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On The Map
Posted by: Christina Dale, Lucas Haaland, Alex Halliday
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Seminar
Elevation: 348'
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Posted by: Brent Okita, Kel Rossiter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Billy Haas
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'
Mike…Congratulation to you + your team…Walter
Posted by: Waltero on 6/2/2015 at 5:53 am
Posted by: Josh Maggard, Robby Young, Pete Van Deventer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 7,600'
On The Map
Hi Renee, Tell Pete great they manage to do updates of how things are going. Hope the weather stays good and not too windy.The updates are good so family and friends don’t worry too much. Best of luck to you and the team. Sounds absolutely fantastic. Thinking of you.
lv Maureen
Posted by: Maureen Lococo on 5/17/2015 at 6:26 am
Thanks for the updates keeps us all informed that is awesome!!
Good morning Matt and Kevin hope you guys got a goodnight sleep stay safe and warm.
Dad and I pulled weeds got rid of the grass in the plants and mowed your yard looks great!!
Miss you Matt have a safe climb to the next up date :)
Love you mom xo
Posted by: Terri on 5/17/2015 at 5:37 am
Posted by: Seth Waterfall
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Congratulations Ryan! You and the team must be so happy with a successful summit. On to the Safari!
Posted by: Shirley on 1/20/2015 at 4:54 pm
Congratulations Terry, Marylynn and Jordan!
Posted by: Jennifer on 1/20/2015 at 6:03 am
Posted by: Sam Marjerison
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Chile Ski
10/2
With inclement weather including high winds forecasted for the coming days, we pivoted and rallied over to the Nevados de Vilcun Refugio to ski off of Volcan Llaima, the second most active volcano in Chile.
After a great to-go breakfast at Casa Esquina, we hopped in the van and said goodbye to Malalcahuello. We zigzagged south along dirt roads and dense forests to Nevados de Vilcun, where we donned ski boots and climbing skins on the porch of the refugio.
With just over 5,000 ft of elevation gain, today would be our biggest ski day of the trip. We skinned over the expansive plateaus formed by the last volcanic eruption in 2008 and our shadows danced behind us from the rising sun as we climbed.
After a few hours the angle increased and we donned ski crampons to combat the firm slopes that make up the west shoulder of Volcan Llaima. The wind began to pick up and after another 1500 feet of climbing we switched to boot crampons and ice axes before cresting onto the rime covered summit ridge line. The winds were strong and we fought our way to the summit, finding refuge in a large fumerol “pot.”
We snapped a few selfies, took in the view and clicked into our skis just below the summit. Our descent was cold, chalky and downright fun. We arced turns down the expansive rolling terrain left behind from previous volcanic eruptions and back down to Nevados de Vilcun for a celebratory kombucha and a relaxing night.
10/3
A rest day was on the initial plan, but with stormy weather forecasted for our next two volcanoes (Villarica and Osorno) we pivoted to Volcan Sollipulli to take advantage of the last day of sunny weather.
We left Nevados de Vilcun bright and early and circumnavigated Volcan Llaima to the south and over to Nevados de Sollipulli Lodge. There we were met with friendly faces and a large buggy ready to transport us up through a natural Arunacia forest to the snowline where we’d put on skis and skin to the top of Volcan Sollipulli.
The virgin forest of Aranucia rose high above us as we creeped our way up the steep dirt road and up towards the snow. We passed tall cascading waterfalls and an abandoned locomotive. Finally we reached the snow and continued skiing above tree line and up past snow covered lagoons.
Volcan Sollipulli was once active and the result of its activity is a 9km wide crater with an actively growing glacier inside. Our goal today was to climb to the rim before skiing back down the snowline.
The winds began to increase as we climbed higher and by the time we began to crest onto the crater rim we leaned and fought against the 40km winds.
Our time on the rim was short lived and we snapped a few photos before gingerly ripping skins in the high winds and skiing beautiful fall line terrain back to our stashed shoes. We returned to Nevados de Sollipuli for a celebratory lunch and pisco sours before loading up the van and driving back to Nevados de Vilcun for our second and final night.
10/4
We awoke to fresh snow and cold temps this morning. After a great breakfast we loaded up the van and drove south towards Pucon.
There we’ll spend two nights resting and enjoying the town before an attempt on Volcan Villarica.
Food was eaten, shops were explored and naps were taken. Following an afternoon of exploring the city, we sat down for an awesome dinner at Trawen in the heart of Pucon. We plan to explore some natural hot springs and take a second rest day as we wait out stormy weather.
