Most Popular Entries

Mt. Everest Expedition: Hahn, Waterfall & Team Walk to Pheriche

April 1, 2013

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Seth Waterfall

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest

Elevation: 13,950'

Two inches of sparkling white snow fell on Deboche last night. By morning whatever clouds had deposited the snow were long gone and blue skies prevailed. We ate breakfast while staring out the windows at massive plumes ripping off the summits of Everest and Lhotse. The team hit the trail by a few minutes after 8 AM and made easy progress through the snow coated rhododendron forest. In a short time, we crossed the river to the sunny side of the valley and made our way up to Pangboche and the home of Lama Geishi. He'd graciously consented to bestowing a blessing on the team. Revered by all in the Khumbu region, 80 year old Lama Geishi greets one and all with a smile and a special head butt while tying a sacred knotted string around each visitor's neck. He let us know that he was asking Chomolungma -the mother goddess of the earth- also known as Mt. Everest, to allow our climb to her summit. We thanked Lama Geishi and resumed our hike, stopping in Shomare for a lunch while gazing up at Ama Dablam's impossibly steep flanks. Then it was just a short and quiet thousand vertical feet of climbing and we were walking into Pheriche and our tea house for the next two nights. The lodge is packed to capacity tonight with about six or seven teams of trekkers and climbers. In the evening we were happy to meet up with Mark Tucker bringing his team down valley. After he goes for Island Peak we will eagerly await his arrival in Basecamp as our teammate on the Everest Climb. Tuck will once again be basecamp manager and Khumbu Glacier mayor. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Great hearing about the venture. Good luck. Looking forward to photos and hearing about your ventures. Be safe. ABQ Uptown #985

Posted by: Rachael C. Lujan on 4/2/2013 at 9:43 am

I look forward to reading and looking at photos of your amazing adventure. Good luck team. “Mayor” Tucker is a great title. I can just see Mark holding a “town” meeting and getting the good citizens of basecamp rolling.

Posted by: Stephani on 4/1/2013 at 11:57 am

View All Comments

Vinson Massif: Hahn & Team Descend from High Camp, Return to US

January 4, 2022

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Mike King, Dominic Cifelli

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday morning we woke at Vinson high camp and finished the “day” around a campfire in Miami, Florida.

We packed camp on another cold but beautiful Antarctic morning and started climbing downhill at 11:30 AM. Getting down the steep “fixed rope” section was the tricky part, but we managed it without great difficulty and pulled into low camp at 1 PM. We switched gears, pulling off crampons and rigging sleds for the lower angled glacier walk to Vinson Basecamp. There were some low clouds about and a forecast for more to come, so it wasn’t certain that we’d be able to fly out. But we didn’t think too much about that as we walked the amazing walk down the Branscomb Glacier to VBC. We pulled in at 4 PM… minutes after Russ landed his ski equipped Twin Otter. We were greeted at VBC with fist bumps, champagne and COVID tests. We did the duffel shuffle into the plane and shared a last cocktail with the top notch ALE staff. Bidding Scott and Hannah goodbye, we loaded up and flew to Union Glacier. Our timing being perfect, as always, we showed up at 6:30, just in time for an excellent dinner -sitting in chairs at a table in the comfortable dining tent. By then we knew our Bombardier jet was inbound and so we simply extended dinner for a few hours to sit and talk and mingle with the other adventurers. Nimsdai, the great Nepali climber and expedition leader, walked in fresh off a plane from the South Pole, and regaled our team with accounts of skiing the “Last Degree”

The “Global” landed at 11PM on the blue ice runway as we watched and cheered. We took our last steps on the glacier and up the ramp to the luxury of the plane. Within minutes, Sniggy transformed from Vinson climber to Pilot and lifted us off the Ice. In less than four hours we were back to Punta Arenas, but only to refuel and say goodbye to Ed Viesturs -who stayed behind for a planned second Vinson climb. The team toasted Ed as we flew through the South American night. By early afternoon we were in Miami, Florida and welcomed “home” by Sean “Stroker” Gustafson. Stroker -the famous F16 pilot and former Vinson climber- had us out to his place for a memorable evening of jet skiing, fishing, and fabulous dining. Stroker’s family made us quite comfortable and welcome around a campfire to finish the “day”. The team told stories of mountain climbing and space travel. We laughed and plotted future adventures long into the night. It is rare to end an Antarctic journey with a campfire in the sand, but I highly recommend that you try it.

