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We are happy to report that the entire team stood on top of Mt. Baker this morning. We had clear skies and spectacular views of Washington’s volcanoes to the south. The team climbed strong. We're on the descent and headed back to the trailhead.

RMI Guide Seth Burns and Team

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guide Avery Parrinello stood on Columbia Crest under clear skies early this morning. A team of RMI Guides worked tirelessly the last two days to ensure the route was safe and climbable for the many climbers on the Disappointment Cleaver Route. Their efforts did not go un-noticed as today's team was able to reach the 14,410' summit successfully.  The team is in route back to Camp Muir where they will pack up before descending to Paradise.

Congratulations Team! 

Hey, this is Dave Hahn calling from Camp 1 on Mount Everest. A good day for us up here. We got up this morning at about 6:00 in the morning and set out at 8:00 to explore the last couple of ladder crossings in the Western Cwm, they go about halfway to Camp 2. Our intention today was just exercise and getting to know the lay of the land. Our hope is tomorrow to get a good acclimatization hike in going all the way to Camp 2 and then coming back down here to Camp 1 for that next night. The afternoon today after we get back to camp was pretty quiet. It was snowing lightly, kinda socked in. We just took the opportunity to rest and recuperate inside our tents and continue our acclimatization process. Thank you. RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Thursday, July 1, 2021 - 2:19 pm PT

Just a walk in the park,

A short nap began our long walk out. A 10pm wake up and a midnight start got us to basecamp an early hour. Heavy sleds and packs were no match for our motivation to shower away 22 days worth of smell. Walking the Kahiltna in the middle of the night (granted its always light out) is peaceful. A great time for reflection. Its been a fun, albeit hard, 22 days on Denali. We had it all, snow, wind, sunshine, all three at once. What we didn't have was any illness or injury and that's the important part. Showered, fed, and full of oxygen-rich air, we are all ready for our journey home. Its been a memorable expedition but now its time for family, friends, and recovery. 

Well done team, well done,

RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

The Four Day Summit Climb teams led by RMI Guide Mike Walter and Ben Liken reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Mike reported clear skies and calm winds. The team will spend some time on the summit celebrating and enjoying the views before starting their descent. Congratulations to today's Teams!

Friday May 27, 2022 10:41pm PT

We had a forecast that was promising. It would be blowing up high in the morning but would diminish and that Saturday looked like a promising summit day. So we woke early, and saw what we expected - winds blasting up high but otherwise clear and blue. We are a quick breakfast, broke camp, and were walking before most other teams. As we climbed a huge plunge of snow left 17 and jetted far into the atmosphere. We were glancing at it wondering how quickly the winds really would die. We were sheltered from it and moved from cold in the shade to very warm in the sun as we climbed the fixed lines. As we needed the top, a full roar made itself heard - wind in the other side of the ridge. We stepped around and into it - maybe 15 mph, not enough to knock you around but COLD. It was going to be a full-fledged fight to keep faces unfrozen, so we made the quick decision to turn back and head for 14 Camp. There it was calm and warm.

Tomorrow looks nice and well regroup and rest from today. We have some hope that Sunday into the beginning of the week will give us a shot.

RMI Guides Pete, Erika, Leif, and Team

After an excellent climb with perfect conditions our team descended to Tlachichuca. It was hard to believe that all in the same day we could have climbed again by moonlight, this time looking at Popo and Ixta hit by the morning sun. It was a warm day and our team did a fantastic job handling the high altitude and moving securely in the rarified air. Again, our timing was ideal, just as we pulled into the hut to pack, the clouds rolled in and obscured the mountain. These were some of the best climbing conditions I have seen down here and the entire team appreciated the chance to stand on top in warm, windless weather. Now we bid our farewells and look forward to the next time we all get to try our hand at climbing these sleeping giants. Though this trip will be tough to top, til then! RMI Guide Jake Beren

It always amazes me how much of a temperature extreme you can experience in the mountains. The last few days have been really good for me, as I left Basecamp and made my way to Camp 2. At 5 a.m. this morning, I woke up at 21,000 ft. to the sound of wind whipping at the tent door and a light frost coating the inside of the tent from my nighttime breath. As I sluggishly pulled my boots on and fidgeted with the frozen ends of my crampon straps, I shivered a little and squinted out to the first morning light, hitting the glacier well below me. A cup of spiced cider, and a small internal battle about whether or not to leave my Igniter Jacket on (I shed it), and I was out the door, crampons communing with the ice in a way that makes me smile to hear. The crunching is like a secret language that the crampons speak to the ice in, and though I don't always understand it, it is something familiar and comfortable for me, a feeling of moving and being stable at the same time. This morning ended my first rotation to Camp 2, and I am finally feeling that the climbing is starting now. My preparations for this trip started so long ago, when Camp 2 was only a small glimmer in the future, and a memory from last season. Now it is fully upon us, and this season is forming its own voice each day. I am here this year with a different eye and a different attitude than what I had last year. I enjoy thinking back to my trip and all of the joys and learning that it provided me...but this year is shaping up to be quite different. About two weeks ago, on the first few days of our trek in, I twisted my ankle. Frustrated, I tried to remember that this expedition will last for months, and certainly there is time in there to heal. As the weeks have snuck up on us, I have been reminded that things don't heal so fast at 17,500 ft. My first morning walk out into the Icefall I turned back, the pain in my ankle causing me to wonder if I was doing more harm than what was needed at this early point in the trip. A few days rest were followed by another failed attempt to get to Camp 1, and a whole new round of frustration. I came down to Basecamp and went to the Himalayan Rescue Association Clinic for a professional opinion. I know I am stubborn, but as far as I can tell, there is no need to hurt myself to climb this mountain. The kind and professional doctors at the clinic did an exam, while I held my breath, and they hypothesized about the injuries...sprain, bone chip in my foot, and most surprisingly, a possible crack in my fibula. Fortunately, none of those injuries warrants a complete stop in activity. Little can be done up here, and as long as the pain is tolerable, I received the go-ahead to keep climbing. The boots that I am using are actually providing good support and, interestingly, the climbing downhill is the least painful and most stable. With this news, and a new humbled attitude, I finally made my way to Camp 1, a little slower than I would have liked, but without further harm to the ankle. Once I was in the tent at Camp 1, I took a deep breath and a grateful glance at the mountain surrounding me. A small smile captured my mind, as I looked at the ramen packages littering the tent. It is easy to forget about the ankle as I start to melt snow for my first of many packages of dehydrated, salted noodles. The tent is so hot in the midday, even at 19,800 ft., that I have to sit in the snow to keep cool. I laugh a little to myself as I think of what climbing means to me, and how silly this must look to anyone who hasn't been here. My day at camp is made up of eating noodles, sitting in the snow, and reading candy bar wrappers to see which ones are gluten-free (so maybe I can share with Dave Hahn, who is gluten-intolerant). I go to bed at 6 p.m. and then wake up twelve hours later to get to Camp 2. Peter, Ed and Jake are already at Camp 2, a few days ahead of me due to my change in plans. We spend a day there together, before they head down to Basecamp. I need one more day to acclimatize before rejoining them. My day spent alone at Camp 2 was a lot like the day at Camp 1, making piles of food that I have read the wrappers for and ones that still need to be investigated. The wind picked up in the afternoon, forcing the hot daytime temperatures to merge into a cold evening. I close my eyes in the tent, and wait for the alarm at 5 a.m. On my way down to Basecamp this morning, I passed by Dave, Seth and Erica, poking their heads out at Camp 1. The morning light is still well below them, but they are getting ready to go for a little walk. I poke my head into the tent and see the ramen packages, this time smiling because I don't have to eat them today. I continue my way to Basecamp, mostly in the shade of the mountains around me. The last 30 minutes, the sun wins the battle, and the temperature suddenly becomes unbearably warm. I stop to put on some sunscreen and take off a layer, happy to have only a few minutes left until I reach Basecamp and glad to have finished my first rotation.

The Four Day Climb June 12 - 15 led by RMI Guides Brent Okita & Hannah Smith reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning just before 7 am PT.  Brent reported gusty winds during their climb today. The teams didn't stay long on the summit and are descending to Camp Muir.  After a short stop at Camp Muir the teams will continue down to Paradise and return to Rainier BaseCamp later this afternoon.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

Wednesday, June 29, 2022 - 10:32 pm PT

This was a big and beautiful day on Denali.  Sunny from start to finish with barely a puff of wind all day.  So we made good use of it.  We were up at 7 and out of camp by 8:50 in the morning shadows.  We powered on up the hills just out of camp that steepened to headwalls a few hours along.  The team did great in managing the fixed ropes on the steep ice leading to the crest of the West Buttress. We were at the top of the ropes by 12:15 PM where we took a short break looking out over about half the planet.  We proceeded up the ridge for some interesting climbing, putting our hands on clean granite while our crampons worked up firm snow.  At 16,600 ft -the base of “Washburn’s Thumb” we declared victory and dug a cache for the supplies we’d carried.  We made our way back down, slowly and carefully, reaching camp at 14,000' about 7 and a half hours after we’d departed.  Just in time for a pre-dinner nap.  The team was excited to hear of Andy Bond’s team tagging the top in perfect conditions today.  We look forward to seeing them back down at 14,000' tomorrow.  We’ll be resting and getting ready to move up to 17,000'  when we get the opportunity. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn