Good evening again from Yanapacha moraine camp. We're turning into our sleeping bags after an incredibly successful day. We turned our acclimatization day into a summit; weather was good, and spirits were high, so after our training session on the glacier, we decided to put things into practice right away. Yanapacha provided a short but steep glacier that definitely challenged the team this early into the stages of acclimatization, but now that it's under our belt, and with another night here, at its high camp, we're sure to get the most out of this rotation. Every one did an outstanding job, and the views from the summit are the new favorite for this guide. We'll descend tomorrow to base camp to the food of our cook and the rest that the thicker air will deliver. Stay tuned for more!
ElÃas and team
We got an early start to our summit day. The first section is a steep scree slope, a big bite to chew when you wake up at midnight. As we gained the ridge we were surprised by the amount of snow, making for efficient climbing. The weather was warm for 15,000’+ and light winds allowed us to wear a few layers and stay comfortable while winding up and down the five false summits of Ixtaccihuatl.
With the city lights glowing in each direction and shooting stars across the horizon the Team kept plugging away until we reached the summit.
So many climbs ascend with the sunrise to thier backs. The unplanned benefit to summiting in the dark was that we descended into the rising sun with stellar views of Orizaba poking through the clouds. Alpineglow on the snow flanked sides of Ixta was a nice reward.
We are back down and headed to Puebla for a day of rest, culture and tacos al pastor. Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Mike King
This is Mike checking in from the lower flanks of Ixta. Today we had a casual breakfast and a two plus hour drive to the National Park where our first climbing objective is. We are at a hut looking out on the snow covered peaks of Ixta and Popo. There has been lots of rain this week which means good climbing conditions. The Team has been taking in the scenic countryside in between some short walks to acclimate. We have our gear checked and are getting ready for a delicious dinner before turning in for the night. Tomorrow we head to High Camp to get ready for a summit bid. Fingers crossed for good weather and calm winds.
RMI Guide Mike King
Late Thursday afternoon we made final preparations to our climbing kit and sat inside the Tambopaxi dining room watching a light rain fall across the plains surrounding Cotopaxi. We had an early dinner and retired to our bunk rooms at dusk for a few hours of rest before the evening summit departure.
At 10:00 pm we woke and ate a light breakfast in the dark dining room before loading our gear into Victor's bus and taking it up the rocky road to the base of the Refugio. We hiked in relative silence through a misty cloud to the glacier, put on our crampons and roped up. A little new snow had fallen but the climbing route was still visible and we began our climb at 16,300'.
Hour after hour we climbed the unrelenting steep slopes, pausing for breaks where we could find a relatively flat place. At 8:00 am we surpassed the final steeps and stood atop the 19,348' volcano. It was a taxing climb for the team with many altitude records achieved and much to be proud of.
Tonight we enjoyed each others company over dinner and drinks at La Cienega and in the morning we will sleep in and explore this beautiful and historic Hosteria before returning to Quito for the anniversary fiesta of its founding. Good night from a very tired and happy Ecuador team.
RMI Guides Leon Davis & Casey Grom
Hey – this is Dave Hahn calling from Vinson Base Camp. Yeah – I know, we started the day at the tip of South America, but we have made it all the way through Union Glacier and up to Vinson Base Camp. It’s 1:30 in the morning, we got the day going a long time ago. We were picked up from our hotel this morning a little after 7 in the morning so we have been on the go all day. The weather was a little iffy at Union for getting out to Vinson and it took a little time but we got out, or most of us got out. Jeff Justman, JJ, my other guide on this trip is still back there at Union Glacier. But we took the opportunity to get all the climbers out, but my co-leader, JJ, is back there at Union. So we will hope to have him to join us tomorrow. That would be nice if that works out. We will see what the weather does.
We have our Base Camp built and conditions aren’t too bad here right now. We are pretty optimistic and pretty pleased with our selves getting all the way in, two big important flights done and we can start concentrating on the mountain.
Thank you,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
RMI Guide Dave Hahn checks in upon arrival at Vinson Base Camp.
Yahoo! You’re there! Continued safety and good fortune! See you next update!
Posted by: Kristin H. on 11/27/2014 at 4:31 pm
Wonderful!!! Great news and hope the weather holds. Happy Thanksgiving and my alarm is set for 7:30 am daily to especially think of you then. Blessings to all. Love to Chris. Mom
Posted by: Carol Colleran on 11/27/2014 at 11:43 am
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens just called from the summit of Sahale Peak! The team had a great climb and ended up above the clouds with great views of the surrounding North Cascades peaks peeking out.
The seminar team has had a fun week of training and climbing, reaching the top of Aiguille and Sahale Peak. Tomorrow they will finish their training and descend back to the trail head before parting ways.
June 20, 2014 - 7:14 am PT
Three O Clock PM Talkeetna time. The kids in orange vests that load and unload the planes we were to fly in asked if it was okay to unload the 2,700 pounds of gear weighing down the aircrafts still grounded by ugly mountain weather near Mt. McKinley. Sure we all said. By this time the thought of messing around with gear just to pass the time seemed like a safe plan. The flying conditions were reported to be bad all day so the perceived notion that we would fly at all was dwindling. The forecast for the next few days looked worse so I knew unloading those planes was the best move we could have made. Not more than 20 minutes after our climbing outfits came off and we were literally heading into town for a beer, base camp called, said conditions looked good and if anyone was ready, load 'em up ASAP and get them in! So, off with the jeans and tennies, on with boots and a mild-hurried panic and onto the plane. Forty-five minutes later we were on the glacier! Yeeee haaaa.
Everyone is buzzing with good energy and the days to come. Wish us luck on our move to Camp One.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
Summit success... Now back at basecamp. We had the unfortunate opportunity to see what real wind was all about both on our summit bid and our descent back to basecamp. But now, sitting in real chairs with a hot meal and a successful summit under our belts, everyone knows the hard work was worth it. The crew is elated at the prospect of a hot shower and a real bed on the horizon. Just 1.5 more days of walking til the road, then Mendoza!
The Four Day Climb led by Tatum Whatford and Jackson Breen reached the top of Disappointment Cleaver before high winds, cold temperatures, and incoming weather forced them to turn. On the descent the team enjoyed the sunrise from Ingraham Flats.
The forecast was for this weather system to begin to clear out today, and when we got up this morning we were hopeful that the trend was going in the right direction. We could see down below, had sunshine in camp, though it was still plenty windy. We dragged our feet to make sure it kept getting better by making a blueberry pancake breakfast. As we enjoyed that we listened to the wind get stronger and watched the tent get darker as clouds pushed up and we lost the sun. We continued to kick the can and see if we would get a chance to head downhill and grab our cache, but it continued to deteriorate. Eventually we pulled the plug and went to our weather day rhythm of tent hang, reading, cards, etc. Over dinner the sun finally poked back out so hopefully this system is finally moving out and we'll get our shot tomorrow.
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Great Kim! Got some pictures from Snapfish of you climbing 3 years Ago this week! Love momma
Posted by: Jane on 7/10/2019 at 4:21 am
Wow! Way to go Kim & team! Congrats on the first of three!!
Posted by: shel on 7/10/2019 at 12:31 am
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