Our Five Day Climb May 28 - 1 June, reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today led by RMI Guides Andy Bond and Bryan Mazaika. Andy reported a beautiful climb this morning without any winds. The route is very direct and the teams training over the last few days set them up well for the climb.
The photo was taken by Andy on their ascent at around 13,300'. The teams will return to Camp Muir and repack then continue their descent to Paradise.
They will conclude their program this afternoon at Rainier BaseCamp.
Congratulations guys!! you did it! Looking forward to our climb on July 5th!! I hope the weather will allow us to reach the top as well.
Rich
Posted by: richard philippides on 6/12/2022 at 11:15 pm
It was one of great experience to hike Mt. Rainier. Thanks a lot to RMI for providing all the support.
Special thanks to all guides Bryan, Andy, Michael, Keely, George and Ellison, with you guys we will not have great experience. Thanks for providing all the training and taking care all of us (like family member). Looking forward to have more expeditions with you guys.
Also thanks to all expedition members, learned lot from you guys.
Good afternoon,
This is the Carstensz team checking in. We had a hike today into our base camp we got in pretty early this morning, and have spent the day getting ready for a prep day tomorrow. So tomorrow we will probably climb 6 - 8 pitches of rock as a warm up for Carstensz which we hope to attempt the following day. Things are going great. We are well established at base camp. It is raining still but there are long breaks of good weather during the day. And we're certainly hoping to take advantage of that. That's it for right now. We'll check in again tomorrow after we've done our training. Good night to all.
RMI Guide Alex Van Steen
Today, for the second time, Dave, my Dad, and I climbed up to the first ladders of the Khumbu Ice fall. After a delicious breakfast and saying goodbye to some good friends we've made here at Base Camp who were heading home, we set out on our climb at around 9:30am and got up to the first ladders around 11:00am.
Two days ago our team did the same climb. It took my dad and I nearly two and a half hours to get to our high point, (about 18,000 feet) and when we did we were whipped. Standing next to the first ladder this time around I felt significantly stronger- I wasn't breathing nearly as hard and I actually got a chance to pick my head up and look at the amazing views of Base Camp and the valley below. Even climbing in an Ice fall the temperatures can get very hot, and this morning there wasn't a cloud in the sky. About half way through our hike, clouds finally began to gather about the tops of the peaks surrounding us and we were sheltered from the blazing sun which is much stronger at these altitudes.
Our team is encouraged by our performance today. We feel much stronger, skilled, and acclimatized then we did even two days ago, and with this can get through the rest of the ice fall much more quickly and safely in the days to come.
Lastly, our thoughts and prayers are with all of our friends and family back home. I think my Westminster Varsity Lacrosse teammates are playing a big game today, and I wish them all the best! As for how we're spending our spare time, we're meeting lots of new people, and becoming almost professional dart, horseshoes, sudoku, and card players.
Thanks for following our blog!
Sara McGahan
keep up the great work!Today my dad changed a light bulb which is the highest he will climb this year. I LOVE YOU and MISS YOU! Love, Sophie
Posted by: Sophie on 4/17/2011 at 7:51 am
SAYY!! i miss you so much, ive emailed you alot but you cant get your emails…. anyways, i dont want to leave a super long message but you rock so much and we are all thinking about you!! i LOVE YOU AND YOU ARE SUCH AN INSPIRATION and hurry home!!!!!!! (im gonna text you later)
We have enjoyed our time at Aconcagua Base Camp these last few days. The cooks, porters and all the staff are constantly working to make our stay comfortable and doing it with the biggest smiles imaginable. We are ready to climb higher but will miss being so well taken care of.
We did get a dusting of snow today that made the mountain beautiful. Thankfully the weather forecast is to improve as we climb higher over the next few days.
The climbing team is at Camp 4 readying for their summit bid on Mt. Everest tonight. For me, that means sleeping in the communication tent tonight. Dave and Seth will get some rest at the South Col. Hopefully a few hours of sleep but very important time for resting, hydrating and self care. Can you believe they are just hours away from the start of the Summit push? Kaji, Tshering and Geldgen our super Sherpa put Camp 4 together before Dave and Seth arrived. Nice work boys! Our Sherpa staff are doing fine as well.
I celebrated another birthday (twelfth time I guess) here on the Big E yesterday. Our wonderful Sherpa staff at Everest Base Camp had all the trimmings for me. I enjoyed a moonlight hike, no headlight needed, a very peaceful and surreal scene surrounding the jaunt. This is a truly amazing place to spend time. The horseshoe pit is still up and it's tough to get the better of me on the home pit advantage.
I'll be sending updates on the team's progress as they attempt to summit Mt. Everest tonight. Good luck!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Well, we have finally made it to Penitentes and finished packing up all of our junk that we'll need on the mountain for the next few weeks. The loads are readied for the mules to shuttle into basecamp for us and we are all very excited about hitting the trail tomorrow!
After a quick breakfast this morning at our hotel we headed out in Mendoza to pay for and secure the paperwork for our climbing permits. What sounds like an easy task is actually not so simple when you have to run all over town to complete each stage of the permitting process in a different building across town. Luckily for us everything went off without a hitch and after running a few more errands the team was checked out of the hotel and headed out to Penitentes where we have been staging for the rest of this afternoon/evening. Tomorrow we´ll leave the loads for the herrieros (muleteers) and catch a shuttle out to Punta de Vacas which is our trail head at the mouth of the Vacas Valley. The weather thus far has been quite comfortable so we´re hoping that it can hold for a few more days affording us a nice walk in to Aconcagua Basecamp.
