled in to camp, and all the hatches are battened down just in case we see some more rain. I don't think anybody is bummed to not have to share our camp area with any bovine friends. The plan tomorrow is to head a short way back to our cache site to retrieve everything, and then brush up on our cramponing and rope travel skills just outside camp. We'll be in touch! RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Seth Waterfall and team

On The Map

Just finished a nice lunch here at Karanga camp. Another beautiful day, just a bit breezy with clouds below and clear above. We have become a smooth moving team. Everyone is in good shape and having fun. This afternoon we'll have a short nap and then tea time.

It's week three and all is well here at Everest Basecamp. Some of the team members have climbed through the icefall and camped at Camp One. A few of us have been fighting colds and coughs, but plan on heading up hill in just a few days. Being under the weather here is a big difference from being under the weather back home. First, it takes a lot longer to heal at 17,500'. Second, failing to take it easy when our bodies need it could lead to feeling worse or needing to descend to a lower altitude to recover. Everyone has been doing a good job of taking it easy though. There has been plenty of hot showers, doing laundry, watching movies, and too many card games to count. The weather seems to be stable with crystal clear skies in the morning to cloudy in the afternoon with light snowfall. Looking forward to walking up hill soon and feeling better. Casey PS - Rob Suero would like to wish happy birthday to his daughter. Happy Birthday!

Monday, June 9, 2025 - 10:21 pm PT

Today was a long day. Around midnight the snow finally stopped and the skies begun to clear. This morning we woke up to lingering clouds, but a few hints of sunshine and finally, a day without snow. After a quick breakfast and hot drinks, we began to shovel out our camp, that had taken a real beating over the last few days of really heavy snowfall. Once we shoveled our camp, we began to pack up the gear we needed for 14,000' Camp, and gather the gear we were going to leave at 11,000' Camp until we came back through. This included snowshoes, one trekking pole, and for everyone besides the guides - the dreaded sleds. We also left behind trash, and food we realized a week in we might not eat in the remaining two weeks. Once our cache was buried and left, we strapped on our crampons and began the slow trek up Motorcycle Hill. It was no easy feat, the trail breaking was close to waist deep in places. We continued our way up Squirrel Hill, across the Polo Fields, and around Windy Corner - which was less windy than a few days ago. And finally made it to the promised land, 14,000' Camp. Greeted by friends and sunshine, it was nice to finally make it to our launching point for the rest of the mountain. We quickly built camp, and eventually enjoyed a late dinner of ramen. The team did great, everyone pushed themselves, and showed up.

Tomorrow we will sleep in and take a well deserved rest day at our new camp.

RMI Guide Nikki Champion

Sunday, June 18, 2023 - 9:54 pm PT

After an early wake up of 0330 and a quick breakfast the team began the ascent toward 11,000' Camp. The brisk morning air called for thick gloves and layers that were quickly shed as the sun broke over the peak, illuminating the lower Kahiltna Glacier. The suns rays consistently beat down on the team and in combination with the still air caused an almost equatorial heat, despite the ambient air temperature being near freezing. The vastness of the Kahiltna cannot be understated. While sitting on the top of Ski Hill we speculated we could see nearly 15 miles to where the glacier took a turn out of view. Outside of the vibrant, tropical colors worn by the climbers, the only other colors were the icy blue of the sky, white snow, and black rocks jutting out from cliff sides. Despite the lack of other visual stimuli the shear beauty of this area strikes the team with awe every morning when they rise from their tents.

RMI Climber Travis Sturckow

Congratulations to the team for succeeding on such a tough day. We crossed over the John Gardner pass today in the wind, rain, and snow. We started hiking early in the morning to get a start on the long day ahead. The first hour or two we spent dodging mud pits by balancing on wet slippery roots. The next two hours we headed up, and up, and up over scree and through river beds. Once on top of the pass, the fun began and the next six hours of the day we spent walking down steep rocks and slippery mud. Today's team member highlight goes to a woman who self proclaimed "this is the hardest thing she's ever done." She is a strong and graceful social worker from Wisconsin. We are all lucky to travel through this rugged Patagonia landscape with her. Now we celebrate our strenuous day though very challenging weather, at the Grey hut where we'll be for two nights. The hut is full of people huddling around the fireplace to dry out layers. After the past three nights of quiet huts or camping it is nice to have the luxuries of this lodge but it seems a little louder than we're used to. The team is all happy to have a rest day tomorrow with a chance to explore the Grey Glacier. RMI Guide Christina Dale

Last time I posted I was waiting out bad weather at base camp. Prior to that, I stayed in camp 3 (22,300ft) for four and a half days. However, a good enough window for a no oxygen ascent never appeared. On the 27th I dropped back down to Base camp and took a single day's rest. Today, the 29th, I went from base camp to Camp 3 in a single 8 hour push. I'm positioned again to take advantage of some "reasonably" stable weather. Tomorrow the 30th I hope to make Camp 4 and "fingers crossed" summit the 1st of October. RMI Guide Alex Barber

May 29, 2014 - 12:06 am PT Greetings from beautiful Talkeetna, Alaska! The entire team finally arrived today, after one of our team members experienced a slight delay coming up yesterday. We had a great day here, spending most of the morning talking about the personal climbing kits, the gear we'll need and the food we'll eat, and what to expect in the days to come as we prepare for our grand adventure in the heart of the Alaska range. We met with the park service this afternoon, and then headed back to the hangar to finalize packing. Our team is dialed and as a result we had no troubles as we culled out the superfluous gear from what we brought. Everything's looking tight and right, and we're all excited to get underway. While the forecast doesn't look incredibly promising, we'll be ready to launch at a moment's notice tomorrow, and we hope to be on the glacier soon. We're standing by, filled with anticipation for the expedition and respect for the task ahead. Stay tuned for more details, and keep the positive vibes coming! Until next time, RMI Guides Tyler, Garrett, and Bryan

On The Map