Most Popular Entries
This is not any surfing safari, although that doesn't sound too bad either. Our goal is not to catch the perfect wave, but it is to find the perfect sighting of so much wild game on a beautiful day. I'll take it. We forced ourselves to leave one lovely lodge to end up at another. We are at the Plantation Lodge situated midway between
Lake Manyara and
Ngorongoro Crater, which is the location of tomorrow's safari. The team did well making the transition from climbing to safari. Although that trigger finger took a hit today taking so many pictures, I have confidence it will pull off some amazing shots tomorrow.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Today the Four Day Summit Climb June 2 -5 and the Five Day Summit Climb June 1 - 5 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier. The teams reported great climbing conditions and a beautiful day. Congratulations!
Question #1:
Written by erstad17 on May 1, 2009
As a Nikon shooter myself, I'm proud to see the Nikon name at Everest. Is there a specific reason why you wouldn't go full frame? Do you carry a backup to the D300?
Answered by Jake Norton on May 11, 2009
Hi erstad17...good to hear from another Nikon shooter! As for the full frame issue, I'm not personally against full frame, but have not gone that direction for a couple of reasons. First, I personally do not see a huge benefit to full frame, it being a somewhat arbitrary size anyway; I find the DX format to take a little getting used to at first, but now quite familiar and good. But, more importantly, I use the D300 (and used the D200 previously, and the D100 before that) primarily because of size and weight. Both, of course, are major issues when shooting on Everest. The "prosumer" Nikon (digital) line has always treated me quite well, with exceptional performance in the extreme cold, with a great balance of weight and quality. I do have backup cameras with me - a D300, D200, and D100 in case I'm really in trouble - but do not carry them with me all the time. Again, finding the balance with weight, space, etc. Thanks for your questions, and keep shooting!
Question #2:
Written by Grizmtn on April 28, 2009
Thanks for all the great footage and comments. Allows folks like me in faraway Montana to get a glimpse at a fascinating other world through the eyes of experts. Question for Dave Hahn: Since you were involved in the search for evidence of the Mallory & Irvine expedition, and the finding of Mallory's body, do you think the north route has been scoured enough (hopefully not by treasure hunters) to have discovered Irvine and the sought after camera if they were there, or is the area complex and difficult enough that Irvine's remains may be hiding in some nook of the yellowband?
Answered by Dave Hahn on May 11, 2009
Hi Grizmtn. There probably is still more to be found high on the north side regarding the Mallory and Irvine mystery. Just as you say, the area is complex and difficult enough to keep plenty hidden, including Andrew Irvine's remains and whichever camera(s) he and George Mallory had with them on June 8, 1924. I trust you use the term "treasure hunters" as I do, with tongue-in-cheek when it comes to those exploring Everest's North Face. A dumber way to get rich has yet to be conceived. I still feel that Irvine's remains may be hidden on a ledge within the Yellow Band but I doubt I'll risk my life again to confirm that. That said, it is hard for me to imagine a better season for searching than this dry one. Jake Norton and I covered some good ground (rock) in our 2004 Yellow Band search, but due to snowdrifts, we can't categorically say that those same ledges didn't still hold clues to the mystery. Best Regards, DH
Question #3:
Written by GB on April 25, 2009
It's exciting following the climb through the dispatches and photos. Does the beauty of the mountains ever stop you in your tracks and make you want to look around in awe at your surroundings? How do you respond when climbing with a client or climbing partner? Safe climbing!
Answered by Seth Waterfall on May 11, 2009
Hello GB. Thanks for following our expedition. I can safely speak for the team when I say...heck yeah, the beauty of the mountains stops us in our tracks! Fortunately, this style of mountaineering allows for plenty of time to soak up the surroundings. But in fact it is very necessary to be aware of what's going on around you at all times when you're in the mountains, especially while guiding. I regularly encourage my clients to avoid just looking down and following my boot prints. One needs to be aware of everything going on around you and a good team member is always looking out for everyone.
Question #4:
Written by T-Dawg on April 25, 2009
Quick question: do the Sherpas get acclimatized well before the expedition teams arrive? Also, after watching the video about waste collection, and yeah, this is a little gross, when at ABC or when you all reach HC, what happens when "nature calls"? Do the Sherpas bring up latrine tents or do you bust out the shovel? I'm sure some inquiring minds are wondering.
