Most Popular Entries
Posted by:
Categories: 50 Years of Climbing
2010: Lance at Plaza Argentina, BaseCamp on Aconcagua.
One afternoon in 2001, we found ourselves on the Skyline Trail of Mt. Rainier. On that afternoon everything changed. We ran into groups of descending climbers. This was new! We both knew nothing of the climbing world and we both were instantly fascinated by them. Somehow they were like mythical creatures. They looked cool and had the coolest stuff attached to their big backpacks: ice axes, crampons, helmets, ropes. They had seen places that truly not a lot of people get to see. Earthly folks on the Skyline Trail made way to let them pass. It was impressive.
Suddenly hiking took on a whole new dimension. It was still just hiking, but we started to educate ourselves about Mt. Rainier, Mt. Everest, mountaineering equipment, Camp Muir, Ed Viesturs, etc. We figured out that RMI existed in Ashford. We attended the first Rainier Mountain Festival that RMI had (even before there was the Bar and Grill). Ed Viesturs was there and we had our picture taken with him. He was our new idol.
Annette Berg at Rainier BaseCamp in Ashford, WA.
All along we heard stories about the Muir Snowfield. We heard about the dangers of it. In our minds, only those mythical creatures could walk up the Snowfield to get to Camp Muir. One day, we hiked up to Pebble Creek and dared to walk onto the Muir Snowfield. We probably went up about a quarter of a mile and then, for no apparent reason, became freaked out by our own boldness and returned promptly to Pebble Creek. We did however, feel quite accomplished with our quarter mile venture.
Throughout the years, the hiking continued. The mountaineering knowledge increased. We actually dared to go to Camp Muir many times, sometimes a few times a week. We still admired all the mythical creatures that were at Camp Muir ready to climb the Mountain.
Then in 2008, Lance decided he would climb Mt. Rainier and become one of those mythical creatures. He went all in and signed up for a climb with Ed Viesturs and Peter Whittaker in August 2008. I guess I was his base camp manager. I helped him with all the packing, repacking, and food selection. We combed through the agenda and checklists for hours to make sure he had everything. It was exhilarating.
2008: Mt. Rainier. From L to R: Peter Whittaker, Melissa Arnot Reid, Lance Berg, and Ed Viesturs.
On a hot and sunny morning, when the Viesturs/Whittaker team went up to Camp Muir, I was at Pebble Creek taking pictures like paparazzi as they passed by. I wished them luck and waived them off. By the time I returned to Paradise, it was noisy and very busy. I had binoculars and from the parking lot I could see the upper end of the Muir Snowfield. I think that was the moment I fell in love with the Mountain. I saw the groups of climbers, like centipedes, silent and graceful, above all the commotion of Paradise. Up there the centipedes seem to be one with nature and worshipping the Mountain. I was convinced that the tourists down below had no clue about what goes on up there. Lance made his first summit. Then mountaineering became a passion.
He loved climbing with RMI. He loved the adventure and the social aspect. He preferred to climb with RMI rather than privately because he knew a lot of the guides. If a jacket, shirt, or hat had the RMI logo on it, he had to buy it. If I wanted to be seen in his company, I had to have items with the RMI logo. I was part of all his training and planning. Heck, I have seen so many orientations at RMI, I could give that presentation. Every summer, RMI BaseCamp in Ashford was our happy place. We would drive the two and a half hours to Mt. Rainier many times for a day of hiking, or to go up to Camp Muir, and then returned to RMI for food and beer. We attended many more Mountain Festivals.
2012: Lance celebrates his 6th summit of Mt. Rainier. This summit was via the Emmons Route.
Lance ended up climbing Mt Rainier seven times with RMI. One of the climbs was the Emmons route. Every time he came down, I was waiting for him at BaseCamp with a beer ready and sandals so he could free his feet from his climbing boots. One day, there were even a few of the Seattle Seahawks Cheerleaders at BaseCamp, but that’s a different story entirely. Lance’s other RMI climbs included Mt. Shuksan, Cotopaxi and Cayambe in Ecuador, Ixtaccihuatl and Pico de Orizaba in Mexico, and Aconcagua in Argentina.
2010: Lance on the summit of Aconcagua.
Just to make it clear, Lance’s death in 2016 was not due to mountaineering. Since then, I have continued to return to Mt. Rainier and RMI BaseCamp in the summers to hike. Sometimes I’m alone, sometimes with family or friends. The Mountain will always be one of the most amazing places I have been to and it holds a special place in my heart. This year with our 25th wedding anniversary, my plan is to summit Mt. Rainier in Lance’s memory. I want to take Lance’s picture to the summit. The Mountain has brought him and me so much happiness. I need to stand on top so I can feel closer to the mythical creature my husband has become.
Annette Berg
I loved reading this touching article you wrote Annette and seeing the pictures as well. I’m glad that climbing Mt Rainier gave both you and my brother Lance much happiness and still continues to give you many good memories. You are a strong woman and are amazing to climb Mt Rainier so many times! I will always remember hiking lower Mt Rainier with you and our family in memory of Lance. Memories of Lance and that hike will stay in my heart forever ❤
Posted by: Cherie Berg Wasmund on 7/9/2019 at 7:09 pm
I love that Lance’s passion for the mountain and climbing lives on through you Annette. We will be at up at Camp Muir cheering you on and are looking forward to celebrating with you afterwards!
