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July 2, 2017
This was THE day after all. There wasn't any question that we'd be able to make it work once we saw conditions on the South Peak at 6:30 this morning. Yes, it was plain that the storm was still with us, with much cloud in every direction out in Alaska, but it was all below us and the winds were light. We ate, geared up and got moving out of camp by 8:45. As anticipated, we went from a sunny camp to a shady "autobahn" (the long steep traverse to Denali Pass) but the climbing was just hard enough to keep us warm. At the pass, we caught a little wind -which we tended to walk in and out of all day- but it was never more than about 10 mph. We climbed the steep rolls to the "Zebra Rocks" and then the broad upper bowl of the Harper Glacier. We went past the Archdeacon's Tower and crossed the football field at 19,500 ft. Then it was up Pig Hill to the spectacular summit ridge. There wasn't much question that we'd make the final 30 min cruise along the spine to the tippy top.
It took us eight hours to get to the highest point in North America. And then we liked it so much we stayed an hour. Our descent was free of any complications -all had saved enough energy to make it down safe, with no slips or stumbles. We were back in camp by 9:30 PM and ate dinner in the late evening sunshine... amazed at what we'd accomplished together. Now it is after midnight and the sun is around the bend, so good night to all from 17,000 feet in Alaska from a lucky crew of climbers.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
December 11, 2014 - 6:57 pm PT
The team here in Ecuador got their first taste of altitude today, on the hills that surround Quito. This morning we rode the teleferico to 13,000 feet and began our trek up
Pichincha on the rutted trails that wind up to its rocky 15,000 ft summit. It was a day to pressure our bodies into absorbing the thin atmosphere and experience the weather patterns that commonly occur here. So the last half hour of our descent was a mixture of rain and hail and by 2:30 the team was drying off in the hotel and relaxing before dinner. This will be our last evening in Quito and our trip commences north towards Cayambe.
RMI Guides Leon Davis & Casey Grom and Team
On The Map
Hello from 15,000' on Mt. Kilimanjaro.
All our team is here at
High Camp, Barafu Camp (15,000'), in great shape and ready to go. We left from Karanga Camp this morning and made it to our new camp in good time. We enjoyed another nice lunch from our mountain staff and spent time organizing and packing up to make our early morning departure quick and easy. Here at Barafu Camp life is good. There are a few clouds around but that is not unusual and we are in hopes of a clear windless night ahead. We had a relaxing afternoon with lots of tent time, putting our feet up and drying out the boots, reading, writing, and maybe a bit of cards. We are taking it easy and making sure everyone is rested and ready for our upcoming adventure.
We will try and give you a shout out from the Roof of Africa tomorrow.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Hey RMI. This is Dave Hahn calling in a dispatch from 9,500' on the Kahiltna Glacier. We had a small snow storm last night at 7,800'. Started about 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. until about 5:30 a.m. with about 6" new snowfall. We delayed our plans for climbing a couple of hours. We were going to get a really early start. But then after breakfast at about 8:00 a.m., it was looking good so we moved up to 9,500'. It ended up being a beautiful day and wonderful conditions.
We've got the whole place all to ourselves. There really hasn't been any traffic passing by in either direction once we got started, so pretty pleasant. There's low clouds below but above it's all clear and we're really enjoying the weather and conditions. Everybody is in a good mood this evening. All for now.
The Five Day Climb June 7 - 11 led by RMI Guide Joe Hoch reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today with 100% of the team. We started in full moonlight and summited 100 percent on a perfect morning!
The climbers will return to Camp Muir for a sort break and to repack before beginning the final descent to Paradise. They will conclude their program later today at Rainier BaseCamp.
Congratulations to the team!
First thing this morning it looked a little windy up on the West Buttress. That was enough to switch our program to a rest day at 14,000. Of course, the wind died down and neighboring teams had no trouble climbing today, but we were happy to rest. Clouds came and went during the day and there were a few snowflakes but overall, the good weather is sticking with us.
Tomorrow will work just fine for that carry.
Best Regards,
The RMI Guides & Team
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Denali Expedition June 11, 2024
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!
This morning we headed for
Villarrica to go for a ski, knowing that the forecast was probably not conducive to going to the top. We managed to hide from the wind for 3,000' of mostly skinning, edging into frozen snow with our ski crampons. Above us, a lenticular cloud was growing over the summit. Below us, we had clear views of Lago Villarrica's azure waters, the bustling town of Pucon on its eastern shore, and Llaima and Sollipulli in the distance.
We had a nice long run back to the van, where our driver Juan was waiting with his usual warm greeting. The weather looks better tomorrow, and we're going to take another crack at Villarrica... stay tuned!
RMI Guide Tyler Reid and the Chile Ski Team
May 18, 3:27 pm PT
Greetings friends and family!
The second
Alaska Mountaineering Seminar - Expedition team is here in Alaska and almost ready to fly! Most of our gear is packed and weighed and now we are waiting for departure time. We have a few hours to go so we are setting up tents and prepping for our first night onto the glacier. Fingers crossed for an on time flight!
RMI Guide
Leon Davis and Team
In climbing, like the rest of life, patience and flexibility will pay off in the long run. And yesterday both our patience and flexibility were tested as the weather toyed with our emotions. We were at the hangar and ready to go by 8 am, and only needed a break in the clouds to get onto the glacier. So we waited... and waited... and waited. By 11:30, hunger had set in and we ordered some pizzas, which of course was the step we needed to take to get our chance to fly. Half the team powered down a couple of slices and changed clothes, and hustled over to the Otter to try our luck. Within minutes 6 of us were airborne,
heading up the Kahiltna under low clouds. Unfortunately, due to low clouds and no visibility on the glacier, we were turned back about 20 minutes out of Talkeetna. So back to the hangar for more group bonding and ping-pong.
By 7pm, we had exhausted our entertainment at the hangar and headed out to the river to enjoy the rest of the evening. That's when the phone rang; the K2 team thought there was a shot and wanted us to mobilize ASAP! So we sprinted back to the hangar and had half the team suited up and ready in even less time than before, and were airborne again for the last try of the day. But the clouds hadn't cleared across the passes or up the Kahiltna glacier, and the plane turned around shortly after takeoff.
Today will be more waiting to fly, but we'll be spending our timeworking on our climbing anchor and crevasse rescue skills. We're hopeful to get on the glacier, but prepared to wait until it's just right. Cheers for now from soggy Talkeetna!
RMI Guide Garrett Stevens
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Jim - what an awesome once-in-a-lifetimeachievement! All your hard training has paid off! We are all extremely proud of you!
Safe way down the mountain. We look forward to seeing you at sea level soon.
Tha Hanigs.
Posted by: Marco Hanig on 7/4/2017 at 4:20 pm
Jim, Awesome does not do your feat justice. It is- as you are- in a class by itself. We much look forward to celebrating your triumph around Kraken rum drinks at the Martin Box. Meanwhile, hurry home! Your bowled over pals at sea level. Peter and Carol
Posted by: Peter Krogh on 7/4/2017 at 7:26 am
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