Most Popular Entries

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

Our first rotation up the hill is completed. We came down the Icefall this morning in fresh falling snow, which muffled sound, concealed crevasses and greatly reduced traffic. Normally, after three nights acclimating at Camp One, we'd have gotten up a little earlier and come down a bit sooner in the morning, but daybreak at close to 20,000 ft was a bit different this time around. We had received a foot of snow in the past 24 hours and listened to avalanches running almost constantly down the steep faces of Nuptse and Everest West Shoulder. We weren't terribly anxious to run out and test our luck at finding the path through the icefall, but a few things began to work in our favor. Although no Sherpas were breaking trail from below on such a day, a few teams at Camp One were more anxious to get down than we were. We actually contemplated sitting another day to let things settle and improve, but once a few bigger teams had plowed a trail down and a short break in the storm materialized, we decided to capitalize and descend. We packed and closed our tents up tight and began walking toward Basecamp at around 9:30 AM. It wasn't a quick descent, we were quite careful stepping through the concealing powder and onto shaky ladders as the snowstorm returned to make things interesting. We were all stunned to see that the "horseshoe hotel" had fallen. This was a massive free-standing cube of glacier which we'd been passing under with a fair amount of trepidation. It came down all at once... luckily with no one in the vicinity, and we were amazed to see that the massive chunks of debris had fallen in several directions... But they hadn't bulldozed away the climbing route. The intervening crevasses had done their work and swallowed up a whole lot of hotel. The snows kept falling and we kept working our way down in a quiet cloud. Eventually we came out from under the clouds just as we reached the less hazardous features at the bottom of the Icefall. We weren't able to do everything we wanted on this rotation; it certainly would have been nice to have hiked up and touched ABC (Camp 2) but it would have been foolish in the snowstorm, so we mostly sat in our tents yesterday... But that also can lead to good acclimatization when the tents are high enough. Now we'll enjoy the relative comforts of Basecamp (although the snowstorm has seemed to follow us down) First; tables and chairs and food served up by the plateful... Later showers and shaves and the freedom of walking around without worry of crevasses and cliffs. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Hello from Ama Dablam Base Camp! Are you unsuccessful when you don't reach the summit of one of your objectives? Well, I think that if you have carefully prepared for it and put yourself in the best position for it, despite little odds in our favor according to the forecast, and you make the decision to head down because the one thing you can't control is totally out of control, then yes, you're successful. It was windy when we arrived at our High Camp, it was windy throughout our short stay, and it was like a freight train when it was time to go. There's no way we could fight on the steep, cold and dangerous slopes of Ama's southeast ridge what "Eolus" had in store for us. So the only thing we could do, knowing that we had waited until the very last day, was to be smart and head down. Undefeated, because in the mountains what counts is telling the story. But sure disappointed to not to have been able to climb just a bit more. But oh well, we're now back to the safety of our lodge at Base Camp, and we'll stay our descent tomorrow, eager for thicker air and why not, to start closing up our Himalayan adventure. RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

RMI Guides Brent Okita & Mike Haugen reported a perfect day of climbing on Mt. Rainier today.  The Four Day Climb June 18 - 21 reached the summit around 7 am and enjoyed some time in the crater before starting their descent.  The teams started their descent from the crater rim just after 8 am and will return to Camp Muir.  After a short break the teams will continue the final 4.5 miles to Paradise and be transferred back to Rainier BaseCamp later this afternoon.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

Our Mt. Baker - Easton Glacier team led by RMI Guide Andy Bond reached the summit early today. Due to a forecast of clouds and rain, the team decided to make their summit attempt a day early. Lucky them, this worked, and they reached the 10.781' summit!  The rains hit when they got back to camp, so they will do their best to stay dry, and hike out early tomorrow.

Congratulations team! 

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

Wednesday, May 18, 2022 - 11:19 pm PT

Here is the first dispatch from the third RMI Denali team! We are all packed up and ready to fly in the morning. Our team was efficient and prepared today as we organized all the necessary items for a Denali expedition. The weather is beautiful in Talkeetna and we are excited for the climb ahead. 

RMI guides Jackson Breen, Matias Francis, JT Schmitt 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!

July 15, 2022

We had a long restful night of sleep at base camp and took our time in the morning as we eased into bacon and eggs while enjoying many cups of coffee and tea. In the afternoon we found a good crag near camp where we could work on more rope skills and set up rappel stations. The backdrop of the Ishinca valley and Tocllaraju made for a nice classroom setting. A quick but delicious dinner and early to bed for another alpine start as we put in our bids of Urus Este tomorrow morning.

RMI Guide Alan Davis and team

Monday, May 31, 2021 - 11:17 am PT

I’m writing this from the Swiss Alaska Inn in Talkeetna. We flew out from Kahiltna Basecamp yesterday evening, after breaking down our camp and breaking trail back to the airstrip. Now we’re eating pancakes and eggs in the big city, re-adjusting to indoors life. We’ve got a few things to do around town before we catch our afternoon shuttle to Anchorage. It was a great trip all around. Everyone is a little sunburned, but otherwise no worse for the wear. Thanks for following along, and thanks to all the climbers who made this trip a memorable one. 

RMI Guide JM Gorum