Buenes noches from the Altzomoni Hut. The team is doing great. We had a wonderful acclimatization walk, a big meal and we're just turning in for bed before heading up to our high camp on Ixta tomorrow morning. The team is in wonderful spirits and everybody is doing quite well on our perch on the hill above Puebla in between Popo and Ixta. It's a beautiful night and the weather seems to be improving, which is great for us tomorrow to start our climb of Ixta. We'll check in tomorrow. Thank you for all the good wishes and we'll talk to you soon.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
RMI Guide Jake Beren checks in from Ixta's High Camp.
Great to follow you on this climb. Can’t wait to hear all the details when you return.
Stay Safe!
Posted by: Diana Boyce on 3/12/2015 at 11:12 am
Dom,
We hope you are safe and having a great climb to the summit!! Can’t wait to see pics and hear the stories ! We know you are taking it all in ! Enjoy the thrill!!
The Holland’s
Posted by: Ron , Peachy, IZ & RD on 3/11/2015 at 2:55 pm
Today we are headed out from our post in Malintzi and moving on towards Ixta. Luckily we will get a chance to do some sight seeing on route. Traveling to another country is about so much more than just trying to stand on top of a mountain. It is often the spaces in between the summits that you remember years after the summits fade. Here's to the waterfalls and markets, the small town zocalos (town squares) and random Christmas tree farms in the foothills on the way to the climbs. And we hope everyone back home is enjoying the in-between time too.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
A great evening of meeting the team included the necessary briefing, but more importantly a solid dinner. The next morning we loaded up our equipment from the hotel and started our drive into the mountains.
Our first stop is the Mexican Olympian trainatorium,La Malintzi. Our team of wanna be altitude aficionados showed great promise on our first foray. Everyone shook off some jet lag and travel weariness and performed admirably. We made our way through giant ponderosa pine forests, eventually leaving the trees behind and gaining the ridge ofLa Malinche, an extinct volcano and our first chance to work up high. The collective wrist-mounted technology consensus put our team at 13,800 feet above the sea. Not a bad first day. With a start like this I'd say we've got a great shot at some good times in the mountains. Stay tuned as we push on through this adventure!
RMI Guide Jake Beren
A big thanks to everyone back home! All your wishes for good climbing weather were answered! We woke up at midnight after a deafening storm of rain and hail to perfectly clear skies and calm winds.
The ascent took us just over eight hours and we spent over 45 minutes on the summit enjoying some of the warmest, calmest, conditions I've experienced at 18,600'! After taking photos and celebrating, we descended in just over three hours. We are all now safely back in town enjoying showers, cervesas, and awaiting a delicious dinner at the Reyes Compound.
Tonight we are looking forward to a well deserved rest and then heading home tomorrow!
Thanks for following along,
RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall
Summit!
Solveig called from the top of El Pico de Orizaba. It was just after 9:00 am Mexico time. The weather was nice with calm winds.
They were going to head back down to Piedra Grande Hut and will check after their descent.
RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall
Good Evening!
We are all doing great here at the Piedra Grande Hut at the base of El Pico de Orizaba. After a bumpy and dusty 4x4 drive, we arrived today around 3:30. Up next was setting up tents and getting our gear together so we could all settle in and enjoy a delicious pasta and garlic bread dinner before tucking in for the night.
It's cold here at 14,000', and everyone is settled in for the night. We had beautiful weather on our climb of Ixta and also on our rest day, but here at camp we are in the clouds and we've been receiving mixed precipitation types of rain, snow, graupel, and hail. Cross your fingers this system moves out and allows us a shot at the summit!
RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall and the Team
We wouldn’t recommend trying to reach the hut by car. The road is very rough, and especially in wet conditions, can be extremely muddy. Clearance is an issue on the road, so a 4x4 vehicle would be a necessity.
Posted by: RMI Team on 11/3/2016 at 12:08 pm
Hi,
I was wondering if it is possible to make it up to the Piedra Grande hut by car. I have been on plenty of 4x4 roads in a car and am a pretty experienced 4x4 driver, so just being a 4x4 road doesn’t tell me too much. Just curious if a car is even possible, doesn’t matter how well I know how to drive if the car cant clear certain sections. Your advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks
After yesterday's hard work and success, today was spent as a well-deserved rest day for the team in Puebla! We kicked things off with a full night of sleep and a casual start, and folks were free to spend the day exploring what the town has to offer. It was a very relaxing day for everyone, and a few members of the team even went for massages!
We gathered in the evening for a nice dinner at el Mural de los Poblanos, a short walk from the hotel. There we shared photos and reminisced about the days adventures and the climb. Spirits are high, and tomorrow we leave the city for Orizaba.
RMI Guide Chase Nelson
We wanted to let you know that our team reached the summit of Ixtaccihuatl today! Six of our climbers reached the summit. We had good weather today, although it was a little windy up high.
We have arrived in Puebla and it's been a long day. We are looking forward to a good night's sleep and a day of rest and exploration of this great town.
RMI Guides Solveig Waterfall & Chase Nelson
After waking up to a nice breakfast of huevos Mexicanos at the Altzomoni Hut, we loaded up our packs and departed for our Ixta high camp! We hiked under mostly cloudy skies and chilly weather but were greeted by some sun breaks in the afternoon. Great views all day of Ixta's actively erupting neighbor Popo, as well as the cities surrounding the mountain. We made it to the Refugio with plenty of time for some last minute prep and an early evening. The team is looking good and acclimatized for a summit bid tomorrow, it should be an exciting day!
RMI Guide Chase Nelson
Good evening everyone!
We are all nestled in here at the Altzomoni Hut, which is subsequently nestled between the summits of Popo and Ixta, just above the Paso de Cortez.
We started off the day with a buffet breakfast at the Mission Tlaxaca, the last in-town meal before the climb. After meeting our local guide Cato and going for an acclimatization hike up the first few hundred feet of the route to high camp, we returned to the hut for rewarding hot drinks and a chips and salsa fiesta!
The rest of the evening has been spent organizing gear, practicing with our crampons, harnesses, and learning to set up expedition tents. We are all excited to get up to camp tomorrow and get our eyes on the upper mountain!
Thanks for following along and we'll check in tomorrow night!
RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall and the Team
Great to follow you on this climb. Can’t wait to hear all the details when you return.
Stay Safe!
Posted by: Diana Boyce on 3/12/2015 at 11:12 am
Dom,
We hope you are safe and having a great climb to the summit!! Can’t wait to see pics and hear the stories ! We know you are taking it all in ! Enjoy the thrill!!
The Holland’s
Posted by: Ron , Peachy, IZ & RD on 3/11/2015 at 2:55 pm
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