Most Popular Entries
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos, Sean Collon
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 5,600'
May 11, 2015 11:00 pm PT
Greetings!
Warm temperatures, clear skies and pristine snow is what we enjoyed today. Our first full day in the Pika entailed a thorough review of our different anchors, crevasse rescue systems and scenarios, and a tour of the glacier to check the approach to our upcoming routes. Keeping a close eye on the ravens, whom are after our kitchen and tents, we enjoyed a massive production of tortellini at dinner. This will fuel us for our first objective tomorrow, when we'll try our first summit while mastering transitions, protection and descents on rock and snow.
Best regards,
RMI Guides Elias, Andy, and Sean
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier, Robert Whyte, Avery Stolte
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
The Mt. Baker Easton Glacier Team led by RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier were unable to climb due to thunderstorms in the area. The team is hanging in their tents doing their best to stay dry!
Congratulations team on a real mountain adventure!
I am happy to announce the Ecuador Volcanoes team successfully assembled in the hotel lobby this morning. They were all a bit late and I couldn’t scold anyone in particular so I plan to run them all a bit harder on our first acclimating climb tomorrow.
After our team introduction we all loaded the tour bus and headed north out of Quito to the Mitad Del Mundo, or Middle of the World. Otherwise know as the equator! Here at the museum we were taught how the Amazon tribes shrunk actual heads of people, tiny fish can swim up urine streams into parts of the body fish don’t belong and snakes in the jungle can eat full size monkeys. And of course we learned how shadows tell time, the coriolis effect makes the water spin in opposite directions and gravity is possessed by aliens on the actual equatorial line.
The team seemed quite interested in these scientific studies but when we left the museum they were equally as interested to detour from the set itinerary to find some local home brew corn beer called Cheecha that the tour guide said was popular in that area. We did just that, toasting a good trip together with a liquid resembling nothing like we drink back home. At this same restaurant we noticed another local delicacy roasting on a stick. Here it is called Cuy. At home it is widely recognized as guinea pig. Luckily they don’t look as cute once they are cooked.
When the Cheecha ran dry we loaded up and headed into the old town of Quito where we saw great views of the city, a beautiful golden church and some of the oldest buildings in the country. Ecuador has an incredibly rich history and diverse population. Getting to see it up close never gets old.
After the tour we all gathered for espresso and soccer at my favorite place one block from the hotel. Before dinner we will check some gear then team up for our first official team dinner then retire to prepare for our first official climb. Tomorrow we go to 15,400 feet so stay tuned for the report.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
On the good side, it wasn’t windy last night. The tents were quiet and we got good rest. On the bad side -from a flying perspective- nothing else changed. It was still snowing and the clouds were still sitting right down on top of us this morning... and throughout the day. Nobody went flying. So the folks in Punta Arenas who were hoping to get in stayed put. The people at the South Pole wanting to get back to Union didn’t. The gang out at Vinson ready to go home sat at Base Camp. The peeps at Union wanting to head to Vinson had to wait. Those that wanted to go to the Pole did not. And the five of us intent on escaping Antarctica never had a chance today. So we took it easy, went for walks and lectures and books. Ate meals and took naps and read forecasts of more poor weather.
Basically, we hung in there.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Posted by: Robby Young, Alan Davis
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Peru Seminar
Saturday, July 14, 2018 - 4:10 PM PT
Hello world!
We're back in Huaraz! The team is all safe and sound in the friendly, and bustling, city of Huaraz after a wonderful four days in the Llanganuco Valley. We saw amazing nights skies; we endured unusual Cordillera Blanca weather, and we summited an amazing mountain in Pisco Oeste, at 18,871'.
The stars aligned for us during our last climbing objective here in Peru. For a while, it seemed that the weather wouldn't cooperate and would prohibit us from climbing to the highest summit of our trip. But with a bit of improvisation, and a little extra hard work by the team, we achieved our goal, climbed in good style, and snuck in Pisco's summit in the only 12-hour window of good weather the mountains would muster over the past four days. We're counting our lucky stars back here in the city, and we're prepping for our last celebratory dinner to share stories, lessons, and reflect on the past two weeks we've spent together in one of the most beautiful mountain ranges on Earth. Tonight is our team's last night to experience some of Peru's finest cuisine as the recovery stage of our climbing begins. Chances are some folks will indulge in the local favorite, Cuy, a.k.a. Guinea Pig. Don't worry, we won't send pictures. Meanwhile, enjoy some photos of our most recent climb! We're back to sea-level tomorrow as our team begins the long journey home. One more final post tomorrow, before you all see your loved ones once again!
Until then, hasta luego!
RMI Guides Robby Young, Alan Davis, William, and Peru Team "Pisco"
Posted by: Geoff Schellens, Steve Gately
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
June 15, 2016 - 7:20 P.M. PDT
Late last night winds picked up on the upper mountain and persisted into this morning. We woke up early, packed and had breakfast and then watched the wind up high. By 10:30AM we could tell that the trend was diminishing winds, this matched our forecast, so we started up towards the West Rib. The winds had filled in our tracks from the other day so we had to re-break trail back up to our cache. After retrieving our cache we pressed on to gain the ridge and then we picked our way though the first rock band and on up to the balcony camp at 17k. The weather was perfect and with spectacular views of the Alaska Range. The team did a fantastic job today and everyone is feeling good and excited to be climbing. Weather permitting we will go for the summit tomorrow.
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens and the UWR Team
Best of luck on your assent.
Steve G
Posted by: Steve on 6/16/2016 at 5:02 pm
Great job team!! Looking forward to your next post. Keep up the good and safe work !!
Posted by: Allison Woodman on 6/16/2016 at 4:10 pm
Posted by: JJ Justman
Categories: Mountaineering Fitness & Training
It is that time of year. Here in Ashford, my hometown, it seems like the rain never ends. While that means snow—a lot of snow on Mount Rainier—and I really should be heading on up and take advantage of some amazing backcountry skiing, there are three things I am absolutely passionate about: one is high altitude mountaineering; two is road cycling; and three goes hand in hand with the first two: suffering! If I cannot ride my bike outside, I ride indoors on my trainer. Today, I want to share with you my epic, indoor, high intensity interval-training workout that pushes my anaerobic and aerobic capacity to the max.
To start, many people see my BMC road bike and ask me, “What does BMC stand for?” The Bicycle Manufacturing Company or BMC as it is known is a Swiss company that builds what I believe are the best bikes in the world. However, I refer to my BMC as my Big Mountain Climbing Machine! So here is my “go-to” indoor cycling workout.
Before you get started:
• Make sure you have one, or more realistically, two water bottles.
• Have a towel at hand. You are gonna sweat!
• A television will help. I’ll explain later.
• Obviously your own Big Mountain Climbing Machine, a.k.a. a bicycle and an indoor trainer
This interval session takes about 40 minutes total and is extremely simple, yet so powerful. To help motivate me, I cycle in front of the television on which I play a recorded stage of The Tour de France. That way I can pretend I am beating Philippe Gilbert (one of the pro peloton’s strongest cyclists). Yes, I beat him every time!
The Workout:
Pain Scale: Use a subjective pain scale. 1 is Super Easy; 10 is “oh my gosh, I can’t take this!”
6:00 warm up (Pain Scale: 6): Pedal at an easy and fast cadence
15 Intervals as follows:
1 minute all out interval (Pain Scale: 9 to 10): Place your bike’s gearing so that you are pushing hard and fast!
1 minute rest (Pain Scale: 3): Spin easily and recover.
Do 15 intervals: One minute all out hard and fast followed by one minute of recovery and repeat it 15 times totaling 30 minutes.
4:00 Cool Down (Pain Scale: 3): With all 15 intervals complete, spin easily to move lactic acid out of your tired legs. If you are like me, your last or 15th interval will include that sprint where you beat Philippe Gilbert at the finish line of the Champs Elysees in Paris! Remember: beat him every time!
Fast, hard intervals like these serve to increase your anaerobic threshold. There are times in the mountains, say the fixed line section on Denali above 14,000 feet, where it gets steep and the climbing becomes very demanding at times. Interval workouts like these give me an extra gear to push with before I redline and become anaerobic, which at altitude is unsustainable. Mentally, I need to dig deep and push it to the top where I know the terrain mellows out again and I can relax, and the challenge of pushing through 15 sets of intervals helps me develop that frame of mind as well. Climbing isn’t always easy and at times you have to suffer a little bit before it gets easier. This interval training session not only allows you to push physically harder, but also develops the mental ability to push harder.
