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A few inches of snow fell overnight, along with strong winds here at Camp 4; today is more of the same. Sounds like back at Camp 3 they got two feet of snow last night. We're patiently waiting for a break in the weather. In the meantime, there's lots of reading, playing cards, eating and sleeping to pass the time. We're still doing pretty well with food and fuel supplies up here. And, as importantly, everyone's patience is hanging in there. RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

Monday, January 13, 2025

Jambo everyone,

We started the day waking at 6:30 to start packing up before moving into our dinning tent for a nice breakfast with porridge, fried eggs, toast, avocado and even some fresh fruit, and most importantly plenty of hot coffee. So clearly we are really roughing it here. 

Today had a really nice day here on Kilimanjaro, waking to clear skies and a beautiful view of the mountain looming in the distance. We fortunately had a light cloudy layer which helped keep us cool while on the trail, which was nice as the sun can be quite intense here near the equator.

We hit the trail shortly before 8am and slowly made our way up the rocky trail with occasional views of Kili above. The trail climbs up a blunted ridge and eventually out of the trees and allowed for some truly spectacular views of the valley below. The team hiked for a little more than 4 hours before reaching out next camp that sits on the Shira plateau, which is the remnant of an ancient lava flow.

Everyone is doing very well and we are currently relaxing in camp.

RMI Guide Casey and crew

Friday, November 1, 2024

Cotopaxi Summit!

Yes, you heard that right. After a couple years of eruptive activity, the mountain is back open and today was the first Cotopaxi summit for RMI since December of 2021. In that time, a lot has changed.

The two years of eruptions have been characterized by frequent outbursts from the caldera in the form of ash plumes. This has led to a loss in glacial mass as the sun beats down on the dark material deposited on the usually reflective snow surface. The current numbers are not yet known, but also this is not a new part of the mountain's history. Cotopaxi is the second-highest active volcano in the world and has had numerous periods of activity in the past that have led to closures of the mountain for recreational purposes and threatened local communities. In fact, in the past 50 years, Cotopaxi has lost over 54% of it's glacial mass.

In addition to the ash, the country of Ecuador is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years. Due to both factors the route has changed dramatically. It routes through some different aspects of the mountain and is quite icy. The main obstacles we encountered today were moving through steep, icy terrain that at times required front pointing with crampons or the occasional swinging of our ice axes. One big factor did save our climb, which was the 6-8cm of fresh snowfall the mountain received yesterday. It deposited just enough snow on the surface to give a little more traction than the hard ice, but not so much to create avalanche hazards. We hope the snow in the mountains will continue, for the sake of the climbing routes; and more importantly, we hope for the people of Ecuador that this is marking the beginning of the wet season.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

After morning gear checks, a commute to the trail head, and four and half hours of hiking we are settled into our camp at the toe of the Sulphide Glacier. The rain held off for most of the day, only spitting on us occasionally. Looking forward to a better forecast for tomorrow and a good day of training tomorrow. RMI Guide Alex Halliday

Saturday, June 15, 2019 - 2:21 PM PT We got up with a few more clouds in the glacial valleys below us and figured we would hope for the best. After breakfast we packed up camp and headed towards the fixed lines. As we climbed the lower slopes out of 14 Camp the clouds moved in with a light wind and snow. After an hour we caught our last view of the upper mountain and saw snow blowing 500+ feet into the atmosphere. Since there hadn’t been any snow accumulation up there for a while we decided the winds on the Buttress were to high for the exposed terrain we needed to travel through before reaching 17 Camp. The Team is back in camp at 14,200’ and settled in for our continued hangout. We will be watching the forecast closely and looking at the “nowcast” and hope for a 36-48 hour window to sneak up there and have a summit bid. Thanks for following along. RMI Guide Mike King

On The Map

June 4, 2017 Today was our hardest day yet! The team did another outstanding job on our climb up to High Camp at 17,200 ft. The crew also managed to return the favor to Brent's climb by bumping the last of their equipment and food from 16,600' as well as prep their arrival to high camp un-burying their caches from a few days ago. We had perfect weather and amazing views of the whole south side of the Alaska range. The descent was a bit of a traffic jam but all went well and the snow has begun as we arrived back to our tents in 14,000' Camp. Our plan for now is to rest and recover tomorrow. Then we will just wait for our summit opportunity! Fingers crossed for nice weather Tuesday and beyond! RMI Guide Tyler Jones

On The Map

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone, We spent the day relaxing here at Hacienda Tambopaxi that sits just at the base of the beautiful volcano Cotopaxi. It's one of the highest active volcanoes in the world and we've been told that Cotopaxi is a pre-inca name meaning "neck of the moon". The area surrounding the volcano is mostly high plateau grasslands and is home to a thousands of wild horses, which we could easily see just outside of the hacienda. The team is doing great and everyone is well rested and excited for our last big climb. We'll be waking up at 10pm and hopefully hitting the road shortly after breakfast and if all goes well, standing at 19,347ft above sea level right after sunrise. We will check in tomorrow when we are safely back down. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

