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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!
Posted by: Tyler Jones, Zeb Blais
Categories: Guide News
RMI: That night you left Camp Muir with the intention of skiing Liberty Ridge. Were you able to ski that line?
Zeb Blais: The key to skiing big exposed lines is always the snow conditions. When you're looking at skiing a line like Liberty [Ridge] you can only know what the conditions are like when you get there. We were hoping that the north and northeast facing snow would be chalky, smooth, and wind packed, but when we looked at the entrance to Liberty it was clear that it wasn't going to be skiable. The Liberty Ridge Route looked like mid-summer, maybe good for ice climbing, but certainly not skiable. The Liberty Cap Glacier was down to blue ice with lumps of rime glued to it, which I imagine is fairly common since it is so steep, but the skiing below looked the same. Rappelling the Liberty Cap Glacier and skiing the rest of the line did not look like an inviting option.
RMI: What did you end up skiing instead?
Zeb Blais: After realizing that Liberty was not suitable, we turned our focus to the Mowich Face - an amazing, steep face on the northwest side of the mountain. This looked tempting at first, but it was heavily rimed with blobs of water ice. It was not a place to be on skis! We retreated back to the ridge above and decided we needed to focus on warmer, spring like-snow. We decided on the Sickle, a west-facing chute on the Tahoma Glacier. The snow in the Sickle was prime for skiing!
Tyler Jones: On our ski we had nice soft spring snow down to 8,500 feet. From there we were able traverse to our objective for the next day: Success Ridge between the South Tahoma Glacier and the Success Glacier. We spent the night on the ridge, getting some well-deserved sleep, with the magnificent 4,000-foot Success Glacier Couloir above us waiting to be skied. The conditions on the Success Glacier were superb. The snow was firm for climbing and soft for skiing. After the amazing fall line decent, we continued traversing to [the trailhead at] Paradise. As we hit the Nisqually Glacier we added more vertical to our trip and finished at the Nisqually Bridge. In total Zeb and I traveled 24 miles, gaining 19,000 feet and skiing 21,000 feet in 3 days.
RMI: How does being a Guide help prepare you for trips like this?
Tyler Jones: Being a guide helps to develop your intuitive mountain sense, which is very important for making good decisions in the mountains. It is that gut feeling that can make all the difference.
Zeb Blais: Guiding also gives me a good base-line fitness for doing long days in the mountains. Mountaineering is a unique sport that requires specific techniques and fitness to be efficient. The more you do it the better you get!
RMI: What was your favorite part of this ski trip?
Tyler Jones: My favorite part of this trip was seeing a few new places, skiing a new run, and enjoying the views of the Tahoma Glacier from Sunset Ridge.
Zeb Blais: A huge part of the trip was sharing it with Tyler. Moving in the mountains with a partner who you enjoy and trust makes all the difference. There are thousands of big and small decisions to be made when doing a trip like this, from what gear to bring to what line to ski to 'do we go left here or right?' Making these choices and learning from other experienced climbers or guides is always something I enjoy.
Can't forget skiing! Maybe I should have said this first, but the skiing was awesome! Steep, exposed skiing with great snow is one of the most exhilarating things a person can do.
RMI: What adventures do you have planned next?
Zeb Blais: I am guiding a mountaineering trip on Shasta at the end of the month, and then I'll be back on Rainier for the climbing season with a Denali West Buttress trip at the end of June.
Tyler Jones: I am guiding a Denali trip in June. After that I am planning on flying back onto the mountain for a ski trip with my fiancé Laura. After that I will return to guiding on Rainier and the Grand Teton. Then, I am getting married in September!
Great trip guys! Serious vertical.
Zeb let me know if you’re still trying to unload those Spatniks. This is Steve, the splitboarder in Spatniks. We chatted on the way up Ellery Bowl back in April.
get me at stevebrezovec at the jeeeeeeemail dot com
Posted by: Stevee B on 6/19/2013 at 5:50 pm
Incredible.