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Vinson Massif: Team Reaches High Camp

December 11, 2012

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Seth Waterfall

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif

Elevation: 12,400'

The clouds fled Low Camp around 1:30 this morning and we woke to sparkling skies about ten hours later. Moving day! Breakfast got us set for a flurry of gearing up, knocking tents down, and roping up for the big climb to high camp. We are old hands at climbing the steep fixed rope sections now, but most were startled at the scenery (which eluded us on our cloudy climb the other day). We had unimpaired views of hundreds of square miles of the Antarctic interior today, including the big jagged, crazy peaks just north of Vinson (Shinn and Epperly). As we worked our way higher, our "Low" Camp began to seem low indeed, reduced to a collection of specks on the big Branscomb Glacier. We pulled into high camp six hours after setting out, at a quarter to Eight PM. As usual, it was a fair amount of work getting tents up and stoves burning and snow melting for dinner, but the entire team is well practiced now at such chores and it went quickly. One by one our climbers wandered over to the edge of camp to peer out over the edge of the world. At least the big drop-off back down to the Branscomb seems that way now. Precipitous to the tune of more than three thousand vertical feet. A physical cliff, as it were. Tell congress we've found it. Tomorrow, relatively bright and early, we'll get up and see if the weather will work for a summit day. It is forecast to be -28 degrees Celsius on top tomorrow. Which is normal. By the way, that converts to minus brrrrrrrr degrees Fahrenheit. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Bruce, been enjoying reading the blogs. Good luck, be safe and stay warm!

Posted by: Tara Zier on 12/12/2012 at 7:24 pm

Wow…the photos are incredible and reading the blog brings chills. You guys are amazing! Sending good wishes for an awesome day tomorrow.

Paula Selland

Posted by: Paula Selland on 12/12/2012 at 5:54 pm

View All Comments

Mt. Rainier: June 5th Team Turns Due to Poor Visibility

June 5, 2021

Posted by: JM Gorum, Dominic Cifelli

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 13,100'

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides JM Gorum and Dominic Cifelli turned at 13,100' on Mt. Rainier this morning. Low visibility, moderate precipitation, and wind prevented the team from climbing above 13,100' feet. JM Gorum radioed the RMI Office to let us know that the team is currently descending and will be back to Camp Muir soon.

Congratulations to Today's team!

Mt. Rainier: Four Day Climb Teams Reach the Summit

June 21, 2021

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Tatum Whatford, Axel Ryd, Dan Windham, Luke Wilhelm, Jackson Breen

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Five Day Climb teams led by RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Dan Windham reached the summit of Mt. Rainier last night. Pete reported great route conditions and a beautiful day on the mountain. The teams are now back to Camp Muir and will be descending to Paradise later this morning.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Congratulations to Joanna and the rest of the team! Way to rock it!

Posted by: Bethany on 6/21/2021 at 12:43 pm

Congratulations!! I bet it was spectacular!!

Posted by: Amy on 6/21/2021 at 8:43 am

View All Comments

Denali Expedition: Frank and Team Move to 14,000’ Camp

May 28, 2021

Posted by: Eric Frank, James Bealer, Jack Delaney

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,300'

Thursday, May 27, 2021 - 10:37pm PT

An uncertain forecast greeted us this morning as we packed up to move to Camp 3. We ate breakfast in a windy snow storm, but in a stroke of luck the clouds lifted as we climbed away from camp. Our good fortune was tragically short lived. By the time we got to Windy Corner, the wind was gusting so hard our sleds were blowing sideways. Sharp crampons, good footwork, and strong legs got us through our obstacle. After picking up a few items from our cache, we pushed through two feet of fresh snow all the way to Camp 3, at 14,300 feet.

We built camp in a mild blizzard and quickly hopped into our sleeping bags. Today was a tough day. Days like these are when you really earn your chance to be on the mountain. We’re proud of how our team performed and got the job done.

RMI Guide Eric Frank & Team

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Go Heidi! Two feet of fresh. Brutal!

Posted by: Steve Christie on 5/28/2021 at 8:43 pm

Ooooh, I bet those sleeping bags felt good! Hope your weather improves for the next part of your climb!

