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As planned, we completed packing today. Our bags were heavy and ready for an 11 AM weigh-in down in the hotel lobby. It was a relief to then load them onto the ALE cargo truck and to be done with them. The team members had one last day of individuality in which to indulge in Punta Arenas. Some went along the shore for miles, stretching their legs and exploring the fringes of town. Others shopped or exercised. And some napped and caught up on correspondence. At five in the evening, we migrated the four or five blocks over to ALE's headquarters for a briefing on the logistics of our planned trip. Within a few moments of arriving, we were informed that weather was so good around Union Glacier, that there would not be any "stand-by" and no tension of waiting for a phone call... The flight was on, plain and simple, be ready for pickup first thing in the morning. We enjoyed a few celebratory cocktails, an informative slideshow and then a great dinner out. We were torn between the urge to celebrate and raise toast after toast... And the need to get back to the rooms for a full night's rest. Moderation won out, we have high, high hopes for a big day tomorrow. A trip to Antarctica's interior and a great deal closer to the Vinson Massif. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

RMI Guide Jake Beren and 100% of the Team reached the summit of Mt. Shuksan at 10:20am PT today. Jake reported great climbing conditions and beautiful weather. The team planned on spending some time on the summit enjoying the views before starting their descent back to camp. Congratulations Team!

Sunday, May 19, 2024 - 8:56 pm PT

Of Hypoxic Dreams, Luxury Items, and the Suspension of Olfactory Senses I was sitting at dinner, sipping a glass of aged Saperavi wine with a perfectly-cooked ribeye steak, describing to my friends an expedition up Denali. One of my friends then asked "so what happened after Camp 2?" I stared down into my glass and a panic set in: why couldn't I remember anything else of the trip? I shot awake, back to the reality of where I was: in a Trango 4 tent, at 11,000 feet, in the middle of the sunny night, cold, with my tent mates Chris & Ilya. There are still weeks to go. Our tent, tent 2, as it were (we have no idea which ones are 1 and 3, but we're in the middle, so we'll call it number 2), has been affectionately (or derogatorily?) referred to as the "manferno" and "the pile." And it was beginning to smell, as you might imagine after 6 days without showers, but the mind has a way of shutting out the involuntary gag reflex when confronted with fermenting sleeping bags, excessive sunscreen, and jambalaya in a confined space, heated by the nearly all-day sun.

Today was a rest day for the team, apart from a crampon refresher, to recuperate from the last few days of dragging sleds uphill, and to acclimate. A day to eat, and relax. In tent 2 today, we prepared a charcuterie board with various cheeses, meats, olives, chocolates, hot sauces, and crackers. The olives in particular added the missing ingredient in our mountaineering potpourri. With the aforementioned lack of breathable oxygen, you might even say that tent 2 is the perfect place to prepare for higher altitudes. Each of us finds solace with some small item to still feel human on days like today: a pillow, a paper book, or, in my case, an electric razor to avoid looking like a grizzly mountain hermit–at least from a distance, the smell would surely give it away up close.

Off we go tomorrow, crampons beating against the ice, sleds pulling on our backs, on to cache gear higher up to build the next pile.

RMI Climber Skyler Parkhurst

Saturday, May 18, 2024 - 8:55 am PT

We took advantage of good weather yesterday and moved up to the 14,000' Camp. We will head back to retrieve or cache at Windy Corner today.

RMI Guide Mike Walter

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Leaving Camp at 8:15 the going gets steep right off the bat. But, as we say on Kili, pole, pole - slowly,slowly. It's a refrain we hear all the time, and is one of the secrets to summitting this 19,340' mountain. We are thankful we started out dressed lightly as this trail makes you work for every step. Luckily, the clouds overhead keep the temp pleasantly cool. The clouds also offer some protection from the high altitude sun. Approaching 12,000' we note that the giant heathers are getting smaller. The wildflowers are getting more common, with the beautiful and hearty Everlasting flowers. It's beautiful! Fun rock steps provide interesting hand and footwork. Then, magically, Shira Camp appears.  Once settled lunch is announced. We're treated to potato, leek soup, French fries and sautéed herb chicken. Amazing!

