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RMI Guide Dave Hahn checks in from Everest Base Camp, May 17th.
On The Map
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Mike Uchal
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Northside
Elevation: 8,300'
On The Map
Posted by: Mike Walter, Seth Burns
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 9,131'
RMI Guide Mike Walter called from the top of Mt. Shuksan this morning. The team enjoyed a beautiful, hazy morning at 9,000' ft. The team made it back to camp and will enjoy a night's rest before they head back to the trailhead tomorrow.
Posted by: Nikki Champion, Steve Gately, Emma Lyddan, Nicole De Petris, Roland Scott, Cal Seeley
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14, 410'
The Five-Day Climb led by Nikki Champion and Steve Gately reached the summit at 6 am this morning. After a warm walk uphill to Camp Muir on Saturday, teams enjoyed a good night's rest and a beautiful day of training before their ascent this morning.
The teams are currently on their descent and will return to Basecamp this afternoon for a celebration of their accomplishments! Congratulations team!
Way to go team!!!!! I’m Riley’s Mom and I’m so happy he accomplished this challenging
climb on his 3rd try. Congratulations to all of you!! Have a safe climb down.
Posted by: Crista Boyle on 8/1/2022 at 12:45 pm
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Dustin Wittmier, Devin Guffey
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 17,200'
Monday, June 28, 2021 - 10:37 pm PT
Good evening,
We went to bed with the excitment of going for the summit the following day. The sky was clear and all looked calm enough in the morning. The light was green for take off. As we packed for the day clouds began to build to the south. We hoped they would stay at bay but before long they were swollowing the upper mountain. Our nice looking day took a turn and the light turned to red. Instead of taking a walk, we took a nap. Today was not our day. Snow and clouds came and went throughout the day. Camp remained quiet as no one left for the summit. What is one more day of waiting if we can summit tomorrow? Weather is looking ok for tomorrow and we are hoping with everything we half left in us that tomorrow will in fact be the day we go for the top. Patience, food, and time are running low so here's for some good weather.
Good weather, good weather, good weather,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team
Hannah and Dustin, I am sending good weather prayers for you and your team!!!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 6/30/2021 at 3:08 am
We are all thinking about you and can’t wait to hear the good word!
Hoping by now you are excited to have reached your goal!
Mom & Dad
Posted by: Judy & Dale on 6/29/2021 at 1:31 pm
Posted by: Jack Delaney, Jackson Breen, Keeley Rideout
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
RMI Guide Jack Delaney led the Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise July 14 - 19. The team met last Thursday for their orientation and gear check. The next morning they went straight to the mountain. Their first camps were above Paradise and they used the terrain for training, getting everyone up to speed on cramponing, glacier travel and ice axe arrest skills. Additional training took place as the group slowly ascended over the next few days. Yesterday the team made the jump to Camp Muir. After dinner and discussion about the climb ahead they crawled into sleeping bags for a few hours of rest. With an alpine start the team left Camp Muir, they reached the summit after 6 hours of climbing, approaching the crater rim around 7 am. After enjoying the views and photo ops from the summit the team is returning to Camp Muir. Once back at Camp they will pack up and continue the final 4.5 miles back to Paradise. Their program concludes today with a celebration once they return to Rainier BaseCamp.
Nice work team! We hope you enjoyed your time on the mountain!
Back safe and sound in Kathmandu!
Managed to get the team out of Lukla with the help of helicopters. It was too cloudy for the planes to fly, but the helicopters are able to fly out following the rivers and avoiding the mountains. It was a first for a few of us.
Everyone is back enjoying the comforts at the Yak & Yeti hotel, hot showers, good food, and the warm temps.
It's been one amazing adventure with a great team and it will be sad to say goodbye, but we are all looking forward to getting back home to our loved ones.
Thanks for following.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and a happy crew
Followed your dispatches daily. To be at basecamp with climbers must awesome. To be in the spiritual place where legendary summiteers of years ago and modern day climbers began their attempts, and to experience and appreciate all of the preparation and support needed for such attempts must be exhilarating! Congrats!
Posted by: John on 4/2/2022 at 8:07 am
Mission accomplished. For today, that is. We had fine weather today, sunny and calm (but you might be surprised to see how much clothing and gear we still put on for sunny and calm conditions). We made a carry up the steep and nasty part of Mt Vinson… the fixed ropes, and put a cache of supplies at 11,800 ft. before returning to our 9,300 ft camp. By intention, we stopped about an hour short of 12,500 ft High Camp. To go up and back is a lot of work, but we hope it is the kind of work that will help with our acclimatization, making us stronger and safer when we go up there for real. The fixed rope section is a continuously steep and firm snow slope which definitely gets your attention as a physical challenge. We normally get up it in three hour long pulls with some dicey rest breaks thrown in on precarious ledges. The views are otherworldly… with ice stretching to the western horizon and then blending with the sky, and jagged peaks of rock and ice increasingly visible to our north. We were out a little more than seven hours, returning to Low Camp at 9 PM. The strong evening sun kept us comfy in our dining tent for a 10:15 supper. Rumor has it that winds may increase on the upper mountain tomorrow. We shall see.
Best Regards,
Hey Dave, Sending good wishes for great weather and strength for you and your team!
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 12/1/2021 at 4:18 am
Posted by: Eric Frank, James Bealer, Jack Delaney
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
Saturday, May 29, 2021 - 11:35 pm PT
Sleeping in was mandatory this morning as we waited for the sun to hit camp. Rest was the name of the game today as a storm laid siege on the mountain. Wind battered the tents with occasional snow as we all practiced the art of not getting bored. We had a delicious and grand dinner which devolved into (surprisingly well informed) debates on which Disney characters were best. The weather will hopefully improve tomorrow and we’ll be able to get up and stretch our legs.
Such an exciting adventure. Go NORM! Looking forward to seeing more photos and hearing your stories. Stay safe, my cousin. :)
Kathy
Posted by: Kathy Leslie on 6/1/2021 at 4:40 pm
Ptaying you all up and down and sunny no storms, sure-footedness. Love to Norm, from Uncle Kaz too
Posted by: Old aunt Karen on 6/1/2021 at 9:10 am
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz team led by RMI Guide Mike Haugen reached the summit via the Kautz Glacier, a remote and technical climb on Mt. Rainier. The team had clear skies and 30 mph winds.
This team participated in a week long training course designed to educate them to the mountaineering skills needed to tackle the world's greatest peaks. Successful completion of the Expedition Skill Seminar - Kautz makes these climbers eligible for many of our expeditions around the world, including Denali, and provides the team with a foundation for other major glaciated mountains.
Congratulations Team!
Way to go, Team! The RMI guides made each challenging goal achievable and safe. I wanted to acquaint myself with alpine climbing, but this seminar provided much more.
Posted by: Thomaz Nestlehner Cardoso de Almeida on 7/17/2022 at 10:54 am
What an amazing and emotional journey! Very appreciative for the experience and knowledge from all the guides.
When you can please email all photos as I’m excited to revisit these moments. Thank you!
Posted by: Brian Danney on 7/16/2022 at 1:24 pm














All the Best to all the Teams.
Posted by: Ajay Godbole on 5/18/2012 at 3:12 am
Wishing you all benevolence from the weather gods.
Thanks for the dispatches.
Stay safe, stay strong.
Posted by: Bill Horn on 5/17/2012 at 7:42 pm
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