Most Popular Entries

Mt. Everest: Mark Tucker Checking in after the Puja Ceremony

April 10, 2014

Posted by: Mark Tucker, Dave Hahn, JJ Justman, Billy Nugent

Categories: Expedition Dispatches

Elevation: 17,575'

Hello! Mark Tucker checking in from Everest Base Camp. We had a wonderful ceremony today. The puja altar was just as beautiful as it gets. A wonderful day. Just a real, pretty ceremony. Everybody in attendance and we all had a good time. So we packed up a lot a loads. We have our whole Sherpa staff heading up the hill to carry all the necessary provisions to get a great Camp 1 established. And our three super guides, Dave, Billy and JJ, are going to go get their feet wet and check on the route and check on the camp and get things looking up-to-snuff for the rest of the western team. We will do some maintenance down here- a little bit of hiking, maybe a shower day. We have plenty to do to prep ourselves for the near future. We are going to be up real early and get these boys off to work on their commute to Camp 1 tomorrow. So all is well and like I said, we had a really nice day. We'll check in tomorrow. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

RMI Guide Mark Tucker calls in after the puja ceremony.

On The Map

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

You guys got Four Loko’s in Basecamp?

ROADHOUSE

Posted by: Horatio C.B. on 4/11/2014 at 1:45 pm

Best of luck and prayers for the safety of all. Be careful and have fun!! And don’t bet Tuck in cards!!

Posted by: Bill McGahan on 4/11/2014 at 10:42 am

View All Comments

Mexico Volcanoes: Davis & Team Reach Summit of Pico de Orizaba

January 23, 2022

Posted by: Alan Davis

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico

On Friday, We left the warmth and creature comforts of Puebla at 8am and drove two hours to the little town of Tlachichuca where we met up with the Servimont crew at the climbers hostel, quickly packed, ate, and hoped in the back of 4x4 vehicles to make the long and slow crawl up the primitive trails to Piedre Grande, or Orizaba High Camp just around 14,000'. We were able to set up a good camp despite intermittent sleet and moderate winds with gusts of 25-30mph. Our cook Rudolpho treated us to some warm quesadillas and fajita fixings. Hydrated and bellies full we gott horizontal and to try to rest before our long summit bid early in the morning.

We awoke to a brisk, partially cloudy night with some early morning sleet and fired stoves at 11pm. After a good Alpine mocha made from instant coffee and hot cocoa, we booted up and left our camp at Piedra Grande walking up through a snow covered rocky approach to the aptly named “Labrynth” of large boulders and glacial erratics left behind some millennia prior. As we stepped onto the Jampa Glacier, we were met with a fiercely cold and sustained wind out of the southwest, gusting at 35mph. The light recent snow made for good walking on the otherwise icy steeps that are common to the upper Jampa route. After many long and hard hours, with only intermittent morning sunshine, the entire team reached the summit of Orizaba just before 0900. With their hearts full and bodies tired, the team returned back to our climbers hostel in Tlachichuca and were greeted by the friendly staff of Dr. Reyes with hot showers, a warm meal, and well deserved cold beverages. An early night was in order for our long day of travels home with stories and laughter to share with loved ones and friends.

Signing out!

RMI Guide Alan Davis

Aconcagua: Hailes & Team Rest and Relax, Ready to Move to High Camp

January 23, 2022

Posted by: Walter Hailes, Jack Delaney

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Silence. Beautiful silence. For the first time all trip we had a windless night. Needless to say everyone slept deeply and blissfully after the previous nights adventure. We woke up with the late morning sun and enjoyed a relaxing day of snacking, restocking on water and double checking our gear for summit day. Tomorrow we move to High Camp and the team is in high spirits to be that much closer to our goal!

RMI Guide Walter Hailes

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Good luck sounds like if you conquered those winds you can conquer anything. Go gettem!

Posted by: Lolly on 1/24/2022 at 10:01 am

What else is possible and how does it get any better than this!? YOU’RE ALL UNSTOPPABLE!

Posted by: Barbara on 1/24/2022 at 8:15 am

View All Comments

Everest BC Trek & Lobuche Climb: Dale & Team Reach Pheriche, Climb Nagarjun

March 25, 2019

Posted by: Christina Dale

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek and Lobuche

Elevation: 13,950'

We spent the day hiking up to 16,500 feet above Pheriche to the summit of Nagarjun. For some of the team it was a personal record every step! At the summit we had amazing views up valley to Lhotse, Makalu,and Peak 38. We could also see Imja Lake which is a large body of water held back by an ice dam. The fear is that one day the ice dam will melt or burst and a wall of water will flood all the downstream villages. An excavator has been flown in to dig a spillway for the lake so it won't release all at once. Unfortunately, the small excavator doesn't seem to match the size of the huge ice wall holding the water back. We hiked up in sunshine and light winds but on our descent clouds blew in and we made it back for hot soup as the snow started. I had to use my forceful voice to keep this team going slowly as we climbed so no one would overextend themselves during our first visit to high altitude. What was fun, was watching our strong team cruise downhill with confidence. Now, with tired legs, we sip tea and prepare for a restful afternoon of naps and books. What a life! RMI Guide Christina Dale

