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The Four Day Summit Climb June 29- 2 July turned around at 13,200' today due to high winds and poor weather conditions. RMI Guide Steve Gately and the team will return to Camp Muir to repack and then will continue to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today.

Monday, June 4, 2018 - 10:00 PM PT The gang awoke to a clear, crisp morning on the day of our carry to 14, 000' Camp. The group was raring to go and many could hardly sit still. Whether it was excitement or to keep the cold at bay was difficult to tell. Today would be the first day of climbing, when the group would strap on crampons and walk with an ice ax in their hand. This would be made even more difficult by the ever thinning air as we gain more than 3,000' of elevation on our way to 14,000' Camp. However, this group of climbers, after tackling the approach into 11,000' with professional style, would not be phased by things as trivial as thin air, heavy packs, and the guides incessant reminders to rest step and pressure breath. Right out of camp the climbing hits you head on with a steep slope known as Motorcycle Hill. Lucky for us the snow had been packed down and our crampons with their many points allowed us to send motorcycle with ease. At the top of our first obstacle we were treated to views of the Peters Glacier as well as the Father and Sons wall, an impressive alpine face of granite and blue ice. Further in the distance the wilderness of the Alaskan tundra stretched far beyond the limitations of the human eye. The scale out here is truly impressive. Reinvigorated by the views, the climbers were ready to scamper up squirrel hill and charge across the polo fields straight to Windy Corner. Again luck was on our side as the often ferocious Windy Corner would not live up to its name on this day. With the bulk of the hard climbing behind us, only one hill remained between us and our cache site at 14,000'. In the style that us guides have come to expect from our climbers they crushed the last hill and strolled into 14,000' Camp with ample energy. Friends and other climbers from RMI groups ahead of us treated us with smiles and a much needed water refill as we dumped our gear in our cache and prepped for our return to our Camp at 11,000'. The day was only half over. With water and snacks in our bellies we turned our boots down hill hoping to make it back to the safety and comfort of our tents before the snow turned to mush and the sun baked our minds. The climbers of the Jones expedition once again did not disappoint as all members of our group made it safely back to camp in time for lunch and well earned nap.Tomorrow will be another big day if the weathers on our side? RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Bryan Mazaika and Nick Scott

On The Map

Namaste from Kathmandu! Everyone arrived safely and timely to Kathmandu late last night. We had an easy day today just resting after the long hours of international flying, enjoying our welcome meal in the Thamel area, and wandering a bit in the busy streets of that area of town before the jet lag started to set in. We called it a day on the early side to allow the body to start adjusting with ease to the time change and in preparation for a busier day tomorrow. The upcoming day will be a a formal visit of the main historical monuments of Nepal's capital and packing for our flight into the mountains the following day. Stay tuned for the real start of our Gokyo adventure soon! RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos and team

RMI Guides Brent Okita and Steve Gately led their Four Day Summit Climb team to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The air is smoky and the winds are light. The team will spend a little bit of time in the crater before starting their descent. Congratulations to today's Summit Climb Teams!

RMI Guides Casey Grom and JM Gorum led their teams to the Mt. Rainier summit this morning. It was clear on top with some smoky air, due to the British Columbia wildfires, on the lower flanks of the mountain. The team is making great progress on their descent back to Camp Muir.

June 26, 2017 Well we didn't go for our carry after all. Even though we were up early and the day was beautiful. Over breakfast the decision was made to take a rest day instead. All are well, but we've been climbing hard and we are still relatively new to 14,000 ft... we'll bide our time. We did rope up and go for an enjoyable stroll to the "Edge of The World" to look straight down to the NE Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier and across to the West Rib of Denali. We posed for pictures and enjoyed the sunshine. The afternoon in camp was pretty peaceful -as we'd hoped would be the case. We chatted with teams descending the mountain and read our books and took our naps. At dinner, it was story night with each team member recounting some adventure, or misadventure for the group. Tomorrow we'll get back to climbing. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

June 1, 2016 - 10:36 p.m. PDT Today was one of the more work intensive days of the trip thus far. Up at 6:00 a.m., the same time as yesterday's move, we were tasked with a little more effort to break down camp and hit the trail. The slight overnight cloud deck a few thousand feet above us had kept some heat locked in and today's wake up did not feel nearly as chilled as yesterday with the clear sky. One of the days highlights was seeing the shadow of Denali painted on the thin cloud deck above us, the cloud was thin enough to let a bit of light through but just thick enough to keep the heat in. So cool. The unique lighting didn't end though, as we made our way up into the Polo Fields we chased the shadow all the way to our second break. Snowflake flurries continued as wispy clouds moved over the high ridge and the morning sunlight barely cresting over Denali made walking today especially enjoyable. Before we knew it we were at 14 Camp, making even better time than yesterday. Quite impressive considering it was our second big climb at altitude in a row! The real work just begins though as we still need to claim our homestead. A nice parcel with beachfront views of Hunter and Foraker will do! Tents stacked tight: 3 in a row, our cook tent, and finally guide tent at the edge of the hill. Plenty of old lots were available as most groups moved up yesterday to high camp. We chose to stake out our own - away from the crowds and with our own custom landscaping! We are settled in here at 14,200', looking forward to tomorrow's rest day and we'll see what opportunities the weather brings us. Stay tuned! RMI Guide Blake Votilla and team

On The Map

May 28, 2015 - 10:12 pm PT The weather played out as forecasted today, with strong winds blowing plumes of snow off of Denali's summit and West Buttress. We were happy to be down here at the 14,200' camp where the winds were much more manageable. We enjoyed a leisurely brunch of bacon, eggs, and bagels while the winds howled outside. Much of the rest of the day was spent reading and napping in our tents. The weather forecast looks good for us. We plan to rise early tomorrow (Friday) and make the strenuous climb to high camp at 17,200'. If all goes well, we'll shoot for the summit on Saturday. This is by far the best weather forecast that we've had all trip and we plan to take full advantage of it. We're well rested and acclimated, and eager to climb. We'll let you know how it goes. RMI Guide Mike Walter & team

Today was a day of weather on Mt. Rainier. Unfortunately, that weather was not cooperating for the summit climb teams and they were turned back at 8,500'. Mountaineering has its weather uncertainties- we take what Mother Nature deals to us. Today was not a day for aces but there will be more days in the mountains. A great effort by the team today.

Good evening from "infinite skies land"! It is quite amazing to enjoy the deepness of the night we're having right now. The clouds have moved away and moon lit ridges reign above us, giving us a sense of smallness amongst these Andean fluted snow walls. All of it wouldn't be as overwhelmingly haunting, if it wasn't because of the task we have in store for us. But having carried to our first camp today, and witnessed those very walls get smaller with our progress uphill, makes us feel that the power of the mountains is on our side. And so, we had a great day reaching the 5,000m mark and dropping half of the equipment we'll use to venture even higher, and eventually, to climb to the top. It's now been four days of activity, and we're ready to go to bed and welcome a well earned rest day at dawn. Although, it is worth mentioning that, we sure could keep going as there is no challenge that can't be fueled by our cook Emilio's food; tonight, meat and carrot soup, followed by breaded chicken breast filled with cheese and ham, accompanied by french fries... Yes, we're here right now climbing Alpamayo! RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos