Entries By alan davis
The
2019 Denali climbing season is getting under way. Our team met this morning for breakfast at the historic Talkeetna Roadhouse for heaping servings of eggs and sourdough hotcakes. After breakfast we strolled down to the Susitna River where chunks of recently broken up ice flowed out from the direction of the Alaska Range. On a clear day we would be able to see Denali from here, but our view was obscured by clouds.
Next up was a trip the National Park Service office for a pre-trip orientation. We went over specifics of the route as well as safety issues and environmental stewardship responsibilities we climbers have in keeping the mountain clean.
The rest of the day was the meat and potatoes, where we headed to the
K2 Aviation hangar to sort our gear and food to be prepared to fly into the range, hopefully tomorrow.
We'll keep you posted with our status...
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
Congratulations to the team who was the highest people in North America today, assuming no one is climbing Denali or Logan. We had a restless night of sleep listening to the winds howling but by the time we awoke at 11:30pm they were just gusting. The team did a great job taking care of themselves and climbing well.
One of our favorite parts of this trip has been the people in this group. The other night at dinner we came up with trail names for everyone. Breezy is an up for anything Appalachian Trail through hiker. Flama Blanc is a high energy positive Greek restaurant owner. Payday is a world traveler and mountaineer who makes everyone feel comfortable. Lorenzo is the backbone of our team, supporting us with snacks and good advice. Posh is a calculated climber who can take on whatever he wants. Major Tom is a photographer who captures the beauty in the land and smiles on our faces. St. Ronaldo is a fun loving athlete who makes a ten-hour day look easy. Data is a brilliant and curious life long learner who always has a great story to share. Endurance is the calm and confident leader who everyone wants to follow for his perfect form. Baklava is a smart trail chatter who is great for trail distractions. Then the guides: Muel has the strength of a lion and the courage of a bear, Doc is a determined and amazing leader, and lastly me named Jefe, who has the pleasure of traveling and climbing with this great team!
Thank you all.
-Jefe
On The Map
After a full day of rest in the historic and colorful city of Puebla the team is ready to attempt to reach the
highest point in Mexico! We left Puebla this morning for Tlachichuca and Señor Reyes' climbing hostel and former soap factory. Here we ate a hardy lunch and admired the climbing history that has passed through on the way to Orizaba before loading up in a 4×4 truck to making our way to our camp for the night at 14,000 feet. Its sunny up here with gusty winds and clouds below to the East. Now we are getting ready for some sleep before waking up to climb through the night.
RMI Guide Grayson Swingle
On The Map
After a good night of sleep, lots of coffee, and a two hour breakfast the team explored the city of Puebla today. We love this city for its charm, beautiful churches, and friendly people. The hotel we stay in has a huge rooftop terrace that gives us a view of
La Malinche to the North, our last climb to the west and our next goal to the east. Yesterday, as we descended Ixta, our group was tired, wind blasted, and hungry so talk of another mountain was not appealing. But, today is a different story, our team is well fed and rested and happy to embark on the next climb. Here are just a few quotes from the group today: "I've traveled to over 50 countries, and Puebla is blowing my mind!" And, "I'm in a great mood!" Yep, we are lucky to have these folks to climb with.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
The team is in fine form today as we loaded our heavy packs onto our strong backs and hit the steep trail up from La Joya to
Campo Alto Ixta. We all moved under the hot Mexico sun as a tight unit of perfectly timed rest steps. A small dog, we later named Ixta, decided that our group is great company and came with us all the way to 15,500 feet. Now we have our tents up and are treating ourselves to an hour of rest before firing up the stoves and making a hot dinner. We'll be turning in early because we'll be back up in the middle night for a climb to the top!
RMI Guide Christina Dale
On The Map
This morning we left La Malinche for the Altzomoni Hut at 13,000 feet on
Ixta. The team was able to stock up on water and last minute snacks in the town of Amecameca before we begin our two-day attempt on Ixta. We've got all of our equipment sorted for our move up to our high camp at 15,000 feet tomorrow.
RMI Guide Grayson Swingle
On The Map
Today the team left the lively Zona Rosa district of Mexico City bright and early to make our way to the mountains. A beautiful drive through the Mexican countryside took us up through a cloud layer that blanketed the City to sunny skies above.
