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We had a great day yesterday, and moved our camp up to 11,200'. The weather was perfect for climbing, and we made swift progress up the Kahiltna Glacier towards Kahiltna Pass. We arrived in camp and spent a few hours establishing our camp, as we will be staying here for a few nights. With all of our gear moved in to the 11,200' camp, we are in a great position, and we will spend the day resting and acclimating. We are planning to carry a cache of supplies up to Windy Corner (13,600') tomorrow, so we're looking forward to a lazy day today. The weather looks great the next few days, and our team is feeling strong. We're right on schedule as we start staging on to the upper mountain. We'll be in touch again soon. RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

The Four Day Climb September 19 - 22 led by RMI Guides Mike Walter and Ben Liken were forced to turn back at 13,300' this morning due to high winds and deteriorating weather. The groups will return to Camp Muir and then continue down to Paradise later this morning.

Decisions, decisions! After some careful thought the team had decided to spend one more day at high camp before attempting the summit. We all had a tough day battling new snow and breaking trail to make it here. There's no need to exhaust ourselves and ruin our chances at the summit. Tomorrow is supposed to be an even nicer day. And after a full day of eating, drinking and relaxing we all should be more recovered to give the summit our all. RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map

Tuesday, July 5, 2022 - 8:25 pm PT

We pulled out of 14,000' at 10:30 this morning.  Winds were still blowing up high, it certainly wouldn’t have been a summit day, but much of the low cloud had cleared out.  The couple of hours down around Windy Corner, across the Polo Field, down Squirrel and Motorcycle Hills were the usual insane sled rodeo.  The sleds don’t like being heavy or on a side hill and so they flip a lot and we all just try to keep smiling and pulling.  We set up camp -possibly our last- in early afternoon and dove in for naps.  We’ve just eaten dinner now and we’re napping once more.  The plan is to get up in three hours (at 10 PM) and to set off around midnight toward the airstrip on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna.  We’re hoping the surface of the lower glacier freezes up hard and that our timing is just right for taking advantage of that freeze.

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Greetings from Torres Del Paine National Park in the heart of Chilean Patagonia. That isn´t exactly where we were supposed to be today, but it is quite nice. At our briefing yesterday morning in Punta Arenas, our logistical partner (ALE) advised us that big snowstorms were complicating travel to Union Glacier in the Antarctic interior. We were given three free days to explore. This is something of a luxury since ordinarily, waiting in Punta Arenas to begin a Vinson Expedition means not knowing from one hour to the next whether the fight will be imminent. Of course we´d rather be down on the Ice right now, but storms and delays are quite normal when one is traveling to Antarctica and we do not want to go flying if conditions are not absolutely right. Safety first. Last night, the team got together in Punta for a round of the traditional Chilean cocktail, the Pisco Sour and then we enjoyed a fine dinner at La Luna restaurant. This morning, most of us piled into a van and enjoyed the Patagonian countryside and wildlife as we cruised for about six hours to the park. We were treated to big and beautiful views of the massive stone towers, normally obscured by cloud down here at the edge of the Patagonian Icecap. Guanaco were plentiful and our driver, Roberto, graciously halted the vehicle for every photo opportunity. We´ll spend two nights here at the end of the road, some in the hostel and some in the hotel. All of us are looking forward to stretching our legs for hiking tomorrow. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

The Four Day Climb June 22 - 25 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning led by RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and James Bealer.  The teams reached the crater rim at 5:30 am, they enjoyed clear skies and a light breeze during their climb.  The route remains in good shape and teams were making good time on their descent.  They were at 13,500' around 7 am heading back to Camp Muir.  They will enjoy a short break at Camp Muir to refuel and repack, then descend the remaining 4.5 miles and 4,500ft to reach Paradise.

Congratulations to today's teams on reaching the summit of Mt. Rainier!

Sunday, August 11, 2019, 10:36 PM PST Our hope was that the forecast was overly aggressive in its wind prediction, but early in the morning, long before the sun rose, wind started to buffet our huts. As the morning wore on, the wind in camp wasn't much more than a touch unpleasant, but the evidence of its strength up higher rated in the plumes if snow ripping across the glacier above. It wasn't a difficult decision to stay in camp today in the comfort of our huts and try again tomorrow, when the forecast has the winds dropping to a manageable level. We passed the time with a lot of reading, napping, and some light core strength. Hopefully we see the forecasted change tomorrow! RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Mike Uchal, and team "we have collectively read an entire library"

On The Map

The skies were sunny with warm temperatures today at Everest Base Camp. Our climbers took a few short hikes around the lower glacier and then a bit of cards and board games to keep our minds busy. There is community gathering for a remembrance scheduled for tomorrow. RMI Guide & Base Camp Manager Mark Tucker

On The Map

The Five-Day Climb with RMI Guides Casey Grom and Dominic Cifelli reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Our Five-Day Climb ascends Mt. Rainier's classic route while providing an additional day on the mountain to allow the flexibility to adjust the summit schedule to take advantage of the best window. With great weather all week, the team took a short acclimatization climb to Ingraham Flats on Tuesday, choosing to climb last night. The team had clear skies and light winds on their climb. 

Congratulations team! 

The team awoke early this morning to frost encasing the tents. As we broke the icey zippers and looked out we saw what the crisp morning had brought. Sprawling views of Ixtaccihuatl, a smoking Popocatepetl, and the valley below. To let the frost melt, we hit the pause button and enjoyed our delicious breakfast/coffee before we donned our heavy packs and hit the trail. Unfortunately, the weather decided to change its tune too. We battled the cold wind and whirling clouds as the team pushed on. With a quicker clip than usual, we were all business and made great time getting up to our high camp at 15,400 ft, many of the teams high points. Now we’re bundled up, eating quesadillas, and planning for the climb ahead. Hoping for good weather for tomorrow. Wish us luck!!!

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli