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After a quick chairlift bump up from the valley we went for a great training/acclimatization hike today up to over 11,000'. Last night was full of thunder, lightning, and steady rain and had me worrying in bed that today would be a drencher. But low and behold, the skies eased off and we enjoyed high overcast skies with some beautiful views of the mountains around us and near perfect hiking temps. The team moved well and even handled some light rock scrambling with ease. Cap it off with a nice lunch and I'd chalk it up as a success. Now we're spending the afternoon handling last minute details before we head up on the mountain tomorrow. Talk tomorrow, RMI Guide Billy Nugent & Team

We survived another stormy night up here on Elbrus. It definitely is nice staying in a hut rather than tents. Especially when lightning strikes and the whole ground rumbles underneath. It looks like Elbrus got that nasty weather out of its system. Later this morning the sky cleared and for the first time the team saw the mountain! We took advantage of the day and went up to 15,000 feet to acclimatize. The team did great and we are now resting back at camp. It is still a little windy so we are waiting and watching for the right opportunity to make a summit push. RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map

Hey There, It's Billy calling from high Camp on Chimborazo at around 17,500 feet. I'm up here with all the team everyone is doing extremely well, and we're even enjoying the semi-decent weather. We are in the clouds but the wind is calm and it's not raining, so compared to what we've been dealing with so far this trip we will take it! The team is just resting after our hike up here and pretty soon we'll be eating some tasty Mountain House freeze dried dinners and getting to bed early so we are in a good position to get up in the middle of the night tonight and take a crack at the summit. Hopefully I'll be giving you a call next from the top of the mountain, but if not we'll check in or if you know how it went. That's all for now, bye!

Wow... All I can say is that it's been a crazy ride. Two days ago we were sitting tight up at Camp 2 waiting for the weather to open up and now we are down in Penitentes celebrating our escape from the wrath Aconcagua. We had decided to hold on a day or two longer and see if maybe the forecasts were wrong but alas, they were not. We made the decision to pull the plug and head down when the lowest wind speed predicted over the next 7 days was over 50 mph with several pulses up in the 70's. We woke on the morning we intended to descend to clear skies but moderate winds blowing snow and by the time we were able to pick up camp it had clouded over and the wind had intensified significantly. As we descended around and down the mountain the storm chased us all the way to Basecamp... There was no respite despite our descent into a portion of the mountain that is historically more protected. Our team was able to stick together and move well despite the challenging conditions. We were greeted warmly by the Basecamp staff upon our arrival back at Plaza Argentina. We enjoyed real chairs and a real meal (chicken Vesuvius) for the first time in over a week and then crashed hard. The next couple days we made our way down the Relinchos and Vacas Valleys and spent our last night out on the trail after devouring an amazing asado prepared by our mule drivers. We ate (beef, beef, beef!) and drank (vino, and even a little wild turkey) and went to bed happy and tired after a long couple of days. This morning we rose and walked the last of the Vacas to the road where we checked out with the park rangers and were greeted by our shuttle driver with beer and Fanta. Not a bad way to finish a long and tough expedition. Next stop, Mendoza! RMI Guides Billy Nugent, Katrina Bloemsma and Team

We're up at the Jose Ribas Refugio on Cotopaxi at 15,953 ft. Tomorrow is climb day on Cotopaxi so we're hitting the sack early tonight in preparation for our alpine start. We'll check in again tomorrow and let you know how things go. RMI Guide Mike Walter and Team

On The Map

Carry Day! Today we made our first trip up the fixed lines from 14,000’ to the West Buttress proper. Everyone, guides and climbers, ascends the fixed lines via an ascender attached to the fixed line. We also use our climbing rope for extra protection. This is the most effective, safest way to ascend the steep slopes below the West Buttress proper. The NPS installs and maintains these ropes with help from the guides. It’s a tough haul getting up but the view from the top of the fixed lines is great. It’s two thousand feet down on either side. On one side there is the Peters Glacier, the other side looks back down to the 14,000 ft. camp. What a cool spot! The wind was kicking up when we reached the top of the fixed lines so we had everyone clip into anchors and take a break while the guides dug a cache for our gear. We have left 5 days of food and fuel here for our use when we move to high camp at 17,000’. After filling in our cache we returned down the fixed lines to our lovely home at 14. The camp is looking very nice after a few rest days. We’ve made a sign out of snow that lets folks coming in to camp know who we are and our snow walls protect our tents nicely from the wind. We even made a television set and remote control out of snow, however the reception here in the Alaska Range is not very good.

On The Map

Sunday, May 18, 2025 - 1:53 am PT

We woke up this morning with the feeling that we would fly today and in the end we were right.  A little after noon we got the call we had been waiting for.  And quickly got into our boots. After a circuitous and beautiful flight we landed on the Kahitna Glacier. Despite the later hour, with good weather and high stoke, we quickly left base camp and made our way to Ski Hill.  The team is very happy to be on the mountain and making our way up.

RMI Guide Seth Burns and team

After learning cramponing, rope travel, ice axe arrest and crevasse rescue skills, to name a few, the Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir made their summit attempt today. The teams have been training at Camp Muir since their arrival on Monday. RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Adam Knoff lead their teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning on a beautiful, clear and windless day. They will enjoy the views, give hugs and high fives and take a few photos before beginning their descent from the crater rim. They will return to Camp Muir for their final night on the mountain. Tomorrow they will descend to Paradise and return to Rainier BaseCamp for a celebration and wrap up of their week together on the mountain. Congratulations to today's teams!

This is Mike King checking in on the Sahale climb. We are at the campsite after a hot day hiking through the dense lower slopes of Boston Basin. We will check in after our climbing school tomorrow! The group is enjoying the views and looking forward to some dinner and rest.

The Team packed up at the Altzomoni Hut this morning after a big breakfast and casual start to the day. We hiked up to High Camp, located at 15,500' over three hours and benefited from cloudy skies and a cool breeze. As we were leaving the Third Portillo, the clouds began climbing past us and soon snow was falling. The group did great today, carrying heavy packs in rocky terrain at high altitude. We'll spend the day resting and keeping our fingers crossed for clear weather. Tomorrow will be our one shot at Ixta and she can be cruel when conditions are stormy. The climbing itself is straight forward and we'll hope to be calling in from the top shortly after sunrise. Thanks for following along, we all continue to eat amazing food and are enjoying the beautiful scenery. RMI Guide Mike King

On The Map