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The Five Day Climb July 1 - 5 went for the summit today led by RMI Guides Brent Okita and Avery Parrinello.  The teams radioed from Columbia Crest a little after 7:30 am PT.  As of 8:15 they were starting their descent from the crater rim.  The teams will return to Camp Muir to rest and likely enjoy many firework displays from their vantage point this evening.  Tomorrow the teams will descend the remaining 4.5 miles to Paradise and celebrate their acheivements.

Congratulations team!

Hello all –

The team awoke to find improving weather and a newfound hopefulness to escape the ever-shrinking Talkeetna. After a walk to the local coffee shop the team began their standby at K2 Aviation where they waited for the green light for clear enough cloud cover to depart. At around 3pm, the signal was given and in a mad flurry the plane was loaded, and the expedition was a go! The team enjoyed a scenic flight into the freshly snow coated Alaska range with nearly clear and sunny skies. Once on the glacier, the team was quickly left alone to divide gear, load sleds, and embark down the valley. Deep snow made for slow travel as the team broke the trail through a few feet of fresh Alaskan powder. After a few hours, the team broke down for camp, probing a safe spot on the glacier and settling in. Tents were quickly pitched, and dinner was thrown together. The team enjoyed a clear and scenic backdrop before heading to bed.

All the best,

RMI Guides Mike Bennett, Jack Delaney and the Ruth crew!

Hello, Well, the phone call we got this morning was not the one we wanted. The news was that the flight was not going to happen and that the next scheduled update would be at 7:30 pm. The winds at both Punta Arenas and Union Glacier were too high. We made great use of the day despite the flight being delayed. We took a tour of Fuerto Bulnes, the first establishment in this area, founded in 1834. It is about 35 miles east of Punta Arenas and plays a very important part in this area's history. After some lunch we did a short walking tour of the city's cemetery which is filled with beautiful mausoleums. While a bit on the side of eerie, it was well worth it. We were back at the hotel early and ready for the next update. When the call came, they said that the wind gusts in the last hour (53 knots) at the airport were a little too high, but they would call back in an hour and give us another update. The next call came as promised and while the winds diminished at the airport, the relative humidity at Union Glacier had increased 82%, and the flight was not going to happen tonight. So the waiting game continues and we will start the process again tomorrow morning with the 7:30 am update. Hopefully tomorrow will be our day to fly. Best, RMI Guide Jeff Martin

Today, for the second time, Dave, my Dad, and I climbed up to the first ladders of the Khumbu Ice fall. After a delicious breakfast and saying goodbye to some good friends we've made here at Base Camp who were heading home, we set out on our climb at around 9:30am and got up to the first ladders around 11:00am. Two days ago our team did the same climb. It took my dad and I nearly two and a half hours to get to our high point, (about 18,000 feet) and when we did we were whipped. Standing next to the first ladder this time around I felt significantly stronger- I wasn't breathing nearly as hard and I actually got a chance to pick my head up and look at the amazing views of Base Camp and the valley below. Even climbing in an Ice fall the temperatures can get very hot, and this morning there wasn't a cloud in the sky. About half way through our hike, clouds finally began to gather about the tops of the peaks surrounding us and we were sheltered from the blazing sun which is much stronger at these altitudes. Our team is encouraged by our performance today. We feel much stronger, skilled, and acclimatized then we did even two days ago, and with this can get through the rest of the ice fall much more quickly and safely in the days to come. Lastly, our thoughts and prayers are with all of our friends and family back home. I think my Westminster Varsity Lacrosse teammates are playing a big game today, and I wish them all the best! As for how we're spending our spare time, we're meeting lots of new people, and becoming almost professional dart, horseshoes, sudoku, and card players. Thanks for following our blog! Sara McGahan

On The Map

We made the big move up from Low Camp to High Camp today. The team climbed well and strong... getting the job done in a little over five hours. But it wasn't easy, by any means. A cold wind hit us just above the top of the fixed ropes and then harassed us all the way into camp. That made for some cold campers, initially, but we got a few tents and a kitchen built and life got better, the way it always does when such things are around. The teams that we flew onto the mountain with managed to summit today -the storm hit some of them on their way back into camp but they coped well, for all we could tell. Of course our hope is that wind and clouds will flee in time for us to enjoy a Christmas summit of Mount Vinson, but we shall see. If we have to give the storm a day or two to pass through, we can do that as well. A Christmas spent napping in a warm sleeping bag alongside friends is not a terrible thing. We just hope Santa will find his way into the chimney on these tents without too much difficulty. Merry Christmas from the Ellsworth Mountains, Sentinel Range, 12,600 ft up on the Vinson Massif, deep in the heart of Antarctica. RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

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!

RMI Guide Walter Hailes

RMI Guides Tyler Jones and Jake Beren led their Four Day Summit Climb July 17 - 20 to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Tyler reported windy and cold temperatures but good climbing conditions. The teams were starting their descent from the crater rim just before 9 am. Congratulations to today' Summit Climb team!

Our travels so far have been action packed and the team enjoyed a relaxing rest/exploration day yesterday. The colonial city of Puebla is a beautiful place to see the sights and we did a little sleeping in before taking it to the streets. Puebla is a city that certainly felt the effects of the recent earthquake and as you walk around town, you can see folks tending to the damage, repairing walls and buildings. It is remarkable that the damage was not more widespread, but we are all happy to see that the beautiful town of Puebla has survived. Now we are off to Orizaba! Tonight we will stay in the Piedra Grande hut and begin our climb early tomorrow morning. Wish us luck! RMI Guide Jake Beren

Today was a crucial day for us to get in position for a summit bid. We carried a couple of days of food plus some personal gear to the bottom of Washburn's Thumb at 16,800'. This cache is an integral part of the strategy of climbing this mountain. Once in place, we can wait for a weather window to move up to camp at 17,000' and then summit. It now becomes a waiting game for us as we need a good forecast for a string of a few days. It was also a great day for us to practice our climbing skills because the real climbing on Denali starts above 14,000'. We got to practice using the fixed lines up to 16,200' to attain the West Buttress. From there, we were greeted with beautiful views and climbing on a thin, rocky ridge. The buttress is the namesake of the route, the reason people come up this way. It requires great attention, but affords amazing climbing and vistas. Everyone did a great job with these 2 new challenges. We even had some members of the group attain new personal high marks! Now, we're back at camp ready for some rest. We are playing the waiting game now, holding out and hoping the mountain will give us the weather window we need. But the forecast looks pretty good, and we're patient, stubborn, and well prepared. 14K Camp is a great place to get strong, and with a rest day tomorrow we definitely won't be getting out of sleeping bags until the sun hits us. Bringing back an old feature to the blog: the stoke meter is all the way up at a 9.5 right now! RMI Guide Maile Wade and the southside dwellers of 14K!

On The Map

Yet another perfect weather day, calm and sunny… clear above and cloudy below. We ate breakfast in Karanga Camp and then said a temporary goodbye to two of our climbers.  John Bobbitt aggravated an old knee injury and Erika Bobbitt wanted to make sure he got down safely.  They set off for the Mweka Gate of the park as we set off for high camp at 8:30 AM. In an easy three hours, we had climbed the 2000’ vertical feet up to Barafu and begun to settle in.  From 15,100 ft, we now had unobstructed views of our climbing route to the top.

The afternoon was taken up with resting and getting our gear and clothing ready for our planned alpine start. Chef Benson’s fine spaghetti dinner was served early so that we could get to bed just before sunset. We want as much rest as we can get before our 11:15 PM wake-up time.

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team