Incorporate this workout into your training plan, and you will begin pushing through those physical and mental barriers where you stop saying, “I think I can” to “I KNOW I CAN!” Now go out…or in this case in, and jump on your Big Mountain Climbing Machine and break through those barriers!
_____
JJ Justman is a senior guide at RMI Expeditions. He guides expeditions to some of the highest mountains around the World. JJ just arrived in Mendoza to lead an Aconcagua climb (the first of the season), and will head north in May to Denali's West Buttress. Based in Ashford, WA, JJ is a passionate road cyclist and can be seen on his "Big Mountain Climbing Machine" pushing the pace to Paradise and back down.
Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here on the RMI Blog!
Posted by: Brent Okita, Mike Uchal
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
RMI Guide Brent Okita with the Four Day Summit Climb along with RMI Guide Mike Uchal and the Five Day Summit Climb were approaching Columbia Crest, the highest point on Mt. Rainier, at 7:00 am. Brent reported light winds and clear skies on a beautiful morning. The teams will spend some time on the summit before beginning their descent. We look forward to seeing the teams back in Ashford this afternoon.
Congratulations Climbers!
Yippee - TRULY, a mountain-top experience! I’m happy for you This is my third attempt to send you a comment. Barbara very generously posted my name on her
comment. I’m trying once more to do it correctly. Love Mom in Tigard
Posted by: Helen MacDonald on 7/30/2015 at 1:31 am
Congratulations Ruth and Martin!!!! We would love to see a photo soon !!!! Love, Cathy and Gopal
Posted by: Catherine Shrestha on 7/29/2015 at 2:16 pm
We are back at the comfort of lower elevations, the meals of our cook Emilio, and the safety of the Andean meadow in which it sits. Our summit climb yesterday was incredible; mainly because of the climbing ability of our climbers, (providing the fastest and most efficient one this guide has had) but also because the weather, conditions and surroundings. We had the mountain to ourselves, which contributed too. This morning, we had to drag our feet out of Camp 2, since a whiteout engulfed us upon waking up. The weather gave us a break and without hesitation, we started our descent to BC. We know we're not done till we dismount our horses tomorrow at the trailhead, but our sense of accomplishment makes us believe so; we have climbed, arguably and according to many, the most beautiful mountain in the world. We're going now to rest that thought in the warmth of the first night not on the glacier in a few days, and let you know all about it tomorrow from our hotel.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
We’re very proud of you all! Congratulations on your successful climb! Dixie, Scott and Tucker
Posted by: Dixie on 7/25/2015 at 5:38 am
Fatima, Great to hear that you had a memorable experience and such good conditions on summit day on such an unusually beautiful mountain. That (and the 450m ice-climb) will make it special! Take care on the return journey.
Peter
Posted by: Peter Williamson on 7/24/2015 at 3:57 pm
Posted by: Mike Walter, Leon Davis
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Mount Rainier Summit Climb, led by Mike Walter, and the Expedition Skills Seminar – Paradise, led by Leon Davis, crested the crater rim at 7:06 a.m. The teams reported a beautiful day with 10 mph winds. After spending over an hour on the summit, they began their descent.
Congratulations to today's teams!
So grateful to have had the chance to meet, climb, sweat, overcome and summit with these characters. Big shout out for my rope team…40/50 is the new 18.
Posted by: Jamie Moon on 7/18/2015 at 6:19 pm
Way to go Gabe! So proud of you and thrilled you were able to experience such an awesome adventure. Your hard work paid off. Thanking God, saints and angels for your safety.
Posted by: Judith Apple on 7/17/2015 at 4:01 pm
V,
I’m so proud of your adventurous spirit. Your trip looks amazing! I can’t wait to hear all about it when you get home.
Love you so much,
B
Posted by: BC on 5/13/2015 at 8:44 am
Hope the good weather continues..enjoying your Blogs.
Posted by: JH on 5/12/2015 at 7:52 pm
View All Comments