RMI Expeditions Blog

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Hello friends, family and avid fans of the RMI blog,

It's the Ruth Glacier Seminar and we've just landed in Alaska. After surviving the most dangerous part of the trip, the drive to Talkeetna, the team has gotten settled into town. The team bonding began immediately over a delicious meal at Denali Brewing Company. We finished up the evening with a lovely stroll to the river and early bedtime after a long travel day. 

Goodnight from the land of the midnight sun,

RMI Guides Jack Delaney, Mike Bennett and the team

The Five Day Climb April 28 - 2 May led by RMI Guides Andy Bond and Dustin Wittmier are descending from Camp Muir this morning.  The team made the most of their time on the mountain getting in a Climbing school to learn cramponing, rope travel and ice axe arrest techniques.  They then ascended to Camp Muir, 10,080', where they spent two nights and were able to do additional training.  Lightning near Camp Muir and high winds kept the team from making a summit attempt this morning.  We look forward to seeing them back at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.

From Dan May

At the beginning of April a crop of RMI guides including myself, Leif Bergstrom, Henry Coppolillo, Lacie Smith, Tatum Whatford, and George Hedreen, headed off to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to work on honing our alpine guide skills with the help of the AMGA. We split our time between Boulder and Estes Park, Colorado while completing the Alpine Guide Course. Often in these courses, you are amongst colleagues spread across other guiding companies, however in this instance, we had the opportunity to work and learn together. Being able to sharpen our guiding skills in alpine terrain amongst our peers that we work with in the North Cascades, Denali, and South America was a great opportunity.

These courses offer us the chance to add additional tools to our ever-growing toolkit as guides while being reviewed, critiqued, and taught by the AMGA instructors. While romping around the Flat Irons, Eldorado Canyon, and Tyndall Gorge of Rocky Mountain National Park, we took turns climbing rock, ice, snow, and mixed routes while guiding each other through the terrain. These chances and skills as a guide are invaluable. It is easy to convince your friends to go climbing with you, but to convince your friends to let you guide them through peculiar terrain to practice your techniques and skill sets is another story.

At the end of the nine days, all RMI guides successfully completed the course and had a great time doing so. Now we are all turning our sights to Ashford and Mt. Rainier in preparation for another great summer of climbing.

Hello trusty readers,

We woke today in Lukla and gathered for breakfast. It would be our last teahouse breakfast as a team. Today we were flying out of Lukla back to Kathmandu. Flight times are not strict or on time or a for sure thing. After plenty of coffee and patience, we made our way to the heli pad and waited for Dawa to tell us to head for the chopper. We needed two helicopters to get the eight of us out and by 12:30pm we were all safely in Kathmandu. It's feels good to be back and almost like a dream that only a few days ago we were above 17,000'. After showers and shuffling gear we met for one last team dinner to celebrate the three weeks together. It's been an amazing adventure with amazing people. Thank you team from Abby and myself for a great time and to share the mountains with us. We hope to see you again on another mountain with RMI Expeditions!

Thank you for following along,

RMI Guides Hannah, Abby, and Team

Hello readers,

We woke for our last trekking day. The trail and teahouses have gotten busier as the Everest climbing season is kicking off. While for many they are just starting their adventure, we are ending ours. By 8:30 am we were off headed down trail. We had a lot of stairs ahead of us but also lots of motivation to tackle all of them. As the morning turned into the afternoon it felt like we were going the wrong way on a one way. Hundreds of people were walking in along with train after train of mules. This must be what it feels like to be a salmon swimming up stream. We did what we could to weave through the crowds. Man do we feel lucky to have been trekking during the quiet time of the season. Eight hours later we took our last steps up the stairs leading into Lukla, the town we flew into and our starting point. We left here jetlegged, bright eyed, and clean. Now we look a little weathered and worn down, but our eyes have seen so much beauty and we have had experiences to last at least a few months before the itch to sign up for another adventure takes hold. Tonight is our last night in a teahouse. Tomorrow we fly back to Kathmandu and join the hustle and bustle of a major city. It's been over two weeks in this valley and an amazing time it's been. Now hopefully it's clear skies and smooth flying in the morning. 

