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We've made it to Basecamp! After three long days on the trail our team rolled on in to Plaza Argentina this afternoon in good style and in good spirits. And while we are all feeling the altitude a little bit we are no worse for the wear. We enjoyed some refreshments upon arrival from the great Grajales staff and proceeded to set up camp and get settled in after a little breather. We just finished a great meal of of soup, homemade lasagna (!!!), and flan for dessert and are getting ready to tuck ourselves in for the evening. Up at nearly 14K, it's a fair bit colder here than it was on our trek in, especially at night so we're finally putting some of our warm clothes to good use. Typically, the first night at a higher elevation can be a little uncomfortable so we'll see how everybody fares tonight. I'm sure there may be a few headaches in the group, but that's totally normal... Anyway, we're all still having fun and looking forward to a good rest day tomorrow. All for now, RMI Guide Billy Nugent

May 29, 2014 - 3:55 pm PT We awoke again to the faint patter of snow hitting our tents rainfly. Sticking our head out revealed slightly better visibility than when we tucked away in our sleeping bags last night. Looking east you could make out the lower features of Mount Hunter and looking west you could scarcely make out the lower flanks of Foraker. Sometime late morning the clouds began to break ever so slightly and the sun poked its head in through the clouds just enough to cause the many teams waiting here at camp to stir. Over 14" of new snow has fallen since we first arrived and that's a concern for when our flights are able to pick us up. The accumulated snow makes it difficult for the small bush planes to take off from the glacier. So an effort was organized to gather the folks in camp to strap on there snowshoes and skis and go pack down the take off zone. Shortly after our task was finished the clouds descended and took over the southeast fork of the Kahiltna again. It's early afternoon now and we're still patiently waiting for conditions to improve, but with plenty of food and camp becoming busy with teams moving down from the upper mountain our team is biding their time making new friends and reacquainting with teams we shared time with at 14 camp. All is well here from the Kahiltna. Wish us luck! RMI Guide Steve Gately and team

On The Map

Today the weather continues to be very good. Lots of clouds around the region, but very nice temperatures at Camp 2 and mostly sunny all day on Aconcagua. The team took an active rest day today, we went for a short hike on the slope that is the first section on our way to Camp 3. Part of the group carried three days of group food, extra fuel and stoves to Camp 3 (Camp Colera). There we were able to talk with a couple of groups that just have returned from the summit, they passed along good news about the route conditions, it looks like crampons are needed above Independencia, which will make the climbing less difficult than the scree on the upper part of the route (Travesia and Canaleta). Tomorrow we will move to Camp 3 (our higher camp) and prepare for our early summit attempt the next morning! We will be sending dispatches from Camp 3.

Hello all! Another day here in the beautiful Ishinca Valley! However, unlike yesterday’s rain and snow, today was splitter and bluebird! We took advantage of the sunshine and made our way up to the toe of the Ishinca Glacier for some on-snow training. The views of the massive Ranrapalca as well tomorrow’s objective, Ishinca, were second to none. We all got some much needed rest this afternoon, and are tucked into the tents already this evening, in anticipation of a 2am breakfast and an attempt on 18,143’ Nevada Ishinca tomorrow. Wish us luck! RMI Guides Robby Young, Alan Davis and Peru Team ‘Con Gas’

The Team took advantage of a quiet camp last night and got some good rest and woke energized. We spent the day packing and sorting gear, eating pizza and laughing at funny stories. All in all a very casual day here at Plaza Argentina. Tomorrow the plan is to carry a load up to Camp 1 and then return to base camp. Thanks for the blog comments, the Team really appreciated hearing from family and friends! RMI Guide Mike King

RMI Guide Chase Nelson led his Paradise Seminar team to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. They have spent the last six days training on the mountain with beautiful weather. We look forward to seeing them back at Rainier Basecamp this afternoon.

Thanksgiving marks the beginning for many of a busy holiday season filled with visiting family, kids home from school, shopping and errands to run, and delicious meals. Busy days entertaining, traveling, or preparing can put pressure on your training time, and the changing weather doesn’t always help either. Your training plan is important, but during the often stressful holiday season remember that adapting, changing, rescheduling that plan is ok. A missed workout won’t affect your performance six months from now (though missing a week might), and shortening a workout is always better than canceling it completely. Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind during the festive times: Involve your family, friends, and guests: It’s easier to stick to your routine if you can involve others. Find a hike to make a group outing to, and make a day of it. Your guests get to have a nice adventure, stretch their legs, and get a few photos. You get some endurance base training in. If you have to slow the pace a bit, it’s ok; you’re still getting the miles in and improving your endurance base. You can increase your workload by offering to carry the group’s water bottles, jackets, cameras, and other odds and ends. Use the mornings: Vacations often mean sleeping in, dawdling over a cup of coffee and breakfast, and enjoying time off. Try waking up 45 minutes earlier than you would and getting out the door for a run, hike, bike, or strength session. If you go to bed with a plan for the morning, it’s easy to get your workout done before anybody else has even gotten out of bed! Have a few quick go-to workouts: Some days get busy, and the workout you may have planned just doesn’t fit. Having a few 30 – 45-minute workouts in reserve can be the difference between skipping your training entirely, and getting out the door. A couple of ideas are:

a yoga session

a core strength session

short intense intervals (6 x 1minute)

a 30-minute tempo run

or an easy 45-minute recovery run before the big meal

Remember to enjoy it: We head to the mountains because they bring us enjoyment, we spend time with family and friends because it brings enjoyment, and hopefully our training brings a measure of enjoyment as well. If your training regime becomes a chore that you feel like you have to get done, but dread doing, switch things up and spend a couple of days doing activities because you enjoy them rather than for their training benefits. When you find enjoyment in your training, you’ll train harder and more effectively, and it will be easier to get out the door. Similarly, don’t let the stress of fitting in training take away from enjoying the time you spend with friends and family. It is that time of the season after all! _____ Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here on the RMI Blog!

What is the best way to maximize your training before an 8,000m peak climb? Well, probably not rock climbing, but it sure is a good one to maximize your time in Kathmandu while waiting to fly to Lhasa. Today we spent the day having some fun, as the pictures show, but also starting to get excited with planning, strategizing and dreaming of the climb of the "Crest above the grassy plains". Tomorrow we're flying to Lhasa early in the morning, and the Tibetan adventure will begin... Stay tuned! RMI Guides Elias, Adam, Robby & Team

What a way to finish our great adventure in Russia! Today our team had a great day with our local St. Petersburg guide exploring this incredible city! It was incredible day in the city that ended with an amazing canal tour. I have to admit, it is hard to leave Russia. I am so happy that we have enjoyed the many great wonders of this great country! Thanks for following along! RMI Guide JJ Justman

We had a great day today as we ventured out of Quito for our first acclimatization hike up Rucu Pichincha (15,696’). The approach for this hike was a scenic gondola ride well above the city, dropping us off at 13,500’. After a few hours of hiking, we climbed into the clouds and finished with a scramble up Rucu Pichincha’s rocky summit. Although summit views were obscured, the weather was very comfortable all day for our hike. We had a few hours this afternoon to relax and prep our gear for the next days’ adventures: hiking up to the climbers’ hut at the Ilinizas at 15,100’. We will spend two nights there and attempt summits on both the north and south Iliniza peaks. We will be in touch with updates. RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map