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The wind blew hard last night... all night. Not hard enough to destroy tents, but hard enough to keep one awake and wondering about destruction. It died down by morning and we got out under low clouds and lightly falling snow... which didn’t change much for the rest of the day. It was pretty obviously a no-fly day. So we ate, we walked, we talked, drank tea and coffee and calculated changes to schedules and itineraries. There were hints of hopes for flights tomorrow, and then there were notices saying not to get hopes up for tomorrow. The evening’s activity was a team trivia contest. Our gang came in third out of four teams and considered it a victory as the contest veered from Antarctic history toward a who’s who in contemporary pop music. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Good evening from Kyajo Ri Base! We made our move from the village of Khumjung this morning uneventful. Beautiful day indeed witnessing some of the towering peaks nearby getting just a little smaller. The beautiful meadow where we are is enclosed under steep granite walls, and while the views are short, they sure provide a sense of greatness above us. My colleague, Sherpa guide Lopsang added to the mysticism of the night by burning some juniper as an offer to the God that might inhabit Kyajo Ri; with His blessings, we will go to sleep in hopes He grants us passage tomorrow into the higher grounds of Camp 1. RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

May 31, 2018 - 10:32 pm PT We just finished up out last dinner (weather permitting) on the glacier. Today we loaded gear on our backs and sleds and moved to basecamp where our group decided to set up tents then take an evening glacier hike to the base of the North Face of Mount Hunter to say farewell to the Alaska Range. We all feel grateful for the time to learn and explore here. I know for a fact many of our team will be back soon to climb the Great One. RMI Guide Christina Dale

Happy New Year from Quito, Ecuador. I am happy to report the entire Expedition Skills Seminar team has arrived safely and is ready for a fun evening enjoying local culture and spirits. Our fiesta will come on the heels of a great day which involved a number of interesting and fun activities. To begin our first official day together we met after breakfast going through a quick team introduction and itinerary overview. At 9 am the streets outside were already filling with eager New Year’s enthusiasts, some dressing in drag and some wearing colorful wigs, but we passed on joining them and loaded onto our tour bus bound for the middle of the world. Once at the equator, we observed fun physical anomalies only present on the actual equatorial line. Much of our group earned their “Egg Master” awards, balancing an egg on a nail, while others tried to shut their eyes and walk the line without tipping over. Why an egg will balance on a nail but a human can’t balance with their eyes closed is beyond me but proves to be the case. Outside of the museum, the team encountered a group of locals partaking in the local custom of burning large dolls supposedly filled with the year’s bad energy. As it burns you are supposed to make a wish for better things to come, then leap over the burning pile to make that wish come true. Stephanie showed no fear in giving her wish the best chance. From the equator we traveled south into the old town of Quito where we gained beautiful vistas of this 40 mile long city atop a hill called El Panacillo. Unfortunately, there were no views of our snow capped peaks but we know they are out there. After this we descended into the old town where we toured some traditional shops and streets then finished in the main square of Quito directly across from the presidential palace. Despite most of the team feeling a bit tired from traveling and jumping straight to 9000', we left time to have a late lunch at a great little micro-brewery trying it’s best to replicated those in the states. Although the IPA needs a bit more hoppiness, the stout proved our favorite. Tomorrow we gear up for our first acclimation hike. Stay tuned to see if a few in the group break their previous altitude high points. Late night or not, I have high hopes….. Happy New Year once more. Salud. RMI Guide Adam Knoff

The snow has stopped and the storm has passed. We ended up getting 3-4 feet of snow. Today was beautiful with plenty of sunshine and light winds here at 11,200' Camp. We decided to take another rest day today to let the snow settle and reduce the avalanche hazard. We spent the day drying our gear and getting ready for our cache tomorrow. Tomorrow (weather permitting) we will carry supplies up around Windy Corner and make a cache at around 13,700'. Or at least that's the plan. We'll keep you posted. RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