Goodnight all,

RMI Guides Hannah, Abby, and Team

We woke in Pangboche to a crisp morning. The team strolled in one by one looking for some hot coffee to start their day. It's been a cold few days so the team is a bit sensitive to the cold. We sat for breakfast and waited for our food. Everyone ordered big knowing it would be a big day. Namche sits 1,600' below Pangboche but you wouldn't think that with all the feet we had to gain to descend into Namche. They pushed through all the ups and downs and weaved through the yak trains. A chest cold has seemed to plague half the team but even when feeling crummy they all persevered. There was a lot of incentive to push through the pain and discomfort: pizza, lattes, massages, shopping, wine... After indulging in all that Namche has to offer, we all have made it to our beds for a much deserved sleep. Tomorrow is our last trekking day into Lukla. The team is ready to fly back to Kathmandu where it all started. 

Almost done,

RMI Guide Hannah, Abby, and Team

Good evening all,

Today we made our attempt at the summit of Lobuche Peak. While we didn't stand on the summit we did get to 18,300'. The conditions were rather wintery with cold temps, lots of snow, and a bitter wind. The snow sure did make for pretty pictures but it also made for some tough climbing. We gave it all that we had but ultimately decided the conditions were not in our favor and it was best for us to turn around. It has been an amazing trip but the team is looking forward to warmth, hot showers, and lattes. We made good distance this afternoon getting all the way to Pangboche. Tomorrow we set our eyes on Namche where we can fill our bellies and find our souvenirs and gifts for loved ones. It's been a long day starting at 3 am so it's early to bed for us.

Good night all,

RMI Guides Hannah, Abby, and Team

Hello all,

We woke for our last morning at Everest Base Camp. Clouds obscured our views of the surrounding peaks as snow danced down. We ate our breakfast and said goodbye to two team members who aren't participating in the climb. Instead they took a helicopter back to Lukla. The six remaining team members rallied to Lobuche for lunch and then made their way up to high camp on Lobuche peak. The trail was snowy and snow began falling from the sky. It was a wintery ascent to camp with some slippery spots. If anyone did want to go down, it was much easier to continue up than to go down. But the team did great and handled the conditions well. We are now curled up in our sleeping bags waiting for dinner. The snow is still falling and the temps are not warm. We shall see what we get tonight for our summit bid. It's already been a great trip and a summit of Lobuche would be a cherry on top. 

Wish us warmth, strength, and good weather!

RMI Guides Hannah, Abby, and Team

Good evening readers,

Today we had a casual morning at Everest Base Camp, rolling into the dining tent for breakfast at 8:30am. After a deliciously filling breakfast, we grabbed some jackets and headed out onto the glacier. We moved our way down loose rock to the ice where it flattened out. We weaved around the ice and came upon some tracks in the snow. First thought was one of the puppers followed us up. But on closer examination they were cat tracks...snow leopard to be exact. What a sight the tracks of a snow leopard! Now if only we could see one. We found a nice ice wave to set up an obstacle course for the team to practice their climbing skills. They ascended one rope and then descended the other. These skills will be needed to climb Lobuche. The rest of the afternoon we repacked our duffles and relaxed for a big day tomorrow. The snow pitter pattered most of the afternoon, once again creating a fresh blanket of snow through camp. With water bottles filled with hot water to warm our sleeping bags we are ready for bed.

Have a good day all back home,

RMI Guides Hannah, Abby, and Team

Hello from Everest Basecamp! We have finally arrived! We woke to gorgeous weather and a psyched team. The trail to basecamp is rocky with little ups and downs from Gorak Shep. We are in the moraine of the glacier walking ice but it's just buried under the dirt. Many yak trains passing by brought us to the infamous rock that says Everest Base Camp. After many photos the team continued the trek into Basecamp. For us our camp happened to be on the far side. More walking but more to see with all the Everest Expeditions setting up for their teams arrivals come April. Our camp is cozy with a dining tent, bathroom tents and even a shower tent. The nights get cold so it's not too late of a night before we all crawl into our sleeping bags for warmth. Tomorrow we will 

explore the glacier and do a little training for the upcoming climb on Lobuche.

Goodnight all,

RMI Guides Hannah, Abby, and Team