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Denali Expedition: Young & Team Prepare in Talkeetna

May 29, 2019

Posted by: Robby Young, Nick Scott, Joe Hoch

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 348'

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 11:21 PM PT Hello all! Greetings from the climbing capital of Alaska...Talkeetna! Our RMI team arrived safely yesterday evening and has been putting in the work and the time to prep for the extraordinary climbing adventure that lies ahead. The team spent a long day today checking our climbing gear, organizing food, and assembling and packing our kitchen for the weeks ahead. It was a beautiful sunny day here in Talkeetna which certainly helped with our productivity and motivation as we look forward to a possible flight into the Range tomorrow morning. We spent the evening enjoying the last of our creature comforts and indulging ourselves on our favorite foods from Twister Creek in downtown Talkeetna. We’re optimistic for the weather tomorrow and we’ll keep everyone in the loop on our progress throughout our expedition. RMI Guides Robby, Nick, Joe and your favorite Denali Team

Ecuador Volcanoes: Knoff & Team Recap Cayambe, Enjoy Rest Day Before Cotopaxi

January 29, 2019

Posted by: Adam Knoff, Chris Ebeling

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador

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

Mt. McKinley: Hailes and Team Move to 9,500’

May 27, 2011

Posted by:

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 9,500'

We had a productive day today on the slopes of Denali. We moved camp to 9,500 ft and made one of the mental transition to life on the mountain. By that I mean that we started talking about food cravings. Today it was differrent types of potato chip. We are all tired from our 6 hours on the trail but we are all healthy and happy. RMI Guide Walter Hailes

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Way to go ..Be safe

Posted by: lil hammerstrom on 5/28/2011 at 8:55 am

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Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Establish Cashe at Windy Corner

May 15, 2024

Posted by: Mike Walter, Jess Wedel, Michael Murray

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,000'

Tuesday, May 14, 2024 - 8:42 pm PT

We had great weather today and got a cache established up around Windy Corner at about 13,700'. We are all back at camp now. Keeping it brief. Still lots of work to do tonight before we can get horizontal. We'll check in again tomorrow.

RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Denali Expedition, May 5, 2024

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Keep up the great work everyone! There are MANY of us following your adventure. Be safe. Stay warm. Keep crushing it.

Posted by: Bruce Wilhelm on 5/15/2024 at 7:57 am

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Mexicos Volcanoes: Cifelli & Team Arrive in Mexico City and Get Started

February 26, 2024

Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Ben Luedtke

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico

Elevation: 10,000'

"Pista!”

“¡Venga!”

“¡Sí se puede!”

The hike up La Malinche gave our RMI crew a chance to stretch our legs (muchas gracias to our driver, Hector, for our safe travels from CDMX) as well as to practice our Spanish thanks to a race up and down the mountain that was happening during our acclimation hike.

Our group went from 10,000 ft at the La Malinche resort to a near summit at 14,000ft. About half the crew tried to summit but were turned away by the local enforcers of summit attempts.

In a few quick hours everyone was back at the resort and enjoying a delicious authentic Mexican meal prepared by the resort staff.

Off to bed early and in the morning we will be back at it headed to Ixta base camp.

“Watch the course!”

“Come on!”

“Yes you can!”

RMI Climber Jared Wood

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Mexico's Volcanoes February 24, 2024

Denali Expedition: Smith & Team Move to 11K Camp

June 14, 2021

Posted by: Hannah Smith, Dustin Wittmier, Devin Guffey

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

Sunday, June 13, 2021 - 9:25 pm PT

Greetings,

Excitement is high as we made it to 11K Camp today. Before waking to break down camp and hit the snow highway, we got a chance to congratulate Mike King and team on their successful expedition as they made their way to the airstrip. Its easy to let your mind wander to what luxuries they will get while we pull heavy sleds with heavy packs. But we have to stay focus because our journey has just begun. Part of the excitment of today is knowing that this was our last day hauling all our gear at once. From here on out we will begin doing carries which will lessen the overall weight on our bodies. Today is also exciting because we get to settle in for a few days, which I like to call nesting, creating a cozy home. Tomorrow morning we won't have to wake early and break down camp but instead we will enjoy a well desereved rest day. Relaxing, recovering, eating and sleeping is the name of the game for tomorrow.

