RMI Expeditions Blog
May 11, 2023
Posted by: Mike Walter, Abby Westling, Emma Lyddan
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 348'
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - 6:33 AM PT
Yesterday was spent milling around the K2 Aviation hangar in our climbing duds, hoping for the word to load the planes. But the weather never cleared, which kept the planes grounded. The forecast keeps trending better, so we'll try again today.
May 11, 2023
Posted by: Jack Delaney, Mike Bennett
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Seminar
Elevation: 4,500'
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - 12:01 AM PT
Sorry for the delay of game blogoneers! Yesterday was so jammed packed and busy with doing nothing that I forgot to blog. We awoke at 6am with high hopes of starting our summit day but instead when we poked our heads outside it looked like we were inside of a marshmallow. The lighting was so flat that up was indistinguishable from down. Suffice it to say, those are not ideal conditions for going uphill and assessing unknown avalanche terrain from the bottom up. So we stayed put and waited, and waited, and waited… until around 1pm we got sunshine for a whole 20 minutes! Then back into the clouds.
The team had high spirits and we enjoyed our weather day as best we could with movies, podcasts, music and books. Today was a new day! The skies were clear and we had a long way to go ahead of us. We packed up camp and descended from 747 Pass in great time compared to what it took us to come up it. Clouds started to pour over from the next valley and soon we had an overcast sky above us. We made it back to our cache we had left behind two days prior and had a nice, leisurely lunch. Then we reshuffled all our gear to make use of the sleds again and started tromping up glacier. A vicious headwind and snow hampered our progress but only slightly as the team was strong and motived to make it back to the airstrip. After a grueling climb of the final glacial hill, we were back where we started. What seems like a life time was only a week ago. The team expertly and quickly assembled camp, downed a tasty meal of garlic siracha bacon Mac and cheese, and promptly fell asleep. A well deserved rest after a long and arduous day. Assuming the clouds clear by morning, we’ll be back in Talkeetna tomorrow!
Cheers,
RMI Guides Jack, Mike and the team
Our team is all packed and ready to go, optimistic that we'll have the opportunity to fly in to Kahiltna Basecamp today. After a full day of packing on Monday, we eagerly awaited a weather window for flying into the Alaska Range, but it never materialized. Instead, we enjoyed another evening in a real bed, with hot showers and flush toilets. This morning we'll be on standby to see if the weather is flyable. The weather trend is improving, so fingers crossed that our next communication will be from a glacier! We will keep you updated.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
May 9, 2023
Posted by: Jack Delaney, Mike Bennett
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Seminar
Elevation: 6,370'
The team started the day with a simple, quick breakfast before disassembling camp and loading packs for our climb. We stripped all excess gear and built a cache that was buried and marked. We departed the empty camp around 10am and began our slow march toward 747 Pass. The snowpack remained thick and made for a slow progression as Jack and Mike swapped leads breaking trail. We crested the ridge around 5 pm under partly cloudy skies accompanied by a strong breeze coming through the gap. Camp was rapidly assembled and the team took refuge in their tents, relaxing and waiting for better weather. Dinner was simple and quick and the team relaxed the rest of the evening, preparing for our morning summit push.
Wish us luck!
RMI Guides Mike, Jack and the team.
Stay safe summiting!
Susan
Posted by: Susan on 5/9/2023 at 9:43 pm
May 8, 2023
Posted by: Ben Ammon, Dominic Cifelli, Lauren Macklin, Daniel May, George Hedreen, Charlie Harrison
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Five Day Climb May 4 - 8, 2023 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier yesterday afternoon led by RMI Guides Ben Ammon and Dominic Cifelli. The team had a nice day with the clouds below until they reached about 13,500', then they were enveloped by a cloud cap but were able to push through to the summit. They did quick high fives, hugs and quickly started their descent. They returned to Camp Muir for a well deserved rest. The team began their descent from Camp Muir at 9am. We look forward to their return to BaseCamp this afternoon.
Congratutions to the team!
Yay, Darius! ❤️
Posted by: Jenn on 5/8/2023 at 10:27 pm
May 8, 2023
Posted by: Jack Delaney, Mike Bennett
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Seminar
Elevation: 4,500'
Sunday, May 7, 2023, 10:01 pm PT
Be very quiet…we’re hunting for crevasses!
