We woke to clear skies and beautiful weather again today, then had breakfast in the hotel and loaded up all our climbing gear and drove to the base of the Elbrus ski resort. Once there we took advantage of the three gondolas, and a short snowcat ride to reach our new home for the next few days.
It's rather comfortable up here, as our outfitter has taken a few shipping containers and converted them into simple bunk rooms some for sleeping and some set up as dinning rooms.
Once we got settled into our new home we headed uphill on another acclimatizing hike and reached just over 14,000' before returning to camp where our wonderful cook Dasha had a nice hot lunch waiting for us.
We spent the remaining of the afternoon relaxing around camp and enjoying the views of the Caucasus mountain range which are pretty amazing since we are camped out at just over 12,000'.
Dasha has once again had filled our bellies full of delicious Russian food and so the team is off to bed now.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and comrades
Friday, June 14, 2019 - 3:35 PM PT
RMI's June 11th Denali expedition is officially under way. After an orientation with the National Park Service that focused on safety and environmental stewardship, as well as information about the West Buttress climbing route, we spent the rest of the day packing supplies for this three week expedition.
We flew into Basecamp on the Kahiltna Glacier yesterday and promptly hid from the scorching sun as we crawled into our tents. We waited until the snow surface to freeze before we went anywhere which entailed an alpine start at 3 am. The glacier was in great shape and we traveled smoothly without the need of snowshoes for flotation. Here, at Camp 1, at the Base o Ski Hill (7800') we repeated the process of hiding from the sun. Tomorrow we will again take advantage of colder temps and firmer snow and get an alpine start to shuttle supplies up to somewhere around 10,000'. We'll keep you posted as to how it goes.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Hello everyone!
It's been another nice couple of days here in Mexico since my last check in. Yesterday the team enjoyed their rest day in Puebla and spent some time roaming the city and eating good food. We reconvened for a great dinner just a short walk from the hotel which was a nice end to our one day in the city.
At 7am this morning we jumped on the bus for a several hour journey to Tlachichuca where we finalized equipment for our climb up Orizaba. We had a late breakfast, were introduced to Dr. Reyes' facility at the Servimont headquarters, and and were soon back on the road to head to the south side of Orizaba. It was a long bumpy ride but nonetheless we arrived early in the afternoon with plenty of time to set up our tents and have a siesta. This evening we had a pasta dinner and are all prepped for our climb tomorrow.
It's time for the grand finale tomorrow, wish us luck and we'll check in upon our return to Tlachichuca! And in only a few short days we'll ending the journey and heading back to our friends and loved ones back home.
RMI Guide Chase Nelson
June 17, 2017 1:26 am PST
Hi, everyone. This is Tyler Jones and the Denali team. We moved out of High Camp and we're back at 11 Camp. We are hoping to go to the air strip sometime tomorrow. Hope all is well. Everything's good here. Talk to you all soon. Bye.
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
I’m so sorry that the mountain and the weather didn’t cooperate with you guys, but I am sure it was still an amazing adventure. The girls are talking about climbing Whitney this year.. .are you up for it? Well, maybe after you rest for a couple of days :)
You are still amazing in every way! Still my hero, my knight in shining armor! I love you so very much and I can’t wait to see you!!!!
xoxo MO
Posted by: Amanda Gunn on 6/17/2017 at 9:47 am
Tym, Tyler, and Team,
You may be too close to home to even get this. So sorry the weather did not cooperate. There were reports of snow, snow, and more snow. I know how hard everyone worked and wanted this to happen. I am confident you made strong, life-long bonds with your team who share your love of climbing. And for you Tym, three’s a charm…so maybe next year! Best wishes for a safe trip home.
Love, Mom and Zeppelin
Posted by: Kristi Kennelly on 6/17/2017 at 8:54 am
Hola From Quito,
What a change from 24 hours ago. As I write this the horns from Quito's busy streets blare below our window and the team is preparing with hot showers and clean clothes for a dinner on the town.
This wasn't the case last night. Twenty-four hours ago we were camped at 17,500 feet on a small perch located on Ecuador's highest peak. For weeks now Chimborazo has thwarted climbers attempting a summit push with unusually bad weather and deep snow. I am sorry to say things haven't changed.
