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The Five Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Sid Pattison reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Sid reported cold, clear and breezy skies on the summit. The team began their descent at 7:30 a.m. We look forward to seeing them in Ashford later this afternoon. Congratulations climbers!

Hello from base camp! It's Team Aconcagua reporting for blogging! Last night the winds were howling here at base. We woke up and the winds were still gusting and we had several snow squalls blowing through camp. It was a fairly easy decision for the team. We decided not to do our carry to camp one at 16200 feet. Sure, you betcha, the team could have grit their teeth and made it to camp one. However, we are not in a hurry. We were planning on a second rest day at base camp anyways. Instead of sitting around though, we donned light packs and did an acclimatization hike to just above 15000 feet. The entire team is doing great! And despite the adversity we are all in good spirits. It's now noon so Christina and I are cooking up some fresh veggies to go into our Plaza Argentina Potato Surprise. Thanks for checking in with us and keep you fingers crossed for nicer weather. We are hoping to carry food and gear to camp one tomorrow and then return for a last night in base camp. Go Packers!!! RMI Guides JJ Justman and Christina Von Mertens

The Five Day Summit Climb August 30 - 3 September led by RMI Guide Jenny Konway decided to turn around today at 12,900' due to high winds and cloud cap forming over the summit. The teams returned to Camp Muir just before 8 AM. They will rest and repack and then descend to Paradise this afternoon.

The Four Day Summit Climb teams are standing in the summit crater of Mt. Rainier as of 7AM PT this morning. RMI Guides Robby Young and Hannah Smith led their teams to Camp Muir yesterday and awoke them around midnight to start their summit climb. Robby reported a light breeze and a very nice day above the top of Disappointment Cleaver where they were happy to find clear air. After enjoying some time on top, the teams will return to Camp Muir and continue down to Paradise. This afternoon they will enjoy some beverages and a celebration to end their Four Day Summit Climb program. Congratulations to today's climbers!

Yesterday the team started the day with a leisurely breakfast at La Casa Sol followed by a trip to the Otavalo Market to do a little shopping. The market was full of color and everyone was able to find a few souvenirs to bring home. In the afternoon it was time to head to the climber’s hut on Cayambe. The heavy rains down low brought a significant amount of snow to the mountain. So, again we had to rent 4x4 trucks and see how high they could take us. Our packs were loaded heavy, and we were ready for a long hike. One by one our trucks pushed snow out of our path. Thanks to our adventurous drivers, this left is with only abut 20 minutes of hiking to get to the hut. A lot further than most of us thought! By mid-afternoon we were settled into the hut. We spent the rest of our evening relaxing and going over more knots. We had our first restless night’s sleep as we are all getting used to life above 15,000’. This morning we were treated to an excellent breakfast prepared by our Cayambe Hut staff before starting our training day. In all the times I have visited this hut, I have never seen so much snow! With crampons on we headed out to the toe of the glacier to refresh our mountaineering skills. The new snow made for great glacier travel and setting anchors. Everyone did a great job! We are back at the hut now listening to the thunder, lightning, and light rain. It is an 11pm wake up call for us. The summit awaits! Wish us luck! RMI Guide Adam Knoff & Team

Everyone and everything made it through. Through Amsterdam, through immigration, through customs, through the baggage carousels. We've got a climbing team ready to begin the Kilimanjaro odyssey. These folks all know one another... a good number are related... and absolutely everybody was ready to sleep at midnight when dinner broke up. Long flights and lots of movies, miles and time zones between Taos, New Mexico, USA and Usa River, Tanzania. We'll dive into the details of getting set to climb -tomorrow. Best, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

The Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir May 21 - 26, 2017 led by RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Steve Gately have spent the week training at Camp Muir. Today they made an alpine start for their summit attempt. The team reached the summit around 8 am and was able to enjoy the views. Dave Hahn reported a light cloud cap on the summit and otherwise good conditions. The team will return to Camp Muir today for their final night on the mountain. They will complete their program tomorrow and wrap up with a celebration at Rainier BaseCamp. Congratulations to today's team!

Sometimes you get thrown a total curveball, which was the case with our Mt. Elbrus expedition today. Apparently there has been a stomach bug simmering in the group, and it reached its boiling point last night. With most of the team suffering and feeling less than 100%, it was an easy decision to stay put and rest and recover today. That ended up lining up well with the forecast, as the next couple of days look better than today or tonight. So with that positive note, we'll get a good night's sleep so that we wake up ready to get back to work. Best, RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, JM Gorum, and team

On The Map

The Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise led by RMI Guide Mike Haugen reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Mike said that it is a "BEAUTIFUL day" on the summit of Mt. Rainier. Mike also reported that 100% of the team reached the summit. The team began their descent before 8:00 a.m. PDT. We are excited to see them in Ashford this afternoon and hear stories of their adventure! Congratulations climbers!!

The Mt. Rainier Summit Climb team, led by Kel Rossiter, reached the summit at 6:00 a.m. The team was above the clouds, with the cloud deck hovering around 11,000ft. After spending an hour on top, they began their descent. Congratulations to today's climbers!