May 28, 2017 1:32 am PST
Hi from Denali!
The team got a break in the weather around noon today! Big day indeed for flying! We unloaded our gear from the planes, repacked our duffel bags, loaded our sleds and heavy packs and got on the move to our first camp at 7,800ft. The trip to the mountains is finally underway. We made great time in the light cloud cover keeping the air cool in the often blistering heat of the lower Kahiltna glacier. We set up camp had a quick dinner and are now resting our bones!
RMI Guide Tyler Jones & Team
The mountain was calling and we answered. We spent the last two days making our way towards Elbrus. Our apologies for the lack of a dispatch yesterday, but the small city of Kislovodsk that is our jumping off point is not a hotbed of wifi access. Some smooth flights got us that far yesterday, and we spent the afternoon shopping for food and putting the final touches on our expedition preparations. We were overjoyed when the bags for three of our team members finally arrived in Moscow, and they were able to grab them and rejoin us late last night. The woes of travel.
This morning we boarded a new off-road sprinter van type machine that our driver Alexei referred to as his "Russian hammer," and started the winding drive through the steppes of the Caucasus. After an hour and a bit we left the pavement and set out along the four wheel road - which at times had our hearts creeping towards our mouths with the precipitous slopes that drop from the side of the road - that takes us to base camp at 8,300'. We arrived, said goodbye to Alexei, whose jolly laugh had kept the mood light, and set up our compound. An afternoon hike into the surrounding hills let us stretch our legs and find an incredible waterfall that cuts straight through a large rock ridge, reemerging on the other side. An afternoon siesta led to dinner, and just as we were ready to serve it up, the rain started with a few flashes of lightning. We retreated to our tents with our meals, and are now getting ready to hit the hay as we listen to rain drops beat a percussion on our tents, happy to be dry.
All the best from here,
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, JM Gorum, and team
Greetings from Mt. Elbrus!
We're nicely settled into our rustic huts here at around 12,600'. This morning we did the gondola shuffle - loading all of our duffle bags and skis onto a moving gondola, and then unloading all of that stuff from a moving gondola...multiplied by three gondolas! We were pros by the last one. This afternoon we went out for an acclimatization ski tour and reviewed some of the skills we'll need for our summit attempt. It's great to be here on the mountain!
RMI Guide Tyler Reid
May 19, 2016 - 9:44 pm PT
Hello from Farine basin,
This morning under cloudy calm skies our team ventured onto the east ridge of Farine, an old remnant of perhaps a volcano comprised of very black rock.
Fun climbing on a ridge overlooking Camp 1 took us to a series of crumbling rock spires. We were stopped by bad snow in a steep gully capped by some very bad rock. As we descended in whiteout conditions to clearing clouds we got some great views of the surrounding valley. Back at camp with some time to kill, many folks grabbed some sleds to race down a slope just above our camp. Lots of belly laughing and memorable moments to behold as spectator or participant. It's getting quite cold now so we are headed back to our tents to warm up.
Goodnight all.
RMI Guides Leon Davis, Mike King and Megan Budge
May 16, 2016 - 1:31 am PT
Howdy to everybody from 11,200 feet! We had a great move up the Kahiltna, experiencing every type of weather along the way: smoking hot sun, thin clouds that turned on the microwave, thicker clouds that cooled us off, snow with wind, and finally snow without wind. Despite all of that, our travels were very smooth, and we walked into camp in the late afternoon. Move days are a lot of work; not just the climbing, but once at camp, we have to construct a whole new camp with platforms, walls, and kitchen. All told it's a lot of digging and a lot of snow to move, but this crew's teamwork was exemplary, and with a couple of hours of pounding away, we have a solid new place to call home for a few days. We'll say hi tomorrow,
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Robby Young, Jess Matthews and team
Well done team ,looks like ur making good progress moving on up to ur next plattoe it looks awesome from up there the team looks like they r enjoying this venture be safe, keep us all posted, ur friends from “The Downs"xo
Posted by: Joe&Patty; on 5/17/2016 at 3:20 am
Good job! You’ve got a lot of people rooting for the team from Denver! That’s a lot of snow. I guess you better get used to it! Keep on trekking and good luck. I know the team can accomplish its goal!