After a solid meal of freeze dried chicken and rice we hit the tents for a few hours and tossed and turned until the alarm went off at 11:30, pm that is. From here we ate a hasty breakfast and geared up. The sky was clear so hopes were high. The first two stretches of climbing were going well until we hit the end of the trail made by climbers the previous night.
We took a break at 19,000' and had a long discussion about what was happening with the snow conditions and how that played into an ever-steepening route. In the end we could not justify continuing up into the unknown with a team of 13 climbers. All the other teams on the mountain had already turned around but we held onto hope for just a bit longer. Finally we had to make the call to turn around. Chimborazo has not seen a successful ascent yet in 2017 and for now it will stay that way.
Even though the team did not summit we gave it a serious shot which our bodies will confirm. So after dinner I'm sure we will toast a great journey and then crash hard for a restful 12-hour snooze. We are all looking forward to coming home to see our families.
Thanks for following along.
Hast Pronto- or until next time.
Team Ecuador saying adios.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides Seth Waterfall, Christina Dale, and Katrina Bloemsma reached the summit of Mt. Rainier just before 7:00 a.m. PDT. Katrina reported clear, breezy skies above Disappointment Cleaver. The teams will spend some time celebrating on the summit before beginning their descent. We look forward to seeing them in Ashford this afternoon.
Congratulations climbers!
RMI's 2015 Denali climbing season has started. Our team is assembled in Talkeetna and is preparing for our expedition. Yesterday we started with our National Park Service orientation, and then spent the bulk of the day packing...double and triple checking every last detail of equipment for our trip.
Now that we are packed and ready, we are hoping to fly in to Base Camp on the Kahiltna Glacier today. We are about to head down to K2 Aviation to load out gear onto the single propeller airplanes that will fly us into the Alaska Range. We will keep you updated on our expedition's status.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
RMI Guide Bryan Mazaika and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons July 12 - 17 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning around 8:20 AM. It's a beautiful day on the mountain and the team enjoyed some time in the crater rim before starting their descent. The team will return to Camp Schurman for their final night on the mountain. Tomorrow, after some additional training, the team will break camp, return to the trail and make their way back to Rainier BaseCamp in Ashford.
Congratulation to the Emmons Seminar Team!
Greetings from The Root Canal Glacier! We were able to fly in yesterday, a day ahead of schedule thanks to our fantastic air taxi, K2, who had our logistics all planned upon our arrival in Talkeetna. We dug our camp right before the night fell, and enjoyed our first Alaskan dinner on the glacier. Today we dragged our feet and enjoyed the sunrise in our tent. After breakfast, we decided to go for a few pitches of the route, as to build team communications and to warm up for the big push. Now, we'll just take the best day that the weather throws at us; the Moose's Tooth awaits!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
Long before we began to land there, i would come out of 747 pass and give my passengers a thrill, flying over the glacier and pass, i eventually named the root canel. Glad to see the name stuck
Posted by: Tom klein on 5/12/2023 at 12:06 pm
Super stoked to read the blog. My wife is fearless. I’m so proud of your accomplishment Vanessa and your first bivi! Mick and I can’t wait for the photos and the story! Love Mickey and Brett.
June 6, 2015 9:15am PST
RMI Guide Adam Knoff just called into the RMI office and gave us an update. The team is at 9,000’ camp and heading toward the air strip.
They woke up yesterday and made the decision to head down to 11,000’ camp. In high winds and blowing snow they headed down and after 2.5 hours they were greeted with smiles and hots from RMI Guide Tyler Jones and team at camp. The team took a bit of a rest, packed it up and pointed their boots downhill. They then traveled through deep snow, whiteout conditions and with some help from the GPS they reached 9,000’, where they rested for the night. The Sun came out this morning and the team was all smiles! The team is packed and ready to blaze the five miles of trail in knee deep snow toward Base Camp, where with some luck they will fly off the glacier this evening or by the afternoon on Sunday.
Special request from Adam: “WISH US LUCK!”
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Sounds like our Minnesota weather. Hope it clears tomorrow.
Posted by: Kim on 6/15/2019 at 4:39 pm
Remind Brendan not to put his thumb over the camera! Love you bro.
Posted by: Alex Rowaan on 6/15/2019 at 8:18 am
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