10/5
Today we explored the natural hot springs of Termas Geometricas and let our muscles relax. With over 15 pools ranging in temperatures of 35 to 45 degrees celsius there was much to explore.
The lush jungle created the perfect backdrop for a day of rest and we left with our cups full and muscles relaxed.
After an afternoon of napping we enjoyed another lovely evening of dinner at Trawen. Tomorrow we head to Volcan Villarica for another day of climbing and skiing!
10/6
Today we got an early start at 6:30am and headed up towards Volcan Villarica. With new snow and cold temps today would be interesting! We packed up our bags for the day and began skinning up the lower flanks of Ski Pucon (the local ski resort) and up towards Villarica.
After about 2500 ft of climbing we encountered heavy snow and white out conditions. With no points of reference and zero visibility, we decided to call 7120’ our high point and ski back down to the van.
The skiing was engaging and dizzying as we tictaced our way down the steep slopes of Villarica. Eventually we made it back to the closed lifts of Ski Pucon and enjoyed dense, surfy skiing back down to the car.
From there, we continued 4 hours south to Refugio Teski where we enjoyed the misty evening and prepared for a ski descent of Volcan Osorno in the morning.
10/7
With lots of precipitation overnight and low visibility, we slept in and waited for the clouds to burn off before we headed out for a ski attempt on Volcan Osorno.
With a below average snow pack and the previous night's rain, some snow had melted which forced us to walk the initial 1000 ft of our climb to reach the snowline. From there, we began skinning up through the mist and onto the glacial plateau that marks the beginning of the glacier and steeper terrain ahead.
We zigzagged up the increasingly steep terrain and finally the clouds parted to reveal the summit and upper mountain! We took a break, attached our skis to our packs and put on our crampons. From here we only had about 1200 ft left! As we transitioned we were greeted and subsequently passed by a group of three Argentine climbers and ten Italian skiers! After a morning of solitude in the mist, Volcan Osorno suddenly felt more like the Alps than rural Chile.
We boot packed up the rimed summit ridgeline and made one more traverse across the summit plateau to the tippy top. There we high fived, snapped photos and began preparing for our 5,000 foot ski descent back down to the refuge.
After negotiating some rime mushrooms off of the summit, we enjoyed some of the best skiing of the trip! With the expansive lake region below our ski tips we party skied all the way back down to the valley to cold beers and pisco sours at Refugio Teski! Tonight we plan to pack up and transfer just over an hour to Puerto Varas where we’ll spend one more night together before we have flights to catch in the morning.
10/8
Today we enjoyed one last breakfast and slow morning here in Puerto Varas before we said goodbye and headed to the airport. I can confidently say for everyone that this trip was such a joy to be on and in 11 days we enjoyed a lifetime of Chilean volcano skiing! Thanks to everyone involved and soon we will be back in the US enjoying fall and dreaming of future ski days for this upcoming winter!
RMI Guide Sam Marjerison
New Post Alerts:
Chile Ski Expedition September 27, 2025
Happy birthday Pam! You are amazing!
Posted by: Michelle Howe on 7/26/2019 at 1:44 pm
Whoo Hoo!!! Way to go, Nic!! Many family and friends have been following your progress!!
Congratulations!! What an accomplishment!!! dani, michael, and more!!!
Posted by: Danielle Bartelli Oldfield on 7/26/2019 at 12:23 pm
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Hannah Smith, Chad Gaffigan, Luke Wilhelm
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 7,300'
Cheering you all on from the lower 48 in hot and steamy Maryland. Looking forward to hearing your news and adventures. XO N. and P.
Posted by: Sandy Bemis on 6/24/2019 at 5:36 am
Here’s to good luck, good weather and a good summit!
Lou & Ingrid
Posted by: Lou whittaker on 6/22/2019 at 9:01 am
For Dave Hahn;
I cannot tell you how much we appreciate reading your daily blog. It’s the next best thing to being right there with you.You look like you had the benefit of a fabulous support team. I’m sure that our daughter Naomi will have plenty more to relate when she gets home. Right now she is in Amsterdam for a few days respite. Get some rest! Thanks again.
Howard & Gene Katz
Posted by: Howard Katz on 9/15/2017 at 3:24 pm
Blessings on all of you as you depart home. Dave, thanks for the updates and for taking good care of our loved ones. Nao, have fun on the rest of your journey. Can’t wait to see you. Hugs
Posted by: Claudia on 9/15/2017 at 1:24 pm
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