That´s all for now, we´ll check in via satellite phone tomorrow evening from our first camp along the approach.
RMI Guides Billy Nugent, Leon Davis, and the rest of the crew.
The Five Day Climb July 23 - 27 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Pete Van Deventer and teams reached the summit around 6:30 am under calm winds and warm temperatures. The teams will return to Camp Muir where they spend the afternoon to relax and recover after their efforts today. The teams will descend the remaining 4,500' to Paradise tomorrow morning.
Three Core Training Principles
By RMI Guide Eric Frank
Designing a training program to prepare for mountaineering is one of the most important decisions aspiring climbers face. Success or failure is often determined by the type and quality of the training done months before the crampon straps are tightened.
By planning particular elements of the training program in order, fitness can be maximized while the chance of burning out is minimized. Each level of activity leads to the next. It is crucial to start training at least six months in advance of the climb to have enough time to work through a full cycle. While the details will vary between climbers, here are a few core principles to consider:
• First, commit one or two Saturdays each month for long training sessions. This can be difficult in our busy, modern world, but it is important to find the time to go on a five to six hour hike or bike ride. Days in the mountains are rarely less then eight hours, and being accustomed to consistent low-grade output is important. This serves to build base fitness.
• Next, introduce mountaineering specific activities by focusing on the core and legs. Carrying a backpack uphill for hours can be extremely taxing on these muscle groups. Running, core workout and good ol’ hiking with a pack will build them up to the appropriate level. Remember to carry a pack that is similar to the pack weight on the climb. Filling the pack with water is a nice trick. Carry the weight uphill during training, then dump it out before heading downhill to save the knees.
• Finally, add high intensity, full body workouts to the exercise program. On most routes in the mountains, there are places where increased output is required. Whether it is scrambling up a rock step on the Disappointment Cleaver on Mt. Rainier, ascending a fixed line on the West Buttress of Denali, or just shoveling snow to make a tent platform, physical strength is crucial. These activities will round out the strength in your shoulders and lower back. A good introductory workout involves body weight calisthenics in a rotation – pushups, crunches, squats, dips, pull-ups and jump rope. Try to do three full cycles with a consistent number of repetitions. The idea is maintain an elevated heart rate and stress different muscle groups in succession. The best part is that is doesn’t require any specialized equipment or facilities.
Finally remember that the best training imitates the route to be climbed. Consider the specific mountain and route to be attempted, research it’s exact difficulties, then tailor a plan which will lead to success.
_____
Eric Frank is a senior guide at RMI Expeditions. He has climbed and guided all over the world, including the Alaska Range and the Himalaya; read about his recent to trip to Shishapangma on the Eddie Bauer Blog. Eric will be leading an RMI Expedition on Mt. McKinley's Upper West Rib next spring.
"Tah-shi de-leh." Hello everybody. "Tah-shi de-leh" is a Tibetan greeting that is used when greeting people and also when you say "Good-bye."
This is Casey checking in from the Cho Oyu Expedition.
The team is doing great. We've been relaxing here at ABC for the last two days taking rest days, catching up on sleep, reading, and having lots of social time in our tent because it has been snowing nonstop since we've been here. We get these squawls that come through every day for several hours and then some light breaks. With the weather we are going to take one more day of rest tomorrow down here and then head up to Camp 1 the day after.
Currently the upper mountain has a fair amount of new snow and the sherpa teams that are in charge of fixing the route to the summit have not been able to get too far due to the deep snow and avalanche conditions. We are sitting good because we are still about ten days out from our summit bid, which is great. There are several teams here that are itching to go since they have been here at ABC for the last week waiting for the weather to open up so they can go do their summit attempt. We are nice and relaxed here with our schedule.
Kumar, our cook, has been taking great care of us and keeping us healthy. One more day of relaxation and we'll check in again probably when we head up to Camp 1 two days from now.
Okay everybody, hope you're doing well.
Hey, this is Seth checking in from the summit of Pico de Orizaba, tallest mountain in Mexico, fourth tallest in North America. Got the whole team with me. We've got a beautiful day. No wind up here, sunny skies, everybody's psyched. We're going to take a bunch of photos. Do some high fivin' then we'll check in once we peel back. Here's the shouts from everybody. [Team shouts!] They are very excited. It's just hard to breathe up here. We'll check in from high camp.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall calls from the Orizaba summit
Congratulations guys!! you did it! Looking forward to our climb on July 5th!! I hope the weather will allow us to reach the top as well.
Rich
Posted by: richard philippides on 6/12/2022 at 11:15 pm
It was one of great experience to hike Mt. Rainier. Thanks a lot to RMI for providing all the support.
Special thanks to all guides Bryan, Andy, Michael, Keely, George and Ellison, with you guys we will not have great experience. Thanks for providing all the training and taking care all of us (like family member). Looking forward to have more expeditions with you guys.
Also thanks to all expedition members, learned lot from you guys.
Posted by: Umesh Patel on 6/3/2022 at 2:23 pm
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