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The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier reached the summit of Mt. Rainer early this morning. The team climbed above the heavy marine layer, and Dustin reported clear skies and calm winds. It took the team 6 hours and 35 minutes to reach the summit from Camp Muir, and they are now on the descent. 

Congratulations Team! 

Good morning from The Ruth Glacier. Thirty hours of straight precipitation that started pretty much as we got to camp after summitting Mt. Dickey, kept us in our tents all day yesterday. The rain only turned into snow as the temperatures dropped with the night. We're currently waking up to a couple inches of fresh, heavy wet snow. But we are very happy! The name of the game was to stay dry and to eat good food; steak with quinoa and stir fried vegetables was an insuperable rest day dinner. Stand by to see what the weather brings today. Corell, Lucy and Elias

June 24, 2015 12:35 am PST The final RMI Denali team of 2015 came together today. Six climbers and three guides met up in Anchorage this afternoon, some having come in one or two days previously and some just arriving today after exceedingly long airline extravaganzas. Luckily, the all-important mountain of baggage that will allow us to safely challenge the real mountain made it onto the Anchorage carousels intact. We didn't waste much time at all before boarding our Denali Overland shuttle for Talkeetna. It was a warm and dry day, as has apparently been the pattern in these parts this season. Haze obscured the views we might otherwise have enjoyed of the Alaska Range. Our journey to Talkeetna was broken up by a stop at the big supermarkets of Wasilla to put finishing touches on group and personal food supplies for the trip. We made good time up through the fresh forest fire scars of Willow, AK that have been making national news in recent weeks and rolled into Talkeetna around 8 PM. It didn't take long before we were settled into our comfortable hotel and venturing out together for a relaxing beverage while basking in the strong evening sunshine. Tomorrow we'll get down to the business of climbing North America's highest mountain. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

After nearly two weeks of progress moving in fits and starts, as we move camps, carry gear, and take rest days to acclimatize, the last several days suddenly start to rush by. We had a great, though very difficult, summit day yesterday. The sun shone in a completely clear, brilliant, azur sky, but as has been the nature of the last several days, the wind continued to rush on. We prepared in gusty conditions that made it uninviting to leave the tent, and donned our packs. For much of the climb we received only gusts, protected from the main force of the wind, the constant noise of which we couldn't ignore. This region has received very little precipitation for the last several years, and the results of that were the second major challenge of the climb. Where snow fields usually provide nice cramponing, only sand existed, and climbing sand hills at 22,000 feet is no small task. We persisted, and at 2:45, crested the summit of Aconcagua. Time flies, and while that was only yesterday afternoon, it feels much further removed. We woke this morning to the ever present wind gusts plastering the tent to our face, and packed our bags to head to base camp. As we descended, we picked up the items that we had cached at our previous camps, so our packs grew heavier, even as the air grew thicker. We arrived at base camp to a delicious spread, which was followed up shortly with our first carne dinner in a while. We organized our bags for the mules, and tomorrow we will reverse our course, once again carrying light day packs as we descend the Relinchos and Vacas Valleys back towards Penitentes, and ultimately Mendoza. Everyone is excited at the prospect of more beef, wine, and warm temperatures that await us in the coming days. Thanks for following, RMI Guides Pete, Alex, Juan and team

On The Map

It is a soggy day on Mount Elbrus. The weather has turned and not for the better. It's raining pretty constant at the moment. What was to be a training day has turned into a hunker down day. Don't get me wrong, I could make it sound like its epic and the team is hanging onto the walls of our huts. However, it's still not too bad. But with the potential of a small break in the weather for tomorrow, there is no need to get sopping wet. The team is reading, watching tv and dreaming of their dance moves on the summit of Elbrus...hopefully tomorrow! So keep your fingers crossed for us... RMI Guides JJ Justman

On The Map

June 13, 2014 12:18am PT After a good night's rest the team hit the trail again, heading back to 9,700' feet to retrieve our cache. The weather was great and everyone enjoyed the cool temps and beautiful scenery. It was a great day to stretch the legs. Back at camp we rested a bit and then reviewed some basic techniques required for life on the upper mountain. Now reacquainted with our emergency ice axe skills and proficient cramponing, we are prepared to carry toward 14,000' Camp if the weather allows. Now it's off to bed to be ready for a big day tomorrow if we can catch a break on the weather. RMI Guide Jake Beren & Team

On The Map

Wednesday, June 19, 2019 - 8:24 PM PT We had a smooth early morning departure from basecamp this morning. It looks like we brought the A-team! Everyone did great as we moved our heavy loads over five miles up the Kahiltna Glacier. The weather has been great all day with sunshine, no wind, and warm temps. We were able to see Denali for much of the day, which was a pleasant change from the overcast days we have had. Our plan is to cache some food and gear around 10k and then come back to this camp and get ready to move up the next day. It looks like the weather may cooperate with us. The adventure continues! RMI Guide Mike Haugen

On The Map

Tuesday, June 5, 2018 - 5:35 PM PT The team enjoyed an excellent rest at 14,000 ft. today. We started the day with breakfast burritos. These weren't just any breakfast burritos. These burritos were so expertly prepared that they earned the coveted Alden Mills "Best Breakfast of the Trip" endorsement. After breakfast, we lounged, drank second and third rounds of coffee, and planned out the rest of our day. The planning was not very hard, since we really didn't have much to do. We took a walk out to a feature appropriately name the Edge of the World, and gazed 6,000 ft down into the NE fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. On the walk back to camp, the team practiced some rope skills that will greatly enhance our efficiency on summit day. After the hard work was done we ate as much cheese, sausage, and bread as we could in preparation for our summit bid. Now we just wait for a weather window to move to High Camp, and head for the top. The team sends their best to everyone following along back at home. RMI Guide Walter Hailes

On The Map

Hello again We woke to a little new snow today, but thankfully it cleared before our final hike to Lukla. We started early to beat the traffic and made good time, yet taking time to enjoy this peaceful and majestic place. There were still dozens of loads headed for Base Camp as always, because much of the needed supplies arrive via plane or from a few days away by mules. We also ran into several more friends on the trail headed for Everest and it was nice to say hello and wish them luck. With a little luck we hope to be back in Kathmandu tomorrow morning! Keep your fingers crossed for us. RMI Guide Casey Grom

Hola friends and family, Well, it seems like we're actually doing it! We bid a hasty farewell to Mendoza this morning, and after a necessary empanada stop found ourselves in dry, barren, windy Penitentes. The afternoon was spent answering the question "to mule duffel or not to mule duffel," and as of now our gear is locked, loaded, and ready to lug uphill. Everyone is looking forward to throwing a pack on and starting the walk in to Aconcagua Base Camp tomorrow. Ciao for now, RMI Guide Pepper Dee