Saturday, May 14, 2016 - 11:47 p.m. PDT
Good evening friends and family!
Today our Alaska Mountaineering Seminar - Expedition flew onto the southeast fork of the Kahiltna Glacier in unseasonably warm temperatures. Talkeetna is experiencing temperatures that are 20 degrees above average and it's hard to wait around dressed in climbing clothes. But things are all good here in the mountains. The Cliff Hudson Fly In was going on in Talkeetna today so we were able to experience various aircraft showing off their abilities in honor of the late bush pilot Cliff Hudson. It was very exciting to share the same airport with old WWII planes and newest bush planes. Stay tuned for more seminar stories...
RMI Guide Leon Davis and team
Hi Greg
It sounds like your adventure is off to an exciting start - with an air show timed for your first expedition day. We hope every day is this enjoyable and exciting - and each day stays unseasonably warm.
Look forward to more news as your team ascends.
Thanks to Leon, Mike and Megan for helping us stay in touch.
Much love xo Mom & Dad
Posted by: Sue and Bob Lawley on 5/15/2016 at 2:52 pm
Our first full day in Alaska greeted us with a beautiful and crisp morning. Today was a day of packing and repacking, prepping for the weeks ahead. While at time tiresome, we were laying the groundwork for a successful climb. By the end of the afternoon, bags were packed, food checked, and our team organized into our two flights. Excitement is high as we hope to fly to basecamp tomorrow.
All the best- RMI Guides Seth, Jackson, Ray, and team.
It was the night before Christmas, and all through the tent not a creature was stirring...except for RMI's first Aconcagua ascent. Our cache was placed at Camp Two with care, in hopes we will soon be moving there. 18,000 feet is so high, we may have seen reindeer fly by. We boot skied down to camp with glee, making the best of Aconcagua's scree. We filled our bellies with tasty bites, before we lost the warm sunlight. We crawled into our tents snacking on treats, before dreaming of tomorrow's Christmas Day eats. Oatmeal and quesadillas they are the best, we can't wait to have a Christmas Day rest.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.
RMI Guides JM Gorum, Avery Parrinello, and Hannah Smith
Yesterday's visit to Ngorongoro Crater, considered by many to be the eighth wonder of the world, was a memorable experience. The crater is almost exactly 100 square miles and we did fine work of covering a big chunk of it. Today we left our lodge and traveled to Tarangire National Park. A bit of shopping on the way and a stop at a Masaai Village turned out to be a lot of fun. The local village opened their huts up for a visit from the team. These kind and gentle people shared their history and way of life. The rest of the drive took us through the park having to weave around hundreds and hundreds of elephants, zebras, gazelles, cats, and giraffes to name a few. A mild day with some cloud cover made for a pleasant game drive. We are in a luxury tented camp that pretty much knocks your socks off. Life is not to tough out here in the bush and the team is having a blast.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Hello, this is Eric Frank calling from the North Cascades. We are at the notch of the West Ridge of Forbidden tonight. We've had a long, but very well traveled day. We were almost 13 hours on the route to climb the Torment Forbidden Traverse. Everything went really well, so we're just nestling into bed up on our high bivy. We looking out over Iceberg and Tuck Lakes, and a pretty stunning sunset behind the El Dorado Peak. Hope everyone's doing well. Talk to you in the next couple days!
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Sam and Mike, good luck to you and the rest of the team. Represent Colorado well and unhook the plows! Stay safe.
Posted by: Chris Hoidal on 5/29/2017 at 4:37 pm
Good luck up there. Hopefully your type 2 fun is sprinkled with some type 1 fun too. Be safe.
Posted by: Colleen Kerr on 5/29/2017 at 3:24 pm
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