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Yesterday our team earned a big Ecuadorian summit towering 18,990 feet above sea level which also happens to be the only place on the planet where the equator itself is snow covered. These big mountains are not highly technical climbs requiring fixed ropes or advanced ice climbing skills but they are long sustained endeavors taking upwards of 8 to 10 hours to complete and literally pull the energy from your body one step at a time. Within our group we have a number of climbers who are very technology savvy and wear one of those super watches that short of turning you into James Bond, gives you critical info on how your body is performing. After the climb one person reportedly burned over 7,000 calories on the climb alone. Not only did we earn the top, we earned the 3,000 calorie hamburger we ate for lunch when we returned to town. After lunch our half asleep, food comaed bodies crawled onto the waiting bus and began our 3.5 hour drive back down the “avenue of the volcanoes” toward our country side hacienda located ten miles from the sleeping giant, Cotopaxi. Standing at 19,385 feet, Cotopaxi is considered the world’s highest active volcano and the most beautiful mountain in Ecuador. We couldn’t see the mountain when we arrived but exited the bus like a group of stiff, smelly walking dead looking only for beer and showers. Definitely a good theme for America’s next horrible zombie film. Despite our showers being cold, the beer and Bourbon sufficed so after dinner we agin congratulated our climb and then quickly turned from alive to dead, collapsing around 9:30 and not moving until 8am this morning. When we finally did pull ourselves out of bed, we were greeted with stunning views of the mountain and a scene straight out of an Ecuador tourism book. Llamas grazed in the pastures and clouds drifted like dreams in front of the peak which confirms why people are so impressed with its beauty. Throughout the day rest has been the objective. Shortly after 10 it began to rain so our time has been passed napping, sitting by the fire and prepping gear for tomorrow’s big climb. Not a bad way to recharge. Stay tuned for the outcome of tomorrow’s attempt. RMI Guide Adam Knoff

Good evening from the entire team at Camp 1! We woke up to a dust of new snow and clouds this morning at Depot Camp (ABC). Soon after breakfast, we could tell the cloud layer was thin, the winds non existent, and the precipitation receding. Executing our plan of moving upwards was unquestionable. Covering known ground now to Camp 1 posed less of a challenge than the first time last week, and the team moved efficiently uphill. We reached our now well established camp shortly after 2 pm, followed by our Sherpa team, who was coming directly from Base Camp. We're all now in our tents, with full bellies, tired legs and great spirits. Tomorrow we'll start setting eyes towards Camp 2, we'll keep you posted, as we'll be dependent on the evolution of the snow that is starting to come down, as the sun set over the ridge. Good night everyone! RMI Guides Elias de Andres Martos, Adam Knoff & Robby Young

May 12, 2015 11:00 pm PT Hello everyone! We tackled our third day of Mt. McKinley climbing today, which brought us to camp at 11,200'. The team did exceptionally well and we made great time, rolling into camp before it became uncomfortably hot on the glacier. Once here we had a big task ahead of us, constructing tent platforms and a kitchen and bathroom. Thankfully we were able to make use of some old walls and platforms that only required minor adjustment to make them workable for our tents, saving us at least an hour of hard labor. The bathroom and kitchen required the most effort, but the team rotated through the shoveling and we now have a luxurious Posh House dining area which we enjoyed over a filling dinner of mac and cheese with bacon and broccoli. We are all tucked in now, enjoying the last few minutes of sunlight in camp in the comfort of our sleeping bags, looking forward to a nice rest and short day tomorrow. Our plan is to sleep in a bit later than the last few mornings, and then return to our last camp to retrieve our remaining food. We'll check in again tomorrow! RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall and the team!

On The Map

The last few days have been a whirlwind. Just three days ago we stood on the top of Aconcagua, the highest peak outside of Asia. We pushed hard to get down to the land of thick air, fresh food and running water. Last night we celebrated at our last camp of the expedition with a huge feast of carne asada, fresh tomato salad a little vino tinto and everyone's stories and jokes. Tonight we're really back in civilization. Freshly showered and dressed up, we're headed to sample some of Mendoza's renowned cuisine. For now we'll leave you with a shot from the summit. Cheers! RMI Guide Zeb Blais and team

Hello from Mt. Elbrus - Today the team got up a little early to make use of the firm snow to practice using our crampons, and we had a refresher on self-arrest too. After our morning session we enjoyed breakfast and then relaxed near camp chatting with other climbers till lunchtime. Shortly after lunch we had our summit talk where we discussed all aspects of the climb to come and then spent the remainder of the afternoon packing and finalizing all of our gear we will need for the climb. Everyone has their face mask ready in case the wind howls like it did on my last climb. And we even managed to play a game of trivia where the winner gets to make a satellite phone call from the summit. So if there's someone out there who's favorite musical group is Krewella and loves Simba. Then expect a call around 1am. Which will be roughly 8:30-9am for us. We'll check in again tomorrow after our big climb. Wish us luck! RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

On The Map

June 13, 2014 - 6:45 pm PT After caching food and gear on the ridge yesterday, we are back at our 14k camp waiting for a weather window to move up. The forecast is showing an improving trend in the next few days. For now we are waiting, passing the time by throwing the football around, playing ice axe horseshoes, and sport eating. We are, of course, anxious for the weather to improve, but spirits are high and the rest is only making us stronger. Well, that's all for now, we are keeping our fingers crossed for good weather. Thanks for following our progress. RMI Guides Eric Frank, Geoff Schellens and the UWR team

Our Four Day Summit climb teams led by JJ Justman and Billy Nugent stood on the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The Teams were able to spend some time on the summit as the winds were calm and skies were clear. They have started their descent and are on the way back to Camp Muir. Congratulations to today's Teams!

This is Solveig and Billy checking in for our team here at Camp 4. This morning we awoke to improving conditions but still not good enough to make our carry up the fixed lines. We have been enjoying sunny skies and light winds down here in camp. Social hour began after breakfast and we've spent the better part of the day getting to know our neighbors here in camp. We also spent some time getting rigged up and practicing for the fixed lines and running belays. We hope the night will bring decreasing winds and we will be able to head uphill tomorrow. RMI Guides Solveig Garhart and Billy Nugent

We are back at the Plantation Lodge after a nice day of Game viewing. A few new animals and great scenery. Off to a new lodge and park tomorrow. Believe it or not, a bit of dust on us travelers. Wishing everyone well back home.

The Four Day Climb Teams led by RMI Guides Mike King and JT Schmitt reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Mike reported clear skies with wind gusts of 45 mph and sustained winds at 35 mph. The teams have started their descent and are en route back to Camp Muir. Congratulations to today's teams!