Posted by: Maxine Kay on 5/28/2021 at 7:30 pm

View All Comments

Mt. Everest: Team Returns to Base Camp

May 24, 2013

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Mark Tucker, Seth Waterfall

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest

Elevation: 17,575'

Dave and I are safely back at Everest Basecamp. The Sherpa team has one more load to carry down from Camp 1 in the morning and then the expedition will officially be done with the Everest climb. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall [Audio posted from Dave Hahn after returning to Basecamp]

Dave Hahn calls in after returning to Everest Basecamp.

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

thank you for sharing! you should write a book.

Posted by: michelle on 5/26/2013 at 1:55 pm

Great job Dave and Seth! You guys really put the peddle to the metal at the end there. Can’t wait to talk to you about it at the Mountain Festival in Septmber! Mike

Posted by: Mike Brown on 5/24/2013 at 10:58 pm

View All Comments

Kilimanjaro: Team Simba Sita Completes The Big Five at Tarangire

February 23, 2012

Posted by: Jeff Martin

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro

Hello from Kikoti Camp, We had a bit more leisurely start to our day today and we were on the road by 9:00 heading to Tarangire National Park. En route there was a huge downpour, but all the rain stopped by the time we reached the entrance gate. From there, we worked our way south, stopping at every opportunity to view the animals. After yesterday, it seemed like we were in a dry spell because nothing can really compare to the amount of animals you see in one day in Ngorongoro Crater. In Tarangire, you have to find them! The usual suspects were all present, but the day was coming close to an end and we had still not seen a leopard. Then our safari driver decided to take a little detour, and 15 minutes later we were stopped in front of a tree with a leopard resting on a branch about 10 feet off the ground. Our viewing of the "Big Five" was complete. The last sighting of the day was a baby elephant, just a week old, with his mother spraying water on the both of them to help cool off in the afternoon sun. It was incredible. Now we are at the Kikoti Camp, sitting out on the porch, looking out over the African landscape and listening to all the sounds around us. We're going to take a short hike before dinner and go out and watch the sun set, and take a few customary "sun downers" to enjoy as the sun dips below the horizon. Unfortunately, this adventure comes to an end tomorrow, and we start to make our way home. It has been a great trip and we have enjoyed it. Thanks to all of you who posted comments and gave your support for us safely reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro. RMI Guide Jeff Martin & Team Simba Sita

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Yay, Heidi and David! It has been so fun following your amazing adventures through this blog. Can’t wait to see you upon your return….travel safe! Smooches, Jules

Posted by: Julie Gregory on 2/23/2012 at 4:01 pm

What a besutiful sunset! Can’t wait to hear more details and see photos….hurry home Jim/Daddy - we miss you!! Safe travels home everyone. XOXO, P, j & c

Posted by: Pamela Wick on 2/23/2012 at 1:56 pm

View All Comments

Mt. Rainier: Paradise Seminar Reaches the Summit

August 27, 2021

Posted by: Grayson Swingle, Seth Burns, Emma Lyddan

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

RMI Guide Grayson Swingle topped off the Paradise Seminar week- literally. They are on the Mt. Rainier summit right now! The team spent the week on the flanks of Mt. Rainier learning valuable mountaineering skills. Yesterday they moved to Camp Muir where they started their summit bid early this morning. We look forward to congratulating them this afternoon at Rainier Basecamp.

RMI Guides Seth Waterfall, Tyler Jones & Andy Bond’s Summit and Ski Descent!

April 28, 2011

Posted by:

