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The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Henry Coppolillo and Jess Wedel made a push toward the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning, the group reached 13,200 feet before Mother Nature made her presence known.

As the team ascended through the early morning hours, increasing winds and steady snowfall began to challenge their progress. With safety as the top priority, the guides made the decision to turn the team around just below the summit.  

Now back at Camp Muir, where light snow continues to fall, the team is regrouping and preparing for their descent to Paradise.

Wednesday, June 4, 2025 - 10:14 pm PT

When we think of Sisyphus, we think of a man cursed to repeat the same arduous task each day with no end in sight. Each day he must think this is it - he has rolled this massive boulder to the top of the mountain, and surely his quest must be complete, right? Yet he awakes each day to the boulder back at the foot of the mountain, only to start again. How tragic! How crushing!

Or is it? In his essay, “The Myth of Sisyphus”, Albert Camus posits that perhaps Sisyphus is not doomed to a life of despair, but is actually a deeply satisfied individual. (Mind you, I have never read this essay and have only a surface-level knowledge of French existential literature let alone Greek mythology, so take this with a Denali sized grain of salt). But consider: this man wakes up each day with a clear task. It’s tough work rolling that boulder but he has some sweet views along the way. Every day he completes his task and must feel satisfied with a day of hard work. He goes to sleep feeling accomplished each night. How many of us can say that we have a clear task each day with no other distractions, a sense of satisfaction at the end of the day, and the delicious feeling of going to bed bone-tired which always produces the best sleep?

Our team made it back to Kahiltna Base Camp today, the last leg of an epic three week expedition. We now wait for skies to clear enough for a flight back to Talkeetna. Although the mountain’s infamous weather system ultimately prevented our team from making a summit bid, we are deeply satisfied with the gifts that The Great One has provided us. We were awed by the austere beauty of the Kahiltna and and vastness of the surrounding peaks and ridges. We were pushed to our limits and learned to dig deeper than ever before; whether it be cramponing on blue ice, being blown around on Windy Corner, struggling with all things altitude, or keeping our extremities warm in -40F windchill. We - a group of strangers prior to May 13 - became not only friends but teammates, encouraging each other in our hardest times, cheering each others’ successes, and cracking the most ridiculous and obscene jokes all day and late into the night.

Climbing Denali/Mt. McKinley has been physically and mentally the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Yet each night I went to sleep in the tent feeling a deep sense of gratitude and accomplishment.

Thank you to our incredible guides (Seth, Jackson, and Ray) for showing us the way, and more - from whipping up breakfast and dinner each day, to performing minor foot surgery, to digging Sisyphusian amounts of snow on the daily, to dealing with all of our client shenanigans. You each have unique gifts that helped me get farther than I thought possible.

Thank you to the rest of the team - the  Dont-nalis :) Shannon, David, Ethan, Will, Juan, and of course my other half Jason. I am deeply grateful to have met and befriended each of you. I look forward to our paths crossing again on this great expedition of life.

Love,

RMI Climber Grace

The Four Day Climbs led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Lael Butler reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning! The teams were on the summit around 7:45 am and enjoying the beautiful weather. We look forward to seeing them back in Ashford later this afternoon.

Congratulations climbers!

The first Easton Glacier expedition of the 2025 season, led by RMI Guide Sam Marjerison, reached the summit of Mt. Baker yesterday evening. After leaving the summit and spending the night back at high camp, the team will head down the mountain this morning to celebrate their success with friends, family, and a nice warm meal.

Way to go team!

Tuesday, July 1, 2025 - 2:53 am PT

We are back on flat ground.  After descending 10,000 feet in just over 19 hours, with 2 hours of “sleep” in the middle, we arrived at basecamp at 8:30 am, and our hearts leapt to see the red K2 planes bank sharply left and land at the lower landing field about 9 am. Seemingly landing on the lower landing area never occurs this late on the season (it’s good to know Dom is wrong sometimes, and that damned 20” of snow brought us some good luck).