Friday, May 29th 11:00 pm PDT Expedition life lends itself to improvisation and today gave us the perfect opportunity to think on our feet. Our original plan was to carry a load of group gear to the top of the fixed lines at 16,500' and rest a full day tomorrow. However, a strong high pressure system moved over the mountain, opening the gates to the upper mountain for all of the other teams that have been stuck at 14,000' for days. As a result, camp was extremely active today as well over a hundred climbers woke up early and began a move to high camp. The fixed lines were jammed up all day with climbers, and rather than wait in that line ourselves, our team formulated a new plan. Today became our rest day. We relaxed in the beautiful weather at camp and took an afternoon stroll to the Edge of the World. Guides Adam and Andy, studs that they are, completed the high cache on their own in the evening once the fixed lines cleared up from the folks that were moving up. Our goal tomorrow is to pack up camp early, and move ahead to high camp, putting ourselves in the perfect position to attempt a summit bid in the next few days while the good weather lasts. The team is in high spirits and feeling strong! Goodnight! RMI Guide Nick Hunt and the rest of the team

On The Map

Pulse ox pressure breathing contest in the tent today... We are still here at Camp 2 taking our last rest before the circus begins tomorrow. We're enjoying good weather, which is a bit unnerving, resting on a perfect day... But the good forecast is supposed to hold for several days and this rest and acclimatization will make us that much stronger and safer on our summit push. We'll continue to check in as we can along the way but things are sure to be hectic as we're hoping to move to high camp at Plaza Cólera, summit, descend to Base Camp, and then head for the road without a break in the action over the next 5 days. Wish us luck... RMI Guide Billy Nugent

On The Map

Hello again everyone It was one long day of travel here in Russia for us again. We departed Moscow moderately early and flew southward to the town of Mineralnye Vody (which means mineral water) where we were meet by our local guide Vladimir. We loaded all of our duffels into the waiting van and continued heading south towards Mt. Elbrus. This part of Russia is very rural and the countryside is mostly used for agriculture purposes, especially sunflowers! It has been heavily influenced by the Turkish and is there for predominately Islamic. It's beautiful here, but it also seems a bit behind the times when compared to Moscow or St. Petersburg. The team enjoyed the views, had a little fun, but everyone is ready for some exercise! RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

On The Map

July 4, 2014 - 11:34 pm PT In observance of Independence Day, we rested at 11,000 feet. Having put in a pretty full seven days of work and in the hopes of maximizing our acclimatization before making the big jump to 14,000', it seemed smart to take it easy in this beautiful place on a magnificent day. So breakfast was at a leisurely pace once the sun made it around the West Buttress at 9:15. We put a bunch of meat into fry pans over camp stoves for a-mid afternoon simulated barbecue. For fireworks, we watched the sun blaze brilliantly in the Alaskan summer sky. The team is excited for the move to 14K tomorrow. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

June 2, 2014 - 9:30 pm PT Comfortably nestled in our sleeping bags we've been listening to the winds flapping the fabric of our tents since we put them up. Our morning started well with clear skies all around us, except for the cloud cap over the summit. But the entire camp at 14,200' was stirring since this was one of the nicest days we've seen for a while. The team did great breaking camp and we were the first guided group out of camp, a nice position to be in given the madding crowds that were right behind us. Everyone did well going up the fixed lines, though we could certainly feel the loads we were carrying. Unfortunately, the winds came up at the top of the ridge and didn't relent further up the Buttress, so we decided to dig in for the night here at 16,400' instead retreating all the way back to 14,200', or pushing in a head wind up to 17,200' camp. With a well secured camp here and dinner in our bellies we're looking forward to some rest and an easy day up to 17,200' camp tomorrow. As I finish this post it seems like the winds might even be abating some. We'll touch bases again tomorrow from 17,200', hoping for some nice settled weather for a change. Good night, RMI Guides Brent, Leah and Nick