Mt. Everest Expedition: First Rotation to Camp 2 Accomplished

April 24, 2011

Posted by:

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest

Elevation: 17,575'

Five days ago we tried getting up through the Khumbu Icefall but instead dropped down to Basecamp again to wait a day. We weren't firing on all cylinders and it was clear that the jet stream was. The wind made a cardboard tearing sound as it scraped across the high peaks. Four days ago we got up without a great deal of difficulty, reaching Camp I in about five hours from basecamp. The climbers we talked to told stories of big winds at Camps I and II doing all sorts of tent damage and rubbing a bunch of nerves raw. We hoped we'd missed the big wind event as we crawled into our tents for afternoon naps... but we could still hear it howling above and as the hours went by it got a little noisier right down in our own neighborhood. Spirits were high though as the four of us piled into one tent for dinner and climbing stories. That first night was not a good one for relaxing, as it turned out. We guessed that the tents were getting rocked by gusts in the 50 to 70 mph range throughout the night. Linden and I instinctively put our feet up against the tent walls to brace for the bigger blasts and we hoped that the extra careful anchoring job we'd done was working for Bill and Sara in their tent two feet away. The wind quit on us at four AM precisely and the alarm clock rang at five. That first full day in the Western Cwm was meant to be mostly a rest day with an easy morning hike partway up the valley. That didn't seem restful at five, but Linden and I lit the stoves anyway and started melting ice, figuring a little coffee couldn't hurt the mood. We took our time and ate and drank for hours while gearing up and waiting for the sun to get a little closer to the valley floor. The sun has to work pretty hard at that in the Cwm as the walls rise to 25,000 ft ( not counting Everest and Lhotse) but by eight AM when we started walking in down coats, there was a hint of warmth in all the brightness. We strolled in our crampons up under the ridiculously steep Nuptse Wall and then crossed a series of easy crevasse bridges. We came to a crazy and crooked collection of six or seven ladders tied together, spanning a deep crevasse. There was a perfectly good detour trail which would avoid the high wire acrobatics at the cost of about twenty minutes and we happily went detouring. A bit farther up the valley and we came to the last crevasse... Our goal for the day. We took a short rest at this halfway point to Camp II and then reversed course, heading back for much-needed naps at Camp I. That second night was blissfully quiet and calm and so when the alarm rang at five, once again, we were a bit more ready for action. We set out walking in the shadows at seven AM bound for Advanced Base Camp. Eventually, when we'd passed all the crevasses again, it got hot as the sun got bouncing off a billion tons of ice and snow, but we took a few rest breaks and kept on trudging to CII. When we reached the rocky moraine the angle steepened and things got tough, but my team was tough too. We strolled into the construction site where Lam Babu and Uberaz (our ABC cook) were working hard at the beginnings of a fine camp. It seemed a good occasion for myself, Linden and Sara to sing happy birthday to Bill and to shake his hand. We sat drinking tea for a few minutes and gazing up at the Lhotse Face. It was icy and intimidating, but the good news was that we could see great progress being made by the "fixing team" assigned to string rope and fashion anchors on the face. This was a team made up of strong Sherpas from a number of expeditions. Our team's contribution toward the effort, apart from money, had been Cherring, Kaji and Dawa carrying a few big loads of rope up from base to ABC. At midday we began walking down valley again, keeping an eye out for a ladder-crossing black dog whose tracks we'd seen all day long. Early in the day, I'd spied him trotting through Camp I wagging his tail after completing the Icefall, but we didn't see anything but tracks up at ABC. We did meet plenty of friends out on the trail as we headed down for our Camp I with our mission for Rotation I largely accomplished. Our final night in the Cwm was quiet and a little snowy. It still was snowing lightly as we packed up in the morning and got set for a careful trip down through the Icefall. Down to comfy chairs and showers and the basecamp good life. Mark Tucker was elated to see us again... In fact we all felt a little guilty leaving him alone with the kitchen staff for four days... But he seemed to have muddled through. Best, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILL! Awesome way to spend your 35th birthday :) loving all the pics and stories. Miss you guys. Stay safe ok..ok.ok..ok okay…t

Posted by: Tara Minnax on 4/25/2011 at 3:49 pm

Happy Birthday Bill and have continued safe climbs. Sounds fantastic.

