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Hello, this is RMI Guide Eric Frank calling from the Torment Basin here in the North Cascades. We are on day one of a seven-day custom climbing trip and we have the most beautiful view you can imagine right now. We climbed up out of the wooded valley up into the alpine and tonight we are going to sleep out on the glacier below the beginning of the Torment-Forbidden Traverse. It is beautiful blue skies probably the most stable weather of the summer thus far. So we're actually up here without a tent, just laying out looking at all of the expanses of the North Cascades in front of us. Tomorrow we're hoping to climb the majority of Torment-Forbidden Traverse, and then probably finish up with Forbidden on Saturday. I look forward to updating you a long the way. Take care. RMI Guide Eric Frank

How was your 4th of July? We had a great light show last night. Lots and lots of lightning, raining hard all night but no issues. We stayed warm and dry in the wonderful lodge. Our day started off with another four-course breakfast. The best news of the day was the lost bag from Poland has arrived. With all our bags accounted for, a quick transfer to a different set of lift systems put us at the base of Elbrus. Three gondola lift sections had us here at our basecamp nestled at 12,500ft in some rustic but comfortable huts. A very nice local cook is taking great care of us and life is good. We did a couple hours of training and climbing after lunch, then more food, more resting, and our team meeting on mountain life and information about plans for tomorrow. Clouds in and out showed the Elbrus summit every so often; its a great life up here on the big hill. The team is doing great and we are having a blast. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map

The "moving up" picture wasn't all that clear this morning at 5 AM. Nor was it at 6 or 7 or 8 or 9. There was plenty of cloud about and some signs of wind on the ridges where we wanted to be. By the time the weather had improved, it was our judgement that we'd be getting into high camp at a later hour than we'd prefer. We traded the physical difficulty of moving up for the mental difficulty of sitting tight for one more day at 14 K. One more day of rest, one more day of acclimatization, one more day of anticipation. We managed it just fine. Ultimately the clouds closed in on 14,000' Camp and took away our views. We had sporadic radio contact with Mike Haugen's RMI team as they felt their way up through higher clouds toward Denali's summit. Tomorrow is our day to move! Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

The June 16 - 19 Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Paul Rachele was forced to turn around at 12,500' due to route conditions. Several days of poor weather and snow accumulation provided difficult climbing conditions for today's team. They have returned safely to Camp Muir and will continue their descent to Paradise this afternoon.

Hola From Otavalo, Ecuador, This morning our team of intrepid climbers met our one man team and intrepid driver, Orgel, and headed into the not so subtle Quito morning rush hour.   Climbers heading off to a big mountain are always ready to leave the grips of the city in search for greater adventures but today Quito had a way of making sure we didn't rush off and lose sight of where we were.  Wall to wall cars made the first five miles take as long as the final 50 but rain was falling so we didn't feel rushed either way.   Our destination today was a volcano called Fuya Fuya, which rises to 14,700 feet, higher than Mt. Rainier, but in Ecuador is relatively low in comparison to others.  We come here in January because it is supposed to be the "dry" season, but today this high, tropical landscaped proved otherwise.  Light rain fell in the morning leaving Quito, but north of the city and higher up the clouds thickened and the rain turned real.  In Seattle there are over a hundred ways to describe rain.  I'm pretty sure today we only needed one.  Let's just call it, solid.  With a "solid" rain falling, we solved riddles in the trailhead shelter, ran quick sprints along the lake shore before sprinting back and did pull ups on the beams to pretend we were getting our heart rate up.  All-in-all the acclimating process was short lived and we were headed down having never walked a foot uphill.  The rain continued to pour as we ate lunch in town and killed time before arriving at the hacienda for the evening.  La Casa Sol sits high on a steep hill overlooking town and it was here that we had the day's most exciting event.  With a we cobble stone street, our driver gunned it up the hill trying to get momentum before spinning out on the wet surface.  It took two more goes to pull the van into the tiny parking spot and unload the bags.  Ben and I had to put rocks behind the van's tires at one point to keep him from sliding backwards into the ditch.  As we say before a day of ice climbing in Bozeman, the adventure starts the second you get in the car.  Tomorrow's road promises to be even more thrilling!  The road to the mountain.... Wish us luck on our way to Cayambe. Saludos, RMI Guides Adam Knoff, Ben Liken and Team

The drive into the mountains starts by passing through many of Mendoza's Bodega's until the landscape changes to rolling hills peppered with bushy green shrubs. Soon there after we gain elevation and follow the Rio de Mendoza up to the Uspallata Valley where the topography changes yet again to tall jagged peaks colored red,orange, tan and grey. Another hour down the valley takes us to Los Penitentes where we will be calling home tonight. The team spent the afternoon packing and repacking there duffel bags for the trek into the Vacas Valley tomorrow. At the moment we are all probably much to full from dinner and excited to get to bed and finally leave the creature comforts behind for a sleeping bag and tent tomorrow. Everyone is doing fantastic and eager too start our adventure! Tune in tomorrow for more! RMI Guide Steve Gately

The good weather had to leave us at some point. The rain bounced off our tents most of the night and started to lighten up as we departed camp. This is our last full day on the Inca Trail. We hiked along amazing stone work and paths, ascending to 12,130'. This has been our shortest day and we got the opportunity to see two Incan sites that are still nearly original. The team took the afternoon to see Winaywayna and some llamas keeping the grass under control. As the sun sets, light clouds are floating in the valley and occasionally offering views of high glaciated peaks. We are getting an early start so Machu Picchu won't be quite as crowded. Five days have flown by and the team, while eager to visit the main site, is already reminiscing on our first few days in the High Andes, oh and eager for a shower. We will check in from Machu Picchu pueblo/Aquas Calientes tomorrow afternoon. RMI Guide Mike King

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

On The Map

Greetings from the Ishinca Valley! We're writing from our base camp, at 14,400ft, right at the foothills of our first two objectives; Nevados Ishinca and Urus. We left our hotel this morning in Huaraz, and an uneventful bus ride took us to the sunny village of Pashpa, where we met our pack of donkeys and their gentle drivers. Four hours of hiking through a forest of quenuales (the Andean staple tree) took us to the open meadow where camp sits. Everyone hiked in pretty good style! Our first day of training starts tomorrow, and everyone is looking forward to move further uphill soon! RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

Today was our first day of safari and we headed West to visit the beautiful Lake Manyara. The lake is a brief stopping ground for many migratory animals and home to many unique birds. Everyone enjoyed the day cruising around in our safari vehicles with cold beverages in hand while seeing the animals up close and personal. We saw wildebeest, zebras, Cape buffalo, lots of baboons, a few impalas, hippos, and several elephants so close we could have touched them. It was a pretty nice introduction to the incredible diversity of wildlife that Africa has and the team is looking forward to seeing more tomorrow. We spent the remainder of the day relaxing at our new lodge and finished the evening with a wonderful meal at our new lodge. RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari crew