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Thursday, June 14th - 4:36 pm PT
We aren’t getting restless yet! We had a beautiful but gusty morning at camp that allowed us to improve our storm walls and batten down the hatches. The summit has been displaying quite the cap over it with long tails indicating the strong winds up high on top of the frigid temperatures. The forecast has finally confirmed that beginning tomorrow and through the weekend will bring heavy snow. We are going to catch the tail of a tropical surge coming off the Pacific, some words to describe it have been a cyclone or Pineapple Express. We will keep you updated on the snowfall amounts! Yesterday, we had a greeting party to welcome Mike King’s team at
14 Camp. We are glad to have some additional company as we wait out this storm. Thanks for the blog comments from our family and friends, keep them coming!
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
As I wrapped up this trip, I couldn't help but remember the last time I visited
Ixta. I was guiding a man in his 70's up. He was making the trip on his own. The extraordinary thing: he was on a lot of medication, he had a stint placed in his heart and a piece of his lung removed. His effort was impressive. We made four different expeditions, increasing the number of O2 bottles used during the ascent.
When I’m on climbs like the one I just finished, I’m also reminded of my mission to be an ambassador for the sport (and to keep people smiling even when they are hurting). I want people who join me, especially when it’s their first time climbing, to be challenged, but not to be destroyed because it’s too tough. The trip I just finished was with a great group—novices, but an enthusiastic crowd for sure. Everyone checked their egos at the airport when we landed and fully embraced the journey. We also developed a shared responsibility that bonds us on the climb and I think long after it’s over.
In the end, these climbs can change people’s perspective on life and things back home especially when the conditions are extreme. What happens on the mountain, combined with that disconnect from the daily grind, is essentially a recharging through depletion, fed by the beauty and simplicity of nature along the way, as well as the experiencing of different cultures. The once-in-a-lifetime climb is more than just the trip itself. It’s the memories, and the gratitude we develop for being healthy enough to experience something so amazing, yet take on something totally out of our comfort zone. It’s also stepping back when we are home taking nothing for granted.
I remind everyone I work with to remember it’s not about the summit, it’s the entire experience that matters—that’s what will fill their tanks months after they’ve unpacked and settled back into life. This group—they fully embraced that notion. They didn’t grab for just a slice on the mountain—they went for the entire pie. I love introducing newcomers with that kind of get-it-done attitude to this sport. These guys accepted the challenges that came with it and had a laugh doing so.
I’m fortunate to have great clients and work for a great company like RMI. Both remind me, and I hope by reading this reminds you (and my latest team!), to get out there and do something big every day. Mount Rainier is the perfect intro for climbing novices. It allows curious people to stop wondering and get out there and try something—and to share something really cool with family and friends. And remember that guy in his 70's? He didn’t tackle Mount Everest, but his conquest was equally butt-kicking. Ixta was his Everest. Any mountain, or challenge for that matter, can be an Everest-sized achievement.
Great job team!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
May 17, 2015 - 11:05pm PST
Hello All,
We awoke this morning to decreasing winds and clear skies, which gave us the window we've been waiting for to carry equipment around
Windy Corner and put in a cache at 13,600'. Our team climbed strong and did a great job managing the few wind gusts we sustained... staying balanced and efficient while moving to higher elevations. We returned to camp in the late afternoon and feasted on quesadilla's with peppers, onions, chicken, and plenty of cheese before turning in for some well deserved rest.
Our forecast is looking good and we hope to move to 14,000' tomorrow. It'll be a big day, so we'll rise early and break camp in order to give us plenty of time to get settled in our new home up in Genet Basin.
Thanks for following along!
RMI Guide
Solveig Waterfall & Team
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
Hello everyone this is the
Aconcagua team coming at ya safe and sound at base camp! This will officially be our last blog. So instead of blabbing on about the same old same old...I'm going to pass the electronics around so our team members can give their own shout outs.
JJ Justman
Hi Mom and Sam and Giulia. We both are alive and recovering from a successful summit with beers. Love you, Dad and Jenny
Hey Morgan, Mom and Dad. Had a great time summiting ! Miss you guys a lot. Love Adam!
Hi Vera Kim likely Cary. I got to 21,000ft so no summit but am now at base camp very difficult so 31 miles to walk out then back to Mendoza. In 2 days very burnt out, but ok. Bye -David P
Jenny and I give a shout out to all the Hines' and Gazzolas. We conquered Aconcagua 22,841 feet.
I didn't quite make it to the summit but sure am enjoying the experience! Hi to Mom and Dad, and thanks to Linda for holding the fort down...Sue
On The Map
This is the Forbidden Peak - West Ridge team checking in for the day. We are at camp in Boston Basin enjoying beautiful weather. We will do some technical training this afternoon in preparation for our training climb up
Sharkfin Tower tomorrow.
RMI Guide
Mike Walter
Monday, June 10, 2024
Good evening all,
Today was a good day. Today we made our carry to 13,500'. The skies were mostly clear with no breeze. We were the first team out of camp. We didn't see another team until we headed back down. The route was in great condition which made for smooth walking. We are getting closer and closer to our goal but we still have many days ahead of us. Many hard days ahead of us. We made it back to camp just as it started to snow. The snow hasn't stopped since. We aren't sure what tomorrow will bring. If the weather is good, we will move. If the weather isn't good we will rest up for when it is good. Keep sending those good weather vibes!
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and Team
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Denali Expedition June 2, 2024
Our team had a great morning relaxing, drinking coffee and socializing with our four new Swiss German friends. Since yesterday we have all shared stories and cervezas speaking English but having a great cultural exchange with folks from another country.
This morning after breakfast we continued that connection by putting ropes on the hacienda climbing routes, getting all our Swiss friends hanging on a rope for the first time!
Now we are all packed up and ready to head to
Cotopaxi. The weather looks promising and route reports have remained good for the upper mountain.
We will call in tomorrow with results of the climb.
Everyone is excited for our upcoming ascent but looking forward to cleaning up and coming home. As much fun as we’re having we do miss our families.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
Snow lightly pitter pattered against our tents. Every so often we tapped the sides of the tent to knock the snow down. We woke to a winter wonderland. As we boiled water for coffee you could hear sloughs of snow tumble down the mountain side. Mother nature had spoken. The mountain had spoken. We were not going to climb. Due to the amount of snow that had fallen and the terrain we were going to get on, we were concerned about the avalanche hazard. Today was not going to be our moment to climb. Instead we packed up our camp as the snow fell from the sky and more snow rumbled down the mountain. Our packs were heavy and the walking slippery with the new snow on slick grass and crumbly rock as we made our way back to Base Camp. Tomorrow we will enjoy our last day at our Base Camp. The following day we are looking at going up and over a col to a new valley for a few days before we begin our trek out. For now, we are all getting cozy in our sleeping bags, for there is a chilly crispness to the night air.
Sweet dreams,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith
Greetings again from
Alpamayo Base Camp. We took advantage of the great weather we have and decided to hike up to Camp 1 and do a carry today. We will rest tomorrow instead and let our bodies acclimatize... but we have already reached 5,000 meters! We are all enjoying a good time here and besides the astonishing views, the highlight continues to be our cook Emilio's food; fresh trout with quinoa from his farm has been definitely the biggest hit so far. That's it for now!
Stay tuned,
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos
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I should read my voice recognition typo’s before I send. That first line was supposed to have read:
YOU ARE ALL SO AMAZING!!!
Posted by: Liuise (again) on 6/15/2018 at 7:29 pm
You are also amazing!!
It seemed that everything was going so smoothly at first but it is these days of enduring this storm that will probably the story that gets told a lot. Too bad you can’t package the cold and bring it back with you to Las Vegas, huh Marc! We’re cheering you on from down here in the Rockies!
Posted by: Louise on 6/15/2018 at 7:26 pm
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