Posted by: John on 1/15/2014 at 5:29 pm
It was just a little on the cold side this morning at Shira Camp. Kibo -Kilimanjaro’s main peak- was between us and the sun. But we were far above the clouds and it was clear up high, so the views more than made up for the cold temps. The sun was on us by the time breakfast had finished and so things were comfortable when we got walking at 8:30 AM. Our path led directly toward Kibo and the terrain was easier than what we’d dealt with yesterday. We worked up broad, gently angled slopes. Old lava flows. Obsidian chunks were easy to find amongst the sagebrush and wildflowers. By 11 AM we were higher than Mount Rainier and a short while later we were higher than Mt Whitney… thus breaking altitude records for everyone on the team (except Kim who has been to 19,000 ft). We made it to the Lava Tower -at 15,200 ft- just after noon. Clouds had formed up again and so it was cool, but not so bad that we couldn’t enjoy some lunch. We began working downhill at 1 PM. It felt good to drop altitude and to get back into warmer air. We took a break just as we got into a garden-like grove of giant senecios and lobelias… the “Dr Suess plants” of Kilimanjaro. Another careful hour of descent had us walking into 13,000 ft Barranco Camp just after 3 PM. We settled in at the base of tomorrow’s main objective -the great Barranco Wall.
We napped and read and sipped tea through the remaining afternoon hours. Dinner finished up by 8 PM and we marveled at the stars on this moonless night.
Best Regards
Looking string, Kim! It looks like you, Bella and the team are just cruising along. I know better though. The effort is real - so is the joy. Keep on keeping on!
The boys are still wondering were you actually are and are a little concerned that you would go on an adventure without us.
You amaze me everyday. I love you.
John
Posted by: JOHN GILMAN on 8/19/2022 at 6:48 am
Everyone looks psyched to take on the challenge. You all have got this! Thank you, Dave, for the great daily accounts.
Posted by: Michael Brewer on 8/18/2022 at 8:31 pm
Posted by: Ed Viesturs, Peter Whittaker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
So exciting! Congratulations to the entire team!
Posted by: Molly G on 8/11/2016 at 3:37 pm
Posted by: Luke Wilhelm, David Price
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Day 15
Our team is so resilient. This storm continues to pound the mountain, but our positivity is overwhelming it! It was another really windy and cold one. Despite the bad weather, we were able to get out and stretch our legs a bit. It felt great to move around! The team kept themselves busy this afternoon sorting and preparing gear. If the weather allows, we plan to move to Camp 3 tomorrow.
Till next time,
RMI Guides Luke, David & Team
I’m in awe of both the physical and mental strength you all have to push forward! Stay strong team. You can do this!
Posted by: Amanda Schimkus on 2/5/2022 at 4:05 pm
Hey Pop/Tim,
It wouldn’t be an adventure if everything went as planned! I know you will be persevere these hardships and conquer this challenge. Just know that we are all rooting for you and miss you. I’ve got a laundry list of “man” projects around the house for us to complete upon your return which should motivate your prolonged stay in Aconcagua. Take care and be safe!
Love your favorite son-in-law,
Chris
Posted by: Christopher Nicholson on 2/5/2022 at 12:42 pm
Posted by:
Categories: Guide News
Thanks for the inspiring videos. Awesome to see people doing what I have wanted to do my entire life.
Posted by: Joe Winter on 12/17/2012 at 6:42 pm
Nice videos. I watched them all, although I have seen a few of them before. Happy Holidays!
Posted by: Dan on 12/14/2012 at 12:53 pm
Up at high camp this morning, things were blessedly calm. So much easier, after a long summit day, to have breakfast and pack up in windless and sunny conditions. We set out at noon and took on the hardest part first, getting big packs and tired legs down the fixed lines. It felt good to get that all behind us as we rolled into low camp and repacked for sled hauling down the lower glacier. We pulled in to basecamp at around 7 PM with a Twin Otter waiting. Some hurried packing, sorting and organizing followed and the Twin got off deck at 8 PM. They held dinner for us tired but excited Vinson folk. We stuffed ourselves and caught up with all the expedition folk we’d been sharing the mountain with. Our tents went up for a final night in Antarctica. It looks good for flying tomorrow so we may make it all the way to Punta Arenas on this whirlwind finish to the trip.
Best Regards,
RMI Guie Dave Hahn
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Mark Tucker, Seth Waterfall
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest
Elevation: 21,300'
RMI Guide Dave Hahn checks in from ABC after their summit climb.
On The Map
so cool! glad that you all summited safely and are sharing your experience.
Posted by: michelle on 5/23/2013 at 11:49 am
All your patience is rewarded. Congratulations and thanks for all the story sharing. Have a safe end of expedition and a nice journey home later.
Posted by: Eric F. on 5/23/2013 at 11:11 am
You guys are amazing!! While we are sitting in our warm places you are weathering the incredible cold hights..Wishing you great weather all the way to the summit!! Go, Vlado go!
Lumir, Maria and Patrick
Posted by: maria popek on 12/9/2011 at 10:38 pm
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
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