Answered by Seth Waterfall on May 11, 2009
T-Dawg, the Sherpas on our team arrived about one to two weeks before us. That plus the fact that they, for the most part, live at a much higher altitude than us 'westerners,' gives them a head start on acclimatizing. That said, they are definitely predisposed to be more adaptable to altitude, but the mechanism there is poorly understood. There's no doubt, however, that these guys are tough as nails. Now to your question about 'number two.' In my experience, every popular mountain has its own rules regarding waste disposal. Here it is no different. The rules just change depending on where you are on the mountain. At base camp, the waste is removed and dealt with down the valley. Higher up on the mountain this is not practical, and the waste is deposited in a crevasse in the glacier.
Question #5:
Written by DrewEvansPhoto
What do you all do during downtime like this, besides heal and rest?
Answered by Seth Waterfall on May 11, 2009
Hi DEP. We all do different things to relieve the boredom of rest days. With the advent of video iPods, the game is totally different and movie watching is an indescribable pleasure. Of course, reading is great and we've got a little book exchange and tons of magazines. We also eat, play cards, fly our one kite, play Frisbee, and make fun of each other mercilessly. That's all in addition to helping maintain the camp and taking care of ourselves. It's just tons of fun at base camp.
Tuesday, August 22, 2023 - 7:47 am PT
Everything went just like clockwork today for the start of our adventure. We were up early, eating breakfast and shuffling duffels at Rivertrees Inn. We actually drove away to start the climb several minutes before the 8 AM intended launch. Ninety minutes in the bus brought us to the Machame gate of Kilimanjaro National Park. At 6000 ft, this was to be our starting point. Inevitably there was a little time spent getting the team permit paperwork finished, and some time spent getting porter loads sorted. But we were able to start walking through the forest a little after 10:30 AM, not bad at all. Freddy, one of our longtime local guides led today’s charge up the hill. We began with a gradual climb on a road, which eventually turned into a trail upward through the rainforest. We considered ourselves lucky to have a fair bit of blue sky and sunshine for the first day, which is very often spent under or within thick clouds. As well, we seemed to be a few hours ahead of most other teams which meant that the track through the woods was pretty peaceful. We took several breaks to eat snacks and drink tea, but we kept at the hard work of gaining altitude and by 3:30 we’d reached Machame Camp at 10,000 ft. Our amazing staff had our camp built and ready for us to move in when we arrived. We only had to clean up and show up in the dining tent for tea time. Easy. Tosha, our world class chef is serving up dinner at 6:30 and the team is anxious to enjoy a good meal, see some southern hemisphere stars and get a good night’s rest.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Same storm, different day. When we started rolling out of the tents at 9 this morning it was obvious that the storm was still hitting the upper mountain hard. We ate breakfast and kept watching the clouds, and when the forecast at 11 AM confirmed that we still had some more storm days to come, we opted to stay another day at base. As predicted, the local weather came and went during the course of the day with periodic thick cloud and light snow and a little wind even at
Base Camp. We rested and sorted supplies and kept our spirits up. We hydrated and snacked and had a hardy dinner and storytelling session until 10:30 in the evening, at which time the sun finally broke free of the clouds stuck on the mountain range. It broke mostly free, but even diffuse sunshine was welcome for making it a little easier and more comfortable to climb into the tents again.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
RMI Guide Hannah McGowan met her
Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise team on July 29th for a day of Technical Training and gear checks. The next day they drove to Paradise and began their climb. The team moved slowly up the mountain setting up camp, learning new skills and practicing new techniques. Yesterday they moved into Camp Muir and prepared for their summit attempt. With an early alpine start this morning, the team left Camp Muir enroute to the summit. With blue skies and light winds they reached the summit of Mt. Rainier and after enjoying the views, began their descent to Camp Muir around 7 AM PT. Once back at camp they will pack up and continue their descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon to conclude their week of training and climbing.
Congratulations to the Paradise Seminar Team!
There are few elite athletes in the world who train alone. They have a community of other athletes and coaches that are there alongside them for much of their training. It’s difficult to quantify the motivational role that that community provides, but needless to say, it is a huge part of athletes’ success. How often after a big event do we hear someone thank their coaches, their partners, and their teammates. Whether it’s a teammate suffering alongside you or a coach challenging you to do one more, we train better when we have a community.
Many of us don’t though. Whether a result of where we live, the hours of the day that are available for us to train, not knowing any like-minded athletes that are working towards similar goals, many of us train in a vacuum relying solely on the
motivation that we can conjure up. That motivation for most of us is incredible. Year after year, we climb with thousands of climbers who have performed monumental feats of training with only a voice in the back of their head as motivation and that is inspirational. Could it be easier though, could it be more effective? Absolutely.
The interconnectedness of our lives with the Internet can be a really strong tool. While we might not have a training partner physically there with us, we can see what they’ve done, look at their stats, maps, and efforts, and use that to motivate and challenge ourselves. When we post that back to the community, our effort can serve as someone else’s motivation, and as a group, we all train harder, smarter, better, and show up fitter and ready to climb.
As an attempt towards creating this sort of community around us as climbers, we’ve created a club on Strava that we invite everyone to join. You can find it at
https://www.strava.com/clubs/rmiexpeditions. Post your workouts, peruse those of others to gain inspiration, and have discussions about training plans and ideas. We accomplish some amazing feats, and we also all go through dark days in our training when things don’t seem to be going right. Let’s let this community strengthen us. As such, let’s keep our conversations positive and constructive. For some, it may be intimidating to post their workout in an open environment like this, but realize that inspiration from your workout may be just what someone else needs to take a step up in their training.
Get motivated, have some fun, and enjoy some friendly challenges. We’re excited to see what everyone is up to!
_____
Questions? Comments? Check out the RMIExpeditions Club on Strava and share your thoughts there or here, on the RMI Blog!
The team spent Thanksgiving Day at 7,000 ft above sea level on the Branscomb Glacier. "VBC" at the foot of Mount Vinson. Most took it on faith that Vinson was towering over us, since we couldn't see it, or much of anything today. We were clagged in with cloud and light snow throughout the day. All were thankful to have come so far yesterday, via buses, two exotic airplanes, and a big wheeled van at Union Glacier. The team would have been even more grateful if JJ Justman had been able to fly into VBC with us. He was scheduled for the next flight, due to lack of space on our ski-equipped Twin Otter, but that next flight didn't go when the weather deteriorated. We muddled on without him today, reviewing some safety procedures with climbing harnesses and Avalanche beacons, and generally getting set for glacier travel. It was quite cold for most of the day, with many of the team choosing to wear the big puffy down garments brought more specifically for the summit. We enjoyed a visit and briefing given by David Hamilton, ALE's basecamp manager. In late afternoon, our gang took a little time to rest and to consider how all the football games back home might be going. We then assembled on the snow benches of our dining tent for a five course meal.
Happy Thanksgiving to all those back home sitting on real furniture.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
June 12, 2014 10:25pm PT
After sitting watching the wind blow furiously for two days, we finally got the break we needed to climb up to the
Rib and cache some gear. The trail breaking was deep, often between mid-calf and mid-thigh and required us to swap guides breaking trail every stretch. Conditions on the Rib itself were great. The wind had swept away most of the powder, leaving perfect Styrofoam snow- an ideal surface for cramponning. Eventually we found a cache location around 15,800'. The weather above us was windy and cold, but we were able to bury the gear and head downhill without getting punished by the weather. As we tuck into bed, the team has a content feeling that everything is in order and all we need is suitable weather to push for the summit.
Thanks to everyone who has followed our progress. Much love and warm thoughts.
RMI Guide
Eric Frank and the UWR team
Thursday, June 15, 2023 - 9:20 pm PT
Day one on the climb is always a tough one. The excitement is swirling, the nerves are high, and the bar for entry is even higher. There is a lot to get used to during expedionary life, especially one as remote as Denali. We have to pretend we could lose our gloves at any gust of wind, lose our gear during the next snowstorm, or rip our homes if we’re careless. The mountain is tough, but today proved that we can be just as tough. The first day is one of the only days that you’re carrying everything you brought all at once. The road to Camp 1 is just too long to do the typical; carry and cache, move camps, grab the cache. So we must make the long slog to the base of Ski Hill. With cold temps, clear skies, and crunchy snow we weaved through the crevassed Kahiltna glacier and made camp at around 8:30 this morning. We’re at camp now, waiting for weather updates and refueling for tomorrows effort. We’ll cache up at Kahiltna pass.
Thanks for following along,
RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli
Previous Page
Next Page
.jpg)
-640x480.jpg)
Doug, Best of luck. miss you!!! Stay strong!
Beth, Kevin & Jenna
Posted by: Beth Rice on 12/2/2018 at 4:00 pm
We’re pulling for your success. Stay well. Mom and Dad
Posted by: Dad on 12/2/2018 at 8:25 am
View All Comments