True to the forecasters' predictions the weather in Punta was clear and calm this morning and shortly before 8am we arrived at the Punta Arenas airport. We piled out of the bus and walked through the nearly empty terminal, a line of climbers wearing layers of down, gore tex and expedition boots waiting patiently with passports in hand to pass through airport security. Shortly thereafter the pilot gave us the thumbs up and we headed out onto the Tarmac to board the plane. The Ilyushin is a giant Russian built cargo jet made for field landings with a glass nose and the plane was full of equipment and supplies bound for the Ice with just a few rows of seats in the front of the cargo area. We climbed onboard and settled into our seats while the Kazakh crew gave us the safety briefing. Within a few more minutes we were airborne flying south. The interior of the windowless plane doesn't offer much in the way of entertainment but the crew has rigged a gopro to film the view from the cockpit and it displays on a tv screen at the front of the cargo area. We spent the next 4.5 hrs swapping stories, reading, and gazing at the screen while we watched the southern tip of South America disappear behind us then a stretch of ocean that gradually filled with ice until all we could see was an expanse of white stretching out in all directions. As we neared Union Glacier the crew gave us a weather report: -15C and winds 10-15 out of the south - a beautiful Antarctic day. We all bundled up, adding layers of down and hats, sunscreen and gloves, as the plane lost altitude. On the screen the expanse of white began to be interspersed by rocky outcroppings and small windswept peaks - the foothills of the Ellsworth Mountains. Soon a faint strip of blue came into view: the ice runway of Union Glacier. Needless to say, landing a fully ladened cargo jet on a ice runway takes a long time to stop! Stepping out of the plane was incredible: we were surrounded by an expanse of ice and snow framed by mountains in every direction. Glaciers that seemed close enough to reach out and touch them were really 6-10 miles away. The cold snow and ice squeaked underfoot and the light breeze felt like a biting wind. With all of our gear unloaded we caught a ride in ALE's big oversized vans to their camp where we were greeted by their staff. They served us a delicious hot meal on the ice while they took stock of the weather and the loads and then delivered more good news: the weather was holding and they felt comfortable flying us the final leg to Vinson Base Camp. We hurriedly finished our hot drinks, grabbed our bags, and then climbed aboard the smaller Twin Otter aircraft parked outside. The flight along the edge of the Ellsworth Mountains went smoothly, we climbed steeply out of Union Glacier, passing through a layer of thin clouds, to an elevation of about 9500' and the flew north. To our left the Antarctic Ice Sheet stretched into the horizon while on our right a series of peaks passed by, gradually getting larger and larger until suddenly the Vinson Massif itself sprang into view. A 4,000'+ wall of rock and cascading glaciers guards most of the Vinson Massif and towers above the surrounding ice. We flew along the walls until the plane banked a hard sweeping downward turn and we came to a smooth stop on the Branscomb Glacier at Vinson Base Camp. We unloaded our gear from the plane, thanked the pilot, and then set to work establishing camp and setting up shop. We are now cozy in our sleeping bags and it's nearing midnight while the sun still shines on our tent. A thin layer of clouds has been moving over camp and the temperature is downright chilly in the shade but were staying warm and are thrilled to be here. We can't believe our good fortune in getting to the mountain so smoothly. Tomorrow were hoping to move a portion of our gear to the base of the steeper climbing at Camp 1 and find some good glacier skiing on our way back to Base Camp. RMI Guide Linden Mallory & Team

Our team sorted our gear in Tlachichuca and is ready to tackle Orizaba tonight. We've loaded up the 4x4 and are on our way up to Piedra grande. We'll check in upon return to Tlachichuca tomorrow. Cheers, RMI Guide Zeb Blais & Team

January 25, 2025 – Carry to Camp 1 and Scree Sliding Fun

Today was a big day for our team as we carried a lot of our gear—about 50 pounds each—up the route from basecamp to Camp 1. It was a true test of endurance and teamwork. The route itself kept us on our toes (literally), with plenty of loose scree underfoot to make things tricky. Every step demanded focus, and the weight of our packs reminded us just how serious this climb is.

Despite the challenge, we pushed through as a team, reaching Camp 1 and caching our gear for the days ahead. After all that effort, we headed back down to basecamp, tired but proud of what we accomplished. Sliding down the scree on the descent was a surprising highlight of the day—it’s hard not to feel like a kid again when you’re essentially skiing on loose rocks! Laughter echoed across the slopes as we let gravity do most of the work.

Now back at basecamp, everyone is feeling the weight of the day’s effort (and the packs!). We’re well-tired but in great spirits, ready to take a much-needed rest day tomorrow. Rest is key in a climb like this, and giving our bodies time to recover will help set us up for success as we move higher up the mountain.

The team is doing fantastic—strong, motivated, and full of camaraderie. With every step, we’re getting closer to our goal, and today was a big step forward. Stay tuned for more updates as the adventure continues!

RMi Climber Elburz Sorkhabi