Posted by: Bret Berg on 7/9/2019 at 6:44 pm
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier, Joe Hoch, Lauren Macklin, Leif Bergstrom, Trevor Katz, George Hedreen
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
RMI Guides Dustin Wittmier & Joe Hoch led their Four Day Climb June 26 - 20 teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Dustin reported windy conditions with a lenticular cloud above them for most of the climb. However, the cloud had dissipated as they reached the crater rim and they were enjoying the sunshine as they crossing the crater to Columbia Crest. After celebrating on the summit, they will descend to Camp Muir, repack and continue down to Paradise. We look forward to meeting the teams at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Dominic Cifelli, Tatum Whatford, Seth Burns
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,000'
Saturday, June 25, 2022 - 10:04 pm PT
We did another 5 AM wake up. It was cool in the morning shadows, but not uncomfortably so. Breakfast fortified us for a 7 AM departure up the steep Motorcycle Hill. To finally be in crampons rather than snowshoes felt great. Our first rest break -midway up Squirrel Hill- gave us brand new views of the Peters Glacier and Denali’s Northwest Buttress, in addition to ever closer views of the formidable granite forming the end of the West Buttress. We finished off Squirrel and came onto the “Polo Field” below the end of the Buttress. One more pull got us to the saddle below Windy Corner where we took a break before tackling the corner itself. The Corner is always exciting, traversing steep slopes with huge chunks of granite just above us and crevasses just below… all while trying not to stare too long at the Kahiltna Glacier far below, or at Mount Hunter and Mount Foraker in all their glory. Finishing the Corner leaves one looking straight at Denali’s South Peak for the first time. We cached food and fuel just beyond the corner, spending about 50 minutes there at 13,500 ft before starting down. We actually walked down into a layer of wildfire smoke that had moved in. Luckily the smoke didn’t stick around for too long. We were back at camp at 1:30 PM and diving into the tents shortly afterward to get out of the intense high altitude sun.
It was a good day of climbing and we’ve had a few now… so tomorrow looks good for a rest day to solidify our acclimatization before moving up.
Best Regards,
What an adventure!!! Go, team, go! Cheering each and every one of you on, especially Jim! Such an amazing experience!
Posted by: Deborah Karmozyn on 6/26/2022 at 1:26 pm
Posted by: Walter Hailes, Jack Delaney
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 16,000'
Today we broke down camp, said goodbye to the lovely Basecamp staff and began our climb to Camp 1 for the final time. The climb was easy as the trail was familiar and the weather was sunshine and light winds. Once we arrived we made quick work of setting up camp and fortifying our tent anchors with rocks due to the strong nightly winds we knew would be coming. After a delicious meal of mountain Pad Thai everyone went back to their tents to try to get some sleep at 16,000 feet. Tomorrow we move to Camp 2!
Pyfer family looking forward to more updates!
Updates from home:
Max crushed it against MC playing defense - Tam team overall got schooled in last quarter.
SI won the Bruce Mahoney trophy after coming back from a 10 point deficit in the fourth quarter to win in OT
Dawg City looking pretty scrappy - in the semi-finals today at Kings Showcase.
49’ers WON!
Miss you. You got this.
Posted by: Susan Lindstrom on 1/23/2022 at 9:28 am
Get it!!!!! Excited for you, praying for you, go WIN!!!!!
Posted by: Location 66 Cheerleaders on 1/22/2022 at 6:27 am
Posted by: Tyler Jones, Jake Beren
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Seth Burns, Mike Bennett, Tom Skoog
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,080'
The first trip of the Mt. Rainier season is always a special one and just like that, it has come and gone. We spent the week learning skills like crevasse rescue, rappelling, glacier travel, the basics of snow safety, and even some fixed line travel. It was a busy week! We didn’t make the summit and in mountaineering, that’s part of the game. Sometimes the mountain, no matter how much we want it, just says no to going up high. It’s a tough pill, but a worthwhile one to take in stride and with conviction that the decision was the right one. We’ll take home the skills, the memories, and the bug to come back and try again another day.
The weather is becoming wetter and windier and looks to be trending that way for our descent tomorrow. The hot food, showers, and beds in town will be that much sweeter.
Cheers to a great week and a great start to the season, Team!
RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Jeff Martin
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Dominic Cifelli, Tatum Whatford, Seth Burns
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 20,310'
Monday, July 4, 2022 - 1:50 a.m. PDT
Briefly…Because it is 12:38 a.m. at 17,200 ft…we did it! Fabulous climb to the top of North America. The day started out a little more windy than predicted, so we pushed our start back to 10:15 a.m., by which time thinks were looking more promising. We went back and forth all day between a little cool and a little hot. Luckily, when we hit the top at 6:30 p.m., it was calm and easy. In fact we enjoyed it so much we spent 50 minutes on top! There was only one other team today and we will likely be some of the very last for the season. Beautiful views down into all the fascinating glaciers and valleys surrounding Denali. We picked our way carefully down, leaving the summit at 7:20 p.m. and arriving back at high camp at 11:00 p.m. Late night dinner and then crawling into sleeping bags for well earned rest.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn and team
nice to visit this site.
Posted by: Ruhiarsha on 3/13/2024 at 2:36 am
Congratulations to Jim Karmozyn and the entire team on reaching the summit! I knew you could do it.
Posted by: Ted Wioncek on 7/7/2022 at 10:56 am
RMI Guide Dave Hahn checks in from Union Glacier.
Hi to Mark and other others from Alaska, finally some snow here, skate skiing down to Moose’s Tooth for Pizza and beer! See you in January.
Posted by: John S. on 12/12/2012 at 4:50 pm
Congrats on the first Peak Paul. Keep it up.
Send more pics. Awesome mountain range.
Posted by: Dave on 5/29/2017 at 10:33 am
Good work Kim! Sounds awesome! Were you one of the swimmers?
Posted by: Josh Hostetler on 5/28/2017 at 6:19 am
View All Comments