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Nisqually Glacier is the most easily viewed of all the glaciers on Mt. Rainier. Facing the Paradise Visitor Center, it runs four miles from the 14,410-foot summit down to about 4,500 feet in the Nisqually Valley. At about 12,500 feet the ice forms a giant cliff where the glacier breaks apart over a large rocky step and smashes itself back together 1,000 feet below. Usually unskiable, the heavy snows this winter have filled in one side of the cliff and a continuous line appeared, begging to be skied. My friends Tyler Jones, Andy Bond and I had a random convergence in the Northwest after being on separate agendas for the winter. Tyler had been ski-guiding in La Grave, France, Andy spends his winters in British Columbia, and I had just returned from a trip to Haines, AK. Andy had recently been bombarding me with emails about how the ski conditions on Rainier were about to 'go off' so we all met up in Ashford, WA, to wait for some good weather. After a few days in town, the necessary conditions stacked in our favor, and we took the opportunity to pull off a big line on Rainier. In the Northwest, a full winter of storms on an endless conveyor belt had been pounding the mountain with snow. Now, with an approaching high pressure system, we had a few days of guaranteed sunny weather. So on Thursday, April 22, we left Paradise in a snow storm hoping that the forecast would pan out as advertised and once at Camp Muir the weather would break. Typically we could each do the trip to Muir without the aid of GPS in any conditions. We have over 200 summits of Rainier between the three of us. But this year every landmark is covered in snow, making navigation impossible without the aid of electronics. A quick consult with the GPS was all we needed to find our way to Muir. Once there, we packed into the tiny RMI hut that normally sleeps two. Poor Andy had to sleep on three coolers; it was either that or the snowy floor. The weather was pretty cold most of the night so there was no rush for us to start climbing until the sun came up. To our surprise there was another party climbing that day. They had left about an hour ahead of us and it was nice to follow their track for the first part of the day. We climbed up towards the Gibraltar Ledges route. This gave us a great vantage point of our desired ski route and I was able to take some pics in case we needed to use them as a quick-reference guide on the descent. Once we caught up to the other party, we took our turn breaking trail towards the summit. Conditions were great and we were able to make quick progress to the top. Our total climbing time from Camp Muir was four hours on the dot. Not bad for carrying skis on our backs! On top we spent some time checking out the different aspects of the mountain and taking photos of the gargoyle-like features of rime-ice; created as water vapor from the recent storm cycle beat against the mountain, freezing instantly. The wind was howling, so soon after, we clicked into our skis and started downhill towards the top of the ice cliff. The upper part of the mountain skied nicely. Rainier is like a big dome and the upper reaches aren't extremely steep and the snow was firm but edge-able. Once we dropped about 1,000 feet, however, the slope angle increased dramatically and the snow became even more firm. At 13,000' we could see directly down the glacier to the top of the ice cliff. From here we were committed, and any slip could result in a long slide off the cliff. Precise, controlled ski turns were necessary and we skied one at a time in pitches to keep an eye on each other. The line through the ice cliff was fairly straight forward. We trended gradually right, through an ever narrowing gap between big rock cliffs and the edge of the ice. The snow conditions steadily improved as we dropped lower on the mountain. In total we skied about 3,500 feet of terrain in what we considered a "no-fall" zone. The stress of all the exposure relented bit-by-bit as we descended, and by the time we exited the ice cliff section we were relaxed enough to fully enjoy the pitch out from under the cliff. We then threaded our way out of the large amphitheater formed by the ice cliff and through a myriad of crevasses onto the benign slopes of the Muir Snowfield. There were several groups of skiers there enjoying the fresh powder and sun. We stopped to chat before continuing on our way and they congratulated us on our journey. The snow was so good from here that we decided to drop below the elevation of the parking lot all of the way to the Nisqually Bridge at 3,500 feet. We knew that this could mean a long wait for a hitch hike back to the car but the day was going too well to worry about that. Plus, the lure of getting the longest ski run in the 'Lower 48' on top of a new route on Rainier was too much to resist. I think we waited for a total of 15 seconds before a really nice guy from Fort Lewis Army Base gave me a ride back to Paradise to get my car. Our luck was good all day!

Check Availability

Most Popular Entries

Mt. Everest Expedition: Hahn, Waterfall & Team Walk to Pheriche

On The Map

Vinson Massif: Hahn & Team Descend from High Camp, Return to US

Vinson Massif: Team Reaches High Camp

On The Map

Mt. Rainier: June 5th Team Turns Due to Poor Visibility

Mt. Rainier: Four Day Climb Teams Reach the Summit

Denali Expedition: Frank and Team Move to 14,000’ Camp

Mt. Everest: Team Returns to Base Camp

Kilimanjaro: Team Simba Sita Completes The Big Five at Tarangire

Mt. Rainier: Paradise Seminar Reaches the Summit

RMI Guides Seth Waterfall, Tyler Jones & Andy Bond’s Summit and Ski Descent!

Contact Us

Privacy Policy

Translate

Log In

Register With Us

Check Availability

Most Popular Entries

On The Map

On The Map

New Post Alerts:Expedition Dispatches

New Post Alerts:
Expedition Dispatches