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Our timing with the weather was perfect today - as I write this, there's a high intensity hail storm making a lot of clatter on the metal roof of our hut. This morning was beautiful. We ascended up to 15,500', a little beyond Pastukhova Rocks, building on our acclimatization. We were treated to some very nice turns on our 3,000' descent back to the huts, and we got a few jealous looks from climbers walking down on foot. Another great day on Mt. Elbrus. Tomorrow is focused on rest, and the next day we'll see if we can ski from the top! RMI Guide Tyler Reid

We were treated to a clear view of the upper mountain this morning, which was spectacular and short-lived. Thick clouds were forming by our 8:30 AM departure for high camp. We quickly got above the upper limit of any significant vegetation and so when the clouds came in close around us, there really wasn't much to see. Lava and pumice. We were on a great stairmaster, and so we patiently did our exercise. It took just 2.5 hours to climb the 2,000 vertical feet to Barafu ("ice" in Swahili) Camp. Timing was exquisite as persistent and heavy sleet began to fall. Our excellent support staff had built a fine camp for us to shelter in. We rested, ate, drank and got ready for our main event. We are in bed early and trying to manage our excitement for a midnight start to a big summit day. The sleet has quit and the stage is set. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Hello again from the 11k camp on Denali! We decided to take another day to rest and acclimate to the altitude. We spent most of the day lounging around, reading, listening music, napping, and telling lies, all the while getting stronger for our forays up higher. The weather was cloudy, cooler, and windier today, and a trace of snow fell overnight. But as I lie in my sleeping bag typing this dispatch, a cloudless sky sits above us. We're hoping for good weather tomorrow so we can carry supplies up to around 13,600'. We'll stay in touch. RMI Guide Mike Walter & team

Sleeping in a bed again is pretty good, we decided. Even so, we didn’t sleep late this morning. We got driving west by 8 AM, excited to be on Safari. We made a brief stop on the edge of Arusha for provisions and then pushed farther west in our two Land Cruisers. 

Our guides, Jacob and Emmanuel, explained that the arid zone we were traversing was Maasai country. We began seeing herds of cattle being marched to and from dusty waterholes by men and boys. We passed many “bomas” which were clusters of huts around a central animal corral. 

Finally, we came to lush vegetation again on the shores of Lake Manyara and entered the National Park of the same name. Our first animal sightings were of waterbucks in the dense forests. Then bushbucks. Before long we were adding elephants and Cape buffalo to our rapidly growing list. Naturally there were plenty of monkeys and baboons.  We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the shore of the vast lake and then got back on the dusty roads in search of more.  Eventually we saw zebras and impala and warthogs.  One shy giraffe appeared momentarily.  There were egrets and eagles and hornbills. 

As the afternoon stretched on, we headed for the park gate and drove up the steep escarpment to the Ngorogoro Highlands… out of the great rift valley.  In Karatu our drivers took a side road through fields full of crops out to the Plantation Lodge.  We enjoyed a very civilized evening sipping cocktails in a splendid bar in a splendid garden.  Dinner was delicious… but we admitted to missing Tosha’s miraculous mountain cooking.  You can take the climber out of the mountains, but…

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

Wednesday, May 17, 2023 - 7:54 pm PT

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.

RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

After waiting all morning for the rain to stop and the clouds to lift we made our summit attempt. The clouds towered around us as we climbed up the glacier in the sun, getting a good look at Mt. Shuksan's snow-covered summit pyramid. Mother Nature had other plans for us as we approached 7,600’ the clouds closed in around us creating white-out conditions and forcing us to follow our footsteps back to camp. RMI Guide Alex Halliday

Tuesday, June 25, 2019 - 9:58 PM PT Four AM wake up today down at 9,500 ft. That was a perfect time for watching the early rays of sunshine playing across Mt Foraker’s 17,000 ft slopes. We watched, but we also geared up and ate our Cheerios. There were a bunch of different layers of cloud out and about, but none of those gave us any trouble. We hit the trail by six. It was an easier trail to hit today, since there’d been a good freeze and no additional new snow overnight. Cruising along the upper Kahiltna in deep, cool shadows was wonderful. Although it wasn’t our intention, we shaved plenty of time off our travel from yesterday as we made it to 11,000 by 8:30 AM. Then there was the familiar work of leveling tent sites, building tents and anchoring them down. By the time the sun found us we were ready for a midday nap. In the afternoon the team got together for a review of the climbing techniques we’ll use to get up and around Windy Corner. The character of the climb changes with tomorrow’s carry. Time to bust out the crampons and ice axes. Hannah crushed things in the kitchen this evening with her acclaimed Mac and Cheese. Things briefly got snowy and cold, and then blue sky and sunshine broke out everywhere as we turned in for the “night” Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

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

On The Map

Wednesday, June 20, 2018 - 3:09 AM PT Today we woke to more winter with the wind blowing in our faces as we crawled from our tents. We did an Alaska leisure start. This is when you wake up and wish the weather was better but... will pack slowly. So we crept through the white, snow blowing all around us, and trail blazed through the deep snow. After many hours we arrived in Base Camp in dashing style. The evening was caped with more quesadillas than we could eat and a celebratory beverage. As we nestle in our sleeping bags for what we hope is the last night, we dream of burgers and beverages on the other side..... it’s snowing now, of course. Don’t fret we have had a blast on this adventure though we are bitter with the weather. We will out chill Denali. You can count on it. RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Bryan Mazaika and Nick Scott

On The Map

The Four Day Summit Climb Team led by RMI Guides Billy Nugent and Leon Davis reached the Summit of Camp Muir today. The teams reported great climbing conditions and clear skies. Congratulations to Today's Teams!