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Hey RMI Blog universe followers! This is Robby and your Peru Seminar team on the summit of Nevado Ishinca at 18,143' feet! "What do you think guys?". It is a beautiful day in Peru as usual. We are feeling great and loving life! We are just about to start our descent back to camp. We'll get a good rest this afternoon and tonight, because tomorrow we are going for Urus! Until then we'll talk to you soon. Ciao!

Wow! What a night and what a day for Team Russia. I have been guiding here since 2002 and I haven't seen weather quite like this. The winds are very strong still. However, the thunder and lightening has moved away. Instead of acclimatizing towards 15,000 feet, the team was forced to stay put. So today was a rest day and we did manage to go for a short walk and do some skills training. Tomorrow we will give it another try in climbing up towards 15,000 feet, weather permitting. RMI Guide JJ Justman

We did it! We stood on the highest point of Europe. I have to admit we were pretty lucky with the weather, as it was near perfect. The team did a fantastic job of taking care of themselves and climbed strong. We reached the summit around 7:15 am in clear skies with a wonderful view of the entire Caucus mountain range. But it didn't end there, after descending a short ways off of the summit we were at the saddle between the two summits that Elbrus has and a few of us decided to climb both summits while the rest of the team descended safely back to camp. It only added an additional 1.5 hrs, so not too bad, especially since we had such amazing weather. After everyone returned to camp, we had a quick lunch and then packed up to head down valley to our hotel at the base of the mountain. Everyone is high spirits and smelling great! RMI Guide Casey Grom and a happy crew

On The Map

We had a successful day traveling by planes, trains and automobiles! After a long day we have arrived in the little ski town of Cheget. It is raining cats and dogs so our evening dinner is inside the warmth of our comfortable hotel. The team is having fun as we slowly ease into the adventure. Tomorrow we will get out and stretch the legs with a good acclimatization hike. Stay tuned for some action packed photos and videos. RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map

May 22, 2016 - 9:43 p.m. PDT Our first day of climbing as a complete team went really well. Although clouds obscured our views of the incredible scenery around us, we had much better visibly than we had yesterday. Plus, our efforts yesterday lightened our loads just enough that today's climbing was quite manageable. Our camp here at 7,800' is nice, but the snow that's been falling since we got here has made our kitchen/dining tent a most popular place. Our Posh House is always the center of community here; it's the place we can eat and share a hot drink or two and be out of the elements. The conversations that come out of that place... With luck, we'll move camp to 9,600' tomorrow, but we sure would like some improvement in the weather! Everyone is doing great and looking forward to moving up the mountain. Hopefully we'll be talking from 9,600' tomorrow. RMI Guides Brent Okita, Christina Dale, and Chris Ebeling and the crew

On The Map

Hello from Russia! Most of the team is here and we will be meeting the rest in a couple of days. I am excited as ever to visit this great place once again! In the Moscow streets I saw the typical herds of tour buses visiting this beautiful city. I saw brides and grooms holding hands placing their lock of committed love on the bridge of trees. I made dinner reservations at my favorite restaurant where neither of us could understand each other and we all smiled and laughed. This is one of my favorite adventures! We are tourists. And we are welcome with open arms to the wonderful people of this country. We just finished dinner and yes those that know me, I had beef carpaccio and pasta with truffles finished with a double espresso. Yes, the life of a mountain guide! Tomorrow we will enjoy a beautiful city tour where we continue to learn the deep history and culture of Russia. I like to rely on heavy images and videos. After all, who wants to read my incoherent ramblings. A picture speaks a thousand words. So stay tuned and enjoy our adventure! RMI Guide JJ Justman and the team

Greetings! We're ready for our next objective, Nevado Urus. We all appreciated a rest day today, after yesterday's summit on Ishinca. We spent the day learning and practicing rappelling as well as fixed line ascension in the vicinity of base camp. We also had a thorough discussion regarding expedition planning. Now we're packing for tomorrow's alpine start, hoping to tackle Nevado Urus before the forecasted weather pattern hits - grapple to snow in the mid-afternoon. That's it for now! Wish us luck tomorrow, RMI Guide Elías and team

Today was about steak. Glorious, salty, fatty steak. We spent most of our day walking back through the Vacas Valley. We got snowed on. We saw some lightning. We heard some thunder (go on the YouTube and look up “Jim Cantore thunder snow.” That was basically us). All of those things were great, but do not capture the true essence of the day. All of that walking, over all of those rocks, across all of those rivers was done to accomplish one goal: to get to Pampa de Leñas, so we could eat our weight in carne asado. We sit at a picnic table, we’re covered in dirt, and we eat with our hands. We eat next to climbers who are walking in to Aconcagua Base Camp. They are still clean, and not yet hungry. They watch in amazement as we devour our food as fast as it is brought to the table. We watch in amazement as they politely pass their bread around. We laugh at them because they don’t know what we know. This is our last night in the mountains, our last night to eat with our hands, and to sleep on the ground. Tomorrow at dinner we will wear collared shirts, and say please and thank you. One might start to wipe food from his face with the back of his hand, remember where he is, and reach for a napkin instead. The conveniences of society will be welcomed, but we’re all a little wilder now, and what we’ve learned in the mountains won’t be forgotten. RMI Guide JM Gorum

We woke today to a frosty morning. Items left outside were damp and crispy. As we packed up camp you could see your breath. We are getting closer to the snow, which makes all of us happy. The trail weaved through the jungle along side the Seti River. You have to be careful for the stinging nettle like plant as you walk. If it pokes you it stings for hours. I've been poked many times. The scenery reminds us of a magical place. A place like the shire from the Lord of the Rings. Little shanty homes pop up here and there. The trail we are on is a trail to people's homes. Once again after a handful of hours walking we have arrived to our next home for the night, our own little shantytown. A bonfire has been made, which adds comfort to the chilly evening air. Tomorrow we may arrive to Base Camp, but as stated, we are on Nepali time, so who knows what tomorrow will bring. Goodnight, RMI Guide Hannah Smith

The Five Day Summit Climb July 21 - 25 enjoyed two nights on the mountain before making their summit attempt today. RMI Guide Jess Matthews and team reached the summit this morning under clear skies and warm temperatures. The team will return to Camp Muir, pack up their camp and continue their descent to Paradise. Congratulations Climbers!