Once we arrived at our home for the night,
La Malinche, the team began our first big step towards getting our bodies acclimated for the peaks to come by hiking up to 13,700 feet. Here, we got our first views of the surrounding volcanoes including our next objectives
Ixta and Orizaba.
Tonight we will enjoy a much deserved authentic Mexican dinner, sleep at 10,000 feet and try to catch a glimpse of the Lunar Eclipse.
RMI Guide Grayson Swingle
The team all met yesterday in Mexico City where we took walks during the day and were impressed with the city. We met for a fun dinner with lots of tacos and laughs. We all are looking forward to traveling around
Mexico, climbing the high mountains, and tasting the best smoked chipotle sauces.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
July 19, 2018
Posted by: Alan Davis, Alex Halliday, Andy Bond, Dave Hahn, Gloria Roe, Grayson Swingle, Hannah Smith, Jenny Konway, JT Schmitt, Mike King, Nick Scott
Categories: Guide News Guide Grant
At the end of this past April, eleven RMI guides came together in Washington to take the AMGA Alpine Skills Course, a prerequisite for the Alpine Guide Course, and a great continuing education opportunity for all of us to remain at the forefront of current guiding techniques. After a winter of far-flung adventures, Dave Hahn, Andy Bond, Mike King, Jenny Konway, Grayson Swingle, Hannah Smith, Gloria Roe, Nick Scott, JT Schmitt, Alan Davis, and myself converged on Ashford. These courses are an important chance for us to refresh our skillset and learn some new tricks from our peers and the instructors from the AMGA.
Over the course of 5 days at Paradise in Mt. Rainier National Park, and on Mt. Erie, outside Anacortes, WA, we reviewed snow anchor construction and multi-pitch techniques for snowy environments, belaying and lowering techniques, short roping and short pitching, and anchor station management. Success in our guiding often lies in not only being able to utilize a number of techniques to manage risk, but in being able to maintain efficiency and timeliness at the same time. As we worked through different transitions, techniques, and scenarios with our peers, we all walked away with a few new tools in our bag and I'm convinced will be better guides for it.
This was a fantastic event for the eleven of us, and many thanks go out to RMI and the AMGA for putting it on. Congrats to Dave Hahn, Andy Bond, Mike King, Jenny Konway, Grayson Swingle, Hannah Smith, Gloria Roe, Nick Scott, JT Schmitt, and Alan Davis for completing the course!
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Alex Halliday
Saturday, July 14, 2018 - 4:10 PM PT
Hello world!
We're back in Huaraz! The team is all safe and sound in the friendly, and bustling, city of Huaraz after a wonderful four days in the Llanganuco Valley. We saw amazing nights skies; we endured unusual Cordillera Blanca weather, and we summited an amazing mountain in
Pisco Oeste, at 18,871'.
The stars aligned for us during our last climbing objective here in Peru. For a while, it seemed that the weather wouldn't cooperate and would prohibit us from climbing to the highest summit of our trip. But with a bit of improvisation, and a little extra hard work by the team, we achieved our goal, climbed in good style, and snuck in
Pisco's summit in the only 12-hour window of good weather the mountains would muster over the past four days. We're counting our lucky stars back here in the city, and we're prepping for our last celebratory dinner to share stories, lessons, and reflect on the past two weeks we've spent together in one of the most beautiful mountain ranges on Earth. Tonight is our team's last night to experience some of Peru's finest cuisine as the recovery stage of our climbing begins. Chances are some folks will indulge in the local favorite, Cuy, a.k.a. Guinea Pig. Don't worry, we won't send pictures. Meanwhile, enjoy some photos of our most recent climb! We're back to sea-level tomorrow as our team begins the long journey home. One more final post tomorrow, before you all see your loved ones once again!
Until then, hasta luego!
RMI Guides Robby Young, Alan Davis, William, and Peru Team "Pisco"
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Go get’em Kelby!
Posted by: Mike Potter on 5/13/2019 at 9:28 am
Wishing the first team of the season an awesome weather and an unforgettable experience! I’ll follow your footprints in a few weeks!!!
Posted by: Anna on 5/11/2019 at 10:10 am
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