Talk to you all tomorrow,

RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

Denali Custom Expedition: Hahn & Team Have Prep Day in Talkeetna

June 20, 2019

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Hannah Smith, Chad Gaffigan, Luke Wilhelm

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 348'

Wednesday, June 19, 2019 - 11:42 PM PT Things started out quiet and cloudy in Talkeetna today, continuing what had been a string of manky weather. We met at the venerable Roadhouse for breakfast and the opening strategy session for our Denali Expedition. Fortified with strong coffee, the team moved on to the nearby Talkeetna Ranger Station of the National Park Service for our mandatory pre-climb orientation and briefing. We were honored to have Roger Robinson himself give our slideshow and discussion on safety and environmental policies. Roger is in the fortieth and final year of a phenomenal and heroic career with the NPS on Denali. By the time we headed out to the airstrip to pack and organize gear at the K2 Aviation hangar, the clouds were on the run and blue sky and strong sunshine were breaking out everywhere. We conducted a thorough gear check and packing session through the afternoon, culminating in a weigh-in to get everything tagged and set for loading on the beautiful DeHaviland Ski Otters parked on Talkeetna’s tarmac. Our 11 person team -7 climbers and 4 guides- got together at The West Rib pub for dinner on the patio as cottonwood buds floated like thick snowflakes in the sunshine. Most of the team wandered on down to the banks of the Susitna River to check out Denali, shining 50 miles to the west and crowding the sky. Then it was back to the hotel to tidy loose ends and get a final night in a bed. Tomorrow looks mighty good for getting started. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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Good luck team,
Your climbing with the best that their is!

Posted by: Brent Wolfe on 6/20/2019 at 8:17 pm

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Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Fly from Basecamp, Complete Trip

June 3, 2019

Posted by: Mike Walter, Alan Davis, Alex Halliday

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 348'

The RMI Denali May 8th Team led by RMI Guides Mike Walter, Alan Davis & Alex Halliday returned to Talkeetna yesterday. After lots of waiting at 14,000' Camp on both the ascent and descent, the weather allowed the team to depart Kahiltna Basecamp. Once in Talkeetna the team sorted gear, arranged rooms, shuttle transportation and flight homes. The trip ended with a celebratory meal before spending their final night in Alaska. All team members should be making their way back to their respective homes. We would like to congratulate them on a safe and successful expedition. Thanks for following along on their adventure.

Alaska Seminar: Smith & Team Train on the glacier

May 26, 2019

Posted by: Hannah Smith, Lucas Haaland, Luke Wilhelm

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Seminar

Elevation: 7,300'

Saturday, May 25, 2019 - 9:31 PM PT Good evening all. We crawled out of our tents today to clear sunny skies. A perfect day to take a walk and learn some skills. After filling our bellies with bagels and cream cheese, we learned about rope travel. The best way to learn is to do, so we took the learning on the road. After a short stroll we came across a perfect place to park it for the day and learn different techniques to walk efficiently and also how to self and team arrest. Our day finished with a lesson on knots and hitches as the clouds descended and snow flurries danced from the sky. It looks like some weather might be moving in, but that's alright. We will just learn about defending camp and how to stay occupied in our tents. Crucial skills on big mountains. Nighty night, RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

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Is it cold and snowing up there? What do you do when you are stuck in your tents because of bad weather?

Posted by: C_shears on 5/26/2019 at 7:02 pm

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Vinson Massif: Hahn & Team Summit!

December 10, 2018

Posted by: Dave Hahn

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif

Elevation: 16,067'

Hey, this is Dave Hahn calling from the summit of Mount Vinson, highest point in Antarctica. Us four remaining climbers are up here. Our fifth climber is safe at high camp. All is well. We have really lucked out. We're up here in windless conditions on top. Very comfortable even though it's probably on the order of -35 degrees. So we're doing very well. We've made good time coming up here. It's 3:30 local time. We started at 8:30 local time. So we're doing quite well and we'll give you a dispatch from high camp when we get back there safely. All the best from Antarctica! RMI Guide Dave Hahn

RMI Guide Dave Hahn calls in from the Mount Vinson summit!

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Most Popular Entries

Denali Expedition: Young & Team Prepare in Talkeetna

Ecuador Volcanoes: Knoff & Team Recap Cayambe, Enjoy Rest Day Before Cotopaxi

Mt. McKinley: Hailes and Team Move to 9,500’

Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Establish Cashe at Windy Corner

Mexicos Volcanoes: Cifelli & Team Arrive in Mexico City and Get Started

Denali Expedition: Smith & Team Move to 11K Camp

Denali Custom Expedition: Hahn & Team Have Prep Day in Talkeetna

Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Fly from Basecamp, Complete Trip

Alaska Seminar: Smith & Team Train on the glacier

Vinson Massif: Hahn & Team Summit!

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