Lowndes

Posted by: Lowndes Harrison on 4/24/2011 at 7:50 pm

View All Comments

Mt. McKinley: Jones & Team Summit!

June 17, 2011

Posted by:

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 20,320'

Tyler called from the summit of Denali at 5:35 pm PST. He said it was a perfect and beautiful day for their summit climb. It was chilly at the top so they spent a little bit of time taking pictures and will be heading back down soon. Everyone on the trip is doing great and he will send a full dispatch when he gets back to 17,000' camp. Congratulations Team!

On The Map

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Happy Father’s day Tim Halls, or more properly known as dad to me. As well as all the other fathers in the group! Hope you have a great day doing something that you obviously love.

Jacob Halls

Posted by: Jacob Halls on 6/19/2011 at 1:31 am

Sweet summit! Safe decent team. xo mom

Posted by: Sharon Pyle on 6/18/2011 at 9:19 am

View All Comments

Mt. Baker: Bealer & Team 100% Summit Success

August 29, 2021

Posted by: James Bealer, Kiira Antenucci, Ben Luedtke

Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades

Elevation: 10,781'

RMI Guide James Bealer led his team to the summit of Mt. Baker this morning! The route was steep and icy making for a challenging day but everyone was up to the task. They are four days into their six-day program where they are also receiving their credentials for the Leave No Trace Master Educator Course.

Aconcagua Expedition: Arrive at Casa de PIedra

December 16, 2011

Posted by: Jake Beren

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

A very pleasant day of walking up the Vacas Valley put our team at Casa de Piedra, the last camp before basecamp. The team is doing very well, enjoying the meditative beauty of this walk. We had just enough cloud and wind to keep the heat at bay and still have a stunning first view of the mountain as we rolled into camp. Tomorrow we'll get closer still and say goodbye to our trusty mules and take the loads from then on. But not without a rest day to set ourselves up for success. Buenas noches, RMI Guide Jake Beren

On The Map

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Hi Katie and Adam, Happy Holidays!!!! I can’t imagine all the beauty and awsome sites your seeing. Hope all is going well, Stay safe and enjoy. :)

Posted by: Heidi on 12/26/2011 at 5:33 pm

Katie and Adam, that’s awesome. 16,000 ft. The highest I got was about 14,000, and only on a chairlift. Scenery must be fantastic.

Good luck and have a wonderful holiday.

Frank

Posted by: Frank Hui on 12/20/2011 at 1:28 pm

View All Comments

Mt. Rainier: Four Day Team Reach the Summit

July 16, 2022

Posted by: JT Schmitt, Joe Hoch, Ellison Boord, Lily Emerson, Evan Sather, Charlie Harrison

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Four Day Climb July 13 - 16 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today led by RMI Guides JT Schmitt and Joe Hoch. The teams reported winds around 45 mph towards the summit. That means they didn't spend much time on top today. As of 7 am they were on their descent and headed back to Camp Muir. The teams will continue down from Camp Muir later this morning and return to Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon for their celebration ceremony.

Congratulations to the Footprints of Fight climbers!

Mt. Rainier: Gorum & Emmons Seminar Team Turn Back at 12,600

June 29, 2021

Posted by: JM Gorum, Chase Halbert, Augi Fleer, Connor Mullady

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 9,440'

RMI Guide JM Gorum called from Camp Schurman (9,440') around 9 am, the Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons June 25 - 30 team had made it safely back to camp after making their summit attempt this morning. The team encountered soft snow and poor route conditions at 12,600' which caused them to turn back. The team will spend their third and final night on the mountain tonight. Tomorrow they will pack up camp and descend to the White River Trailhead and return to Rainier BaseCamp in Ashford.

We hope they had a great week of training and climbing on Mt. Rainier!

Check Availability

Most Popular Entries

Mt. Everest: Mark Tucker Checking in after the Puja Ceremony

On The Map

Mexico Volcanoes: Davis & Team Reach Summit of Pico de Orizaba

Aconcagua: Hailes & Team Rest and Relax, Ready to Move to High Camp

Everest BC Trek & Lobuche Climb: Dale & Team Reach Pheriche, Climb Nagarjun

Mt. Everest Expedition: First Rotation to Camp 2 Accomplished

Mt. McKinley: Jones & Team Summit!

On The Map

Mt. Baker: Bealer & Team 100% Summit Success

Aconcagua Expedition: Arrive at Casa de PIedra

On The Map

Mt. Rainier: Four Day Team Reach the Summit

Mt. Rainier: Gorum & Emmons Seminar Team Turn Back at 12,600

Contact Us

Privacy Policy

Translate

Log In

Register With Us

Check Availability

Most Popular Entries

On The Map

On The Map

On The Map

New Post Alerts:Expedition Dispatches

New Post Alerts:
Expedition Dispatches