As we descended through the snow and the rain, I thought how little we knew about what we were undertaking, as we begun our journey just 20 days ago.  Did we understand the physical challenge, the might of this great mountain, the real beauty of the Alaska range and the wild vistas and beauty we were about to experience, the hardships, the dangers, the nerve tingling emotion and anxiety of traversing the West Buttress?   Did we know our true physical and mental strength, whilst knowing how effectively useless and powerless we were on this extreme place?  Did we know that none of what we achieved could have been achieved without our three amazing guides - Dominic, Ben and Mike?  They are the true heroes of this journey. 

They have received passing words of praise from my team mates in the recent blogs. However, no words can describe their role, their effort, their workload, their expertise.  

If we carried 70 lbs in our backpacks, they carried over 100. If we pulled 50 lbs in our sleds, they pulled 100.  When we bolted to our tents after caching gear at a higher altitude, they went immediately and prep’d dinner and hot water. They prep’d, served, clean up after every breakfast and dinner. Bagels and bacon, bagels and smoked salmon, burritos, quesadillas, cheesecake, tortellini and chicken (and Aardvark!), ramen, and never to forget Mac’n’cheese with bacon bits - I never knew how many dishes could have bacon bits- OR CINNAMON!!

They dealt with faulty gear, our mental and physical challenges - “Ben, I have a blister” which would be followed with Ben applying a gel pack to my pinky toe.  “Mike what layers should we wear on this next leg?”  They were positive and honest at all times, cheerleaders and coaches, story tellers, fun facters, and quiz masters.  Without them the last three weeks could not have happened.  I think it is fair to give special mention to Dominic. He gets to make the big calls, to say when to move, when to stay, and finally when not to proceed on safety grounds.  I have met and observed many leaders, -the good, the bad, and the ugly -, in my career. I can say without hesitation that Dominic’s leadership skills rank with the best I have seen.  

We are honored and fortunate to have spent the past 3 weeks with Dominic, Ben and Mike.  They make dreams come true. 

RMI Climber Myles O'Neill

RMI Guides Tatum Whatford and Felipe Guarderas led their Five Day Climb teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.  The guides reported an amazing day with light winds and clear skies.  The route is busy with climbers so the teams reached the crater rim and have started their descent to Camp Muir. Once back at camp the climbers will enjoy a relaxing afternoon on the mountain and celebrate their accomplishment.  The team will spend tonight at 10,080' and continue the remaining 4.5 miles/4,500' down to Paradise tomorrow.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

The Four Day Climb June 12 - 15 led by RMI Guides Henry Coppolillo and Jackson Breen, reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning around 6:20 am.  Henry reported a beautiful and slightly busy day on the mountain.  The skies were clear and winds low.  The teams enjoyed some time in the summit crater before starting their descent from the crater rim.  Once back at Camp Muir, they repacked and descended the remaining 4,500'.  This afternoon they will complete their adventure with a small ceremony.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

Yesterday the Four Day Climb teams June 22 - 25 led by RMI Guides Brent Okita and George Hedreen  enjoyed a breezy and cool snowfield, good snacks and good company. Today they made an alpine start from Camp Muir and reached the summit of Mt. Rainier just before 7 am.  Breezy and cold temps made for a short stop in the crater and they began their descent from the crater rim around 7:30 am.  Once back at Camp Muir, the teams will repack and take a short rest before continuing the final 4,500' down to Paradise.

Congratulations to today's climbers.

PC: Tom Skoog

The Four Day Climb led by Jack Delaney and Jackson Breen reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning under spectacular conditions. With clear skies above a thick marine layer and light winds of 10–15 mph, the team stood atop the 14,410’ peak, greeted by breathtaking views.

Congratulations to today’s team for a safe and successful ascent!

The Four Day Climb June 19 0 22 led by RMI Guides Joe Hoch & Joe Crawford climbed strong to the top of Disappointment Cleaver, but above there zero visibility, strong winds and very cold temperatures turned us around. The team is now back at Camp Muir and will continue the descent to Paradise later this morning.

RMI Guide Joe Hoch