Time for a siesta.

RMI Guide Brent Okita

Hannah Smith called in by SAT Phone this morning to let us know that the entire team had reached the summit of Mt. Baker via the Easton Glacier route. She reported excellent warm weather and a great route. The team has begun their descent and will return to town today for showers and a fresh meal. Congratulations to today's climbers!

Thursday, May 23, 2019 9:31 am PT We had a good, long day of climbing on the West Buttress yesterday, pushing all the way the 17,200' camp with our cache. The day started early and cold as we fired up our stoves hours before the sun was on our tents. After an efficient breakfast of granola and hot drinks, we prepared for our day of climbing. Except the mountain had different plans for our early start: a lenticular cloud cap had formed, indicating high winds. Plumes of blowing snow were visible from the summit down to the top of the fixed ropes (16,200'). So we pumped the breaks, stayed warm in our tents, and watched the weather unfold. Finally the winds seemed to abate and we left camp at 10:15. We encountered good climbing conditions and perfectly cool temperatures as we ascended out of camp and then up the fixed ropes. The lower part of the West Buttress was equally enjoyable. Once we topped Washburn's Thumb, around 17,000' we were met with 15-20 mph winds. Those wind speeds are generally not that alarming for mountain climbers, but at this altitude and the cold temps of Denali it made the climbing cold and more challenging. Six hours after leaving camp we arrived at the 17,200' camp where we spent and hour and a half digging a cache hole, sorting gear, and breathing the rare air of altitude. The descent back to camp took us three hours, so vestibule to vestibule we had a 10 1/2 hour day--good training for summit day! Today we are resting and I am about to fire the stoves for breakfast--this time a more leisurely affair with smoked salmon and cream cheese on toasted bagels, a true luxury at 14,200' on Denali. The weather forecast is calling for a strong storm through the weekend. We'll watch how that develops, and hopefully get a weather window for an unmitigated bid early next week. But for now we will rest and fortify camp in anticipation of the weekend's storm. RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

The winds went all night but didn’t cause much damage. Morning was a familiar mix of grey and greyer with light snow falling. Nothing was going flying today... too much of a mid-storm feeling to the world. We ate breakfast and attended lectures for the morning. After lunch, my gang eagerly showed up for a field trip in the Tucker snow bus. There were about 18 of us rambling along a flagged and gps-ed ice road in the big tracked vehicle. The snow storm continued, but we went on instruments to find the “wind scoop” by Mount Charles. We got out and donned stretchy traction aids to help our boots on the hard blue ice. We then walked toward an enormous snow and ice formation, the wind scoop carved out by patient and endless winds around the base of an Antarctic mountain. Simple... except it was also beautiful and primal. It snowed on us as we walked, and the winds kept up, but every now and then, we could see enough to be impressed and awed by the scale and the relentlessness of ice, snow, wind, sun and rock. When we got back to the comfortable dining tent at Union Glacier, it shocked us for a moment that the staff had put up all of the Christmas decorations. We haven’t given up on getting home for the big event, but dinner with friends in this wild setting was still pretty fun. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Yesterday we awoke to a crisp morning, with a blanket of fresh snow up high. Enough snow to stop our van in its tracks on the approach road to Lonquimay, but we didn't mind the extra skinning. The weather was a bit stormy the top 2,000' of the mountain, so we decided to save the summit for the next day. We still got to ski a couple long, very fun laps above massive lava fields, and later our crew went for a pre-dinner soak at the local thermas. Today we had perfect Southern Hemisphere spring weather and were able to ski from the summit. We skinned up to about 8,500', where we transitioned to boot crampons and threw our skis on our backs. Another 900' of methodical climbing and we were on top. The big news however is that Sergio, our host here in Malalcahuello, is cooking his famous Chilean asado for us tonight - something I look forward to every year. All is great with us. RMI Guide Tyler Reid & the Chile Ski Team