Today we took our skills out into the wild, to test ourselves against the Ruth Glacier. No we didn’t walk around until someone fell in, we instead wandered through the maze of crevasses looking for the perfect one to safely lower someone into and haul them out of. The intricacies and difficulties of crevasse rescue don’t fully translate practicing on flat ground. Our biggest challenge was finding a crevasse that wasn’t drifted full of snow from the last storm and subsequent winds. After a lot of weaving and winding through the broken edge of the Ruth we finally found one that was a little more open than the rest. We sent RMI guide Mike Bennet in as our guinea pig to see if the snow floor could be collapsed and our crevasse deepened. Surprisingly the snow floor was deep and solid, so we made due with the 25 feet of snow wall we had available. The team performed admirably and even dialed in a second crevasse rescue system known as the “Drop C”. By midafternoon the sky was blue and the sun was hot and the team had completed training. We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging and organizing
for our move to high camp tomorrow!
Beunos noches,
RMI Guides Jack, Mike and the team
Hi all!
I’m trying again to post. Sunshine and crevasse rescue. What a day. Enjoy your trip!
Susan
Posted by: Susan on 5/8/2023 at 9:35 pm
May 7, 2023
Posted by: Jack Delaney, Mike Bennett
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Seminar
Elevation: 4,500'
Saturday, May 6, 2023 - 10:07 pm PT
The team awoke to find a cloud formation had snuck into the valley during the night, leaving wet, overcast, and flurry like conditions. We gathered for coffee and some morning pancakes, then retreated to our tents to read and watch movies for the afternoon while we waited out the weather. The sky slowly broke and the precip let up enough for the team to work some skills training into the afternoon. We knocked out a quick refresher on arrest techniques and then a comprehensive crevasse rescue. The team took to it quick, running some drills around camp and dialing in their systems. We wrapped up the day with a nice dinner and some relaxing talk. Morale remains high and the team is stoked for the upcoming days of the expedition!
All the best,
RMI Guides Mike, Jack and the team.
Hi team!
Crummy weather day. But, great for relaxing, reading, and working on skills. Hoping you have an exciting and adventurous day tomorrow. Party on!
Susan
Posted by: Susan on 5/7/2023 at 10:46 pm
It was a wee bit chilly overnight as the clear skies allowed all the heat to escape into outer space. So, we did what any responsible mountaineer would and we waited until the sun was directly upon us before leaving our tents. After a tasty breakfast of bagels, cream cheese, and salmon lox, we ourselves got locked and loaded, ready for glacier travel! After 6ish hours of a slightly less heinous trail breaking through deep snow we arrived at our new campsite.
Our camp is in the middle of two mountain saddles, perfectly situated to catch maximum early morning and late evening sunshine. The rest of the day was consumed by building camp and consuming burritos. We got to bed under overcast skies and were excited to see what tomorrow will bring!
Cheerio,
RMI Guides Jack, Mike and the Ruth Team
Looks to beautiful! Have fun and enjoy those burritos :)
Posted by: Erin on 5/6/2023 at 3:28 pm
May 6, 2023
Posted by: Eric Frank, Seth Burns
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 12,800'
The Five Day Climb led by RMI Guides Eric Frank and Seth Burns climbed the Ingraham Direct Route on Mt. Rainier and reached 12,800'. Firm route conditions kept the team from climbing higher.
The team is at Camp Muir where they are in and out of the clouds. They will spend some time re-fueling and organizing their gear before starting their descent.
Congratulations Team!
May 5, 2023
Posted by: Jack Delaney, Mike Bennett
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Seminar
Elevation: 4,500'
Hello all –
The team awoke to find improving weather and a newfound hopefulness to escape the ever-shrinking Talkeetna. After a walk to the local coffee shop the team began their standby at K2 Aviation where they waited for the green light for clear enough cloud cover to depart. At around 3pm, the signal was given and in a mad flurry the plane was loaded, and the expedition was a go! The team enjoyed a scenic flight into the freshly snow coated Alaska range with nearly clear and sunny skies. Once on the glacier, the team was quickly left alone to divide gear, load sleds, and embark down the valley. Deep snow made for slow travel as the team broke the trail through a few feet of fresh Alaskan powder. After a few hours, the team broke down for camp, probing a safe spot on the glacier and settling in. Tents were quickly pitched, and dinner was thrown together. The team enjoyed a clear and scenic backdrop before heading to bed.
All the best,
RMI Guides Mike Bennett, Jack Delaney and the Ruth crew!
I saw clear skies in w app. How exciting! Just look at that snow! Gorgeous view. Early to bed. Stay warm and safe y’all. Enjoy
Posted by: Susan on 5/5/2023 at 9:45 pm
Safe hiking! Hope the marshmallow is treating you well and the weather permits a successful climb. Enjoy the coffee and look forward to hearing any updates. Routing for you Aladdin
Posted by: Antonia on 5/11/2023 at 1:58 pm
Brett W, stay up right! Good luck!!
Posted by: Cutis Kerner on 5/10/2023 at 5:13 pm
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