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Today we carried to Camp 1 (16,400'). It took 4:30hs to get there and 2hs to get back to basecamp. Everybody did great work carrying the loads (food, fuel and some personal gear). This evening the mountain offered us a nice surprise, it snowed 1 or 2 inches so now the mountain looks brown and white, beautiful views! Tomorrow we will rest and prepare for our move to Camp 1 the next day. We will continue updating.

The Five Day Climb May 1 - 5 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Calvin Jiricko. Casey reported strong winds but otherwise clear and sunny.

This is the first RMI team of the season to reach the summit.  What a great start!

Congratulations to the today's climbers!

Namaste - we made it to Kathmandu!

The Lobuche climbing team has all arrived in country. We hit the ground running today with our first team meeting followed by a round of gear checks.

Before we knew it, it was time to head out to experience the sights and sounds of Kathmandu. We loaded the van and were propelled by the honks, horns and beeps from the cars and bikes around us as we made our way to the Boudhanath - our first of two UNESCO world heritage sites we visited.

We strolled around the gleaming white dome and visited an ancient silk Thangka painting school where we learned more about this vital part of the Tibetan Buddhist culture and took in the detailed and vivid paintings.

Next thing we knew, we were at Swayambhu also affectionately known as the “monkey temple”. We reveled in the views over the city and snapped wayyyy too many photos and videos of monkeys being cute as heck. Don’t worry! We kept the proper distance and no phones, water bottles or snacks were snatched by the smart little guys.

The jet leg started to hit about then so we headed to Thamel - a vibrant area of town full of shops, restaurants, trinkets and treasures galore. We powered through an early dinner, picked up some last minute gear and headed back to the hotel.

We’re all doing some final packing before we fly to Lukla early tomorrow morning. Cross your fingers for good weather!

RMI Guide Jess Wedel

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

The route to Shira Camp is interesting and beautiful. The sharp ascent out of camp wakes the body to the challenges ahead. The wonderful views of Mt Meru and the lowlands below us highlight the cool rock formations we need to climb and traverse to get to the Shira Plateau. The view of Kilimanjaro's summit with her sadly disappearing glaciers get closer and more evocative as we get higher and higher. The team is doing well as the camp staff do their best to fatten us up for the summit in a few days. At 12,500' we are getting our first taste of real altitude, and are tactics for dealing with it are working well. Tonight will be the first of a few chilly nights, but our bodies are gradually acclimating to it, as to mountain life in general. We're looking forward to a big day tomorrow. 15,200' will be an altitude record for many. Next: Barranco Camp! Good night!

RMI Guide Brent Okita

June 21, 2017 Good weather has finally hit Denali. The pressure is rising along with the temperatures....for now. We have had a good time at our 11k camp but it time to start moving up higher. Our plan is to do a carry up to 14,000 feet to cache some gear and then move up after a couple of days. If this weather holds, we will wake up early and hit the trail so we can get up to 14k before it gets too hot. Most people would think that being to hot would not be an issue while mountain climbing in Alaska, but it can be a real energy drain when the hot sun reflects off he snow like a solar oven. RMI Guide Mike Haugen & Team

On The Map

Awakening to blue skies we were ready to carry to 13,500', but, unfortunately, the winds picked up suddenly at the top of Motorcycle Hill and we were forced to bury our load there and retreat to the protection and comfort of camp. The weather taught us some valuable lessons about taking care of ourselves, lessons that will do us well later in the trip as we get higher on the mountain. As I've mentioned before, we do have a pretty cool team. Perhaps I'll share a brief sketch of the individuals on this team. I'll start with an incredibly impressive lady who's palmares in mountain climbing outshines most of our accomplishments. And her ability to handle the outrageous loads this climb demands rivals climbers half her age. Oh, she/we hope this summit will be her 50th. Another member who shares 'senior' status with the aforementioned climber comes from Vermont and is no stranger to cold, harsh conditions. He hasn't been fazed by any of the weather challenges and has handled the climbing like a rock star! No surprise though - I've climbed with him before and reached the summit with his step daughter on this mountain a few years ago. A climber very dear to my heart, and a favorite of us all, hails from England, and is here with me for the second time. Having not reached the summit the first time, he's back for more. Such a kind-hearted, nicer person you will never meet, and he's more comfortable with the mountain this time around. He is the type of person who makes you feel good to be around him. We have a couple from Colorado who climbed with me last fall on Rainier. She is amazingly strong, and weighing in at half the weight of some of my climbers, she has still been able to do her part in load carrying and always manages to greet the day with a huge smile.Her other half has the strength of two men, and the energy that knows no bounds. Always helping out with camp chores, we have to sometimes rein him in so he doesn't make us guides look like slackers. Another couple climbed with me two years ago, but could make this trip happen last year, so here they are. We've really needed to help her come out of her shell here (NOT). She's a dynamo, and I remember her strength two years ago. I think she's even stronger now, as evident in the guns she's sporting for quads. Her husband balances her outgoing nature so nicely, and it's fun watching them together. he has trained incredibly hard, unwilling to be outdone by his partner. In fact, when there is trail breaking to do, I put him right behind me in the hardest spot. Our last member I remember meeting as I passed one of our Alaskan seminars that take place on the mountain. And now he's here, doing it. Sometimes a bit quieter than the others, he constantly impresses me with strength and ability. Apparently, he's sporting a battery of electronics, but the guy can definitely handle it. He works for Samsung, so I guess it just makes sense. And then there are the guides: On his first trip here, JT is rocking it! Always working and asking great questions, he's guiding like a seasoned pro. Great in difficult situations, he's been great company in the tent too. On our second trip together, Christina has been nothing but exceptional. A joy to be around, she also knows the ins and outs of these climbs and I rely upon her for tying together all the details that makes the expedition run so well. Then there's me. Just a simple guy that likes walking uphill and bore you with details of life here on the mountain. I'll try not to be so long winded next time. Good night from 11,200'. RMI Guide Brent Okita

We are up at the Cayambe climbers hut at around 15,300 ft. The weather is quite windy with alternating rain and snow showers. We're comfortable inside the hut. We have been going over knots and crevasse rescue systems. Hopefully the weather improves so we can head out on our summit bid with an early alpine start tonight. For now we're staying dry and warm inside the hut. We'll touch base again tomorrow to let you know how it goes. RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

May 23, 2015 - 2:37pm PST We're still comfortably camped in Genet Basin waiting for better weather in order to move up to high camp. Today it is snowing and windy here in camp, and you can hear the winds howling thousands of feet above us on the West Buttress. We're still living quite comfortably in our tent compound at 14,200'. We're hopeful that the weather pattern will change after this weekend and we will have a shot to move to high camp and try for the summit. We'll check back tomorrow to keep everyone up to date. RMI Guide Mike Walter and Team

Despite route conditions, RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Jess Wedel and their climbing team reached the top of the cleaver this morning. They enjoyed the chance to see the route and route conditions we are currently facing first-hand. They made a stop at Ingraham Flats on their descent to practice crevasse rescue and expand their skills as mountaineers.

They are currently enjoying their descent and will be back at Basecamp soon!

RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Alex Halliday led their Four Day Climb teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. They reported a beautiful day and a great climb as they were reaching the crater rim just before 7 AM PT. Congratulations to today's climbers!