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This was a short, but significant day for the Kilimanjaro team. We climbed the great Barranco Wall. Things started out pretty clear and sunny down at camp, and we got great views of the massive and steep walls of Kibo above. The glaciers and frozen waterfalls all looked tenuously attached to the mountain and stuck out in stark contrast to our desert-like surroundings a mile below. We waited until 9:45 AM to give the army of hard-working porters first shot at the narrow ledges of Barranco and then we began working our own way up. Our local guide team, led by capable and calm Freddy, shepherded us from ledge to ledge, making sure we always knew where the next good solid handhold was. We made steady progress and soon topped out on the wall, 750 steep vertical feet above our starting point. It only took a couple more hours then of traversing several valleys to reach Karanga Camp at 13,160 ft. We got in just in time as it began to rain and even snow a bit shortly after our arrival. We'll see if it is just the normal afternoon buildup of moisture, or some more significant shift in the weather. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Greetings from the Dik Dik Hotel. We are all off the mountain safe and sound. This morning we woke up with the sun just before 7. After some crepes and porridge for breakfast we hit the trail. It was a little slick and muddy from the rain yesterday but everyone was motivated to get down to the trailhead so it didn't slow us down. Once we reached the road it was drizzling so we just jumped in the truck and drove back to the hotel. Now we are taking turns showering, having lunch and packing for safari. Tomorrow morning the second phase of the trip starts, but tonight we are going to celebrate a great time on Kilimanjaro. Here is a summit pic from yesterday. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

Today our Orlando Kilimanjaro Team slept in after a long flight. We organized gear and got ready for our upcoming climb. After lunch we explored the area and visited an orphanage where the beautiful children of this area touched our hearts. Please visit tupendanechildren.org.

We had a perfect move day to Aconcagua Camp 2! The day dawned calm, bluebird, and warm, and looked like the ideal day to push up higher to our next camp at Guanacos Tres (a confusing name since it is our camp two). We packed the tents once again, shouldered packs that were once again heavy, and set out. It's not a far climb, as most of the elevation gain happens right out of Camp 1, and three hours later we were walking into our new abode. We are now happily settled in and are looking forward to another rest day tomorrow. So far everything is going very smoothly and according to plan, and we all have our fingers crossed that it stays that way. Hasta mañana, RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Alex Barber, Juampi, and team

On The Map

Greetings from Aconcagua's Basecamp! Started the morning with an early, very cold, stream crossing to head up the Relinchos Valley from Casa de Piedra. Today was the first day with views largely dominated by the mountain, and finally entering the high alpine environment. Strolling into Plaza Argentina Basecamp for the first time is quite an amazing sight, between the camp and the surrounding cirque. The team is getting settled in, and everyone is looking forward to a well-deserved rest day tomorrow! RMI Guide Chase Nelson

On The Map

Greetings, Today was another fairly relaxed day for us. We had taken care of all our packing and last minute shopping yesterday, so we were ready for the "weigh in" at 11:30. ALE, the company in charge of all the flight logistics, came to the hotel to weigh and collect all our checked baggage for the flight tomorrow. It will be loaded into the plane tonight and be ready to go whenever we get the green light. We had our flight briefing at the ALE office at 5:00 pm. All the passengers (climbers and skiers) were there, about 45 total, to learn about the procedures for flying to Antarctica. As you might guess, this is definitely not a normal flight. It's a cargo plane. There are no window seats, overhead bins, or cabin crew. The plane was built for only two reasons, hauling cargo and landing in "off strip" runways. And a blue ice runway in the interior of Antarctica definitely qualifies as "off strip". At the airport in Punta Arenas, we will board the plane in 40-45 degree temperatures, wearing or carrying our Antarctica clothing. The flight, about 3000 kilometers, takes about 4 1/2 hours, and when you de-plane, you are literally on a different continent, but more importantly, it is one of the coldest and remote places in the world. When you step outside, the temperature will be about -15 degrees Fahrenheit at Union Glacier. And that does not include any windchill. We got a flight update tonight at 7:30 pm. Tomorrow morning, they will get an updated weather report from Union Glacier at 7:00 am and after reviewing the new information, will call us between 7:30 and 8:30 am. If the weather looks good, they will give us a flight time with about 30 minutes to get ready for the shuttle to the airport. If there is any concern about the weather, they will give us the time for the next weather update. Hopefully the first call we get is the call to get ready, that the flight is a go. We have already had dinner and are back at the hotel. We wanted to have an early night in anticipation of the big day tomorrow. We'll keep you posted. Best, RMI Guide Jeff Martin

The RMI July 18th Mt. Elbrus team led by RMI Guide JJ Justman gathered in Moscow on July 19th. The team explored the city on July 20th with a local tour guide soaking in the sites of the Kremlin, Red Square, Lenin's Tomb and more. Check out the video from their city tour.

Hey, it's Billy again checking in for Solveig and the rest of the crew. We're enjoying a great rest day here at 11,200 feet. We're enjoying some sun, a little stand up comedy in the cook tent. Everybody's enjoying a good laugh. We had a great breakfast of smoked salmon and cream cheese on toasted bagels. We plan on spending the rest of the afternoon drying out gear, organizing and just recovering from three days of hard work, single carrying into 11,000'. So, you know, we hope to prep for our carry up around Windy Corner tomorrow morning and getting all the loads packed up and everything ready to go. So,we'll check in with you guys again tomorrow evening and let you know how that works, but all is well, everyone's in great spirits. And we're having a great time. Cheers. RMI Guide Billy Nugent

On The Map

Sunday, May 18, 2025 - 1:41 pm PT

We woke up yesterday and though there were thick clouds above that moved in and out, it was clear that the air was incredibly calm. We packed up camp shouldered some heavy loads, and said goodbye to our camp at 11,000'. We were in those clouds nearly all the way to 14,000', but they were holding in the solar gain and it was one of the hottest days of the trip. Overall, it was quite smooth and we made it to 14,000' Camp yesterday evening, set up camp, and crashed for a night of well deserved rest. It’s great to finally be at 14,000'. This is our home away from home, where we’ll rest, acclimate, get strong, and wait for our shot at the summit. The views out over the rest of the range are stunning. We’re prepping right now for a quick trip back to 13,500' to grab our cache, and then we’ll rest the remainder of the day. It’s starting to snow lightly and the next couple of days do look snowy.

RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guide Mike Walter reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. RMI Guide Nikki Champion reported good weather with moderate winds on the summit. The team began their descent at 7:30 AM. They will return to Ashford this afternoon. Way to climb!