Entries By chase nelson
August 8, 2016
Posted by: Zeb Blais, Chase Nelson
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Peru Seminar
Elevation: 14,600'
Today was the most fun I've ever had acclimatizing. The team was feeling good and moving well as we made our way up to the crystal clear waters of
Laguna Churup.
The lake sits at 14,600' and is a perfect day hike to get some altitude in before we move to our base camp in the Ishinca Valley. When we arrived we couldn't resist the glacial-fed emerald pool. Within a few minutes most of the team was fully submerged and paddling as hard as they could to get back on shore. The water temperature was... Refreshing.
Pictured here from left to right are Chase, John, Sarah and Steve.
This inspired group of adventurers is back in Huaraz, packed up and ready to head into base camp tomorrow. Can't wait to get climbing!
Until then,
RMI Guide Zeb Blais and team
The
Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide
Peter Whittaker reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Peter reported light winds and clear skies. The team began their descent shortly after 7:00 a.m. PDT. We look forward to greeting the team in Ashford later this afternoon.
Congratulations climbers!
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides
Seth Waterfall and
Katrina Bloemsma was unable to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Due to overnight rain the team was unable to leave Camp Muir for their summit attempt. The weather improved enough this morning for the team to climb up to Ingraham Flats at 11,200' to climb a bit and experience the upper slopes of Mt. Rainier. The team left Camp Muir at 10:45 a.m. to make their descent back to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them in Ashford early this afternoon.
The
Five Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide
Sid Pattison reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Sid reported cold, clear and breezy skies on the summit. The team began their descent at 7:30 a.m. We look forward to seeing them in Ashford later this afternoon.
Congratulations climbers!
The
Alaska Mountaineering Seminar - Alpine led by
RMI Guides Elias de Andres Martos and Chase Nelson were able to fly off the Pika Glacier yesterday evening during a break in the weather. Despite the weather, the team had several great days of climbing including successful climbs of Lost Marsupial and the Middle Troll.
Congratulations climbers!
June 11, 2016 - 10:29 am PT
WOW!!! What a day we had yesterday. Indescribable fun and challenge on "The Middle Troll", the main of the rock spires towering above the
Pika. The weather held, just as it did for "The Throne" two days prior, we were able to sneak a super classic climb in.Splitter crack climbing 1200 feet straight above camp, while wearing only a base layer and seeing the ski-equipped planes land on the glacier beneath us, are only some of the surreal experiences the team had. Everyone faced an individual technical crux at some point on the route (the Middle Troll's South Face), but everyone was up for the task and the reward of the most radical view from the summit was attained.
Today we're waking up, yet again, to another snow storm that is presumably going to limit our activity. We'll make the most of it. Hoping to fly out tomorrow as scheduled, our next post will be greeting you all from Talkeetna.
RMI Guide ElÃas de Andres Martos and team.
June 10, 2016 - 12:12 am PT
And back to the tents... Rain kept us at camp today, with the exception of a few hours in the afternoon. We spent that time learning and reviewing more rope skills, and talking about staying motivated for a climb tomorrow. Our hopes are on the South face of the Middle Troll, the main formation that reigns over the
Pika glacier.
Stay tuned.
RMI Guide ElÃas de Andres Martos and team
June 9, 2016 - 1:28 am PT
And... we climbed the "Lost Marsupial", on The Throne. Stellar route, stellar scenery and stellar crowd. It is hard to describe what it is to be atop one of these formations, surrounded by the longest glaciers in North America, the tallest peaks in the
Alaska Range, and the best views in the world. Nobody around for miles, and a sense of insignificance directly proportional to the size of our accomplishment. Our two rope teams climbed and descended synchronized, like a well oiled machine, and pitch after pitch, rock, ropes, snow and gear were one with our climbers. Magic enough? More tomorrow.
RMI Guide ElÃas de Andres Martos and team
June 8, 2016 - 12:12 am PDT
And...The sun shined upon us! What a day we had. Full session on the Munchkin Formation practicing
alpine climbing transitions, lasted from morning to evening. Another gourmet dinner brought us to bed time with the sun still on the horizon. We're ready to tackle our first objective here in Little Swiss. Tune in tomorrow to see how it went.
RMI Guide
ElÃas deAndres Martos and Team.
June 7, 2016 - 12:10 am PT
Yep, patience is an inherent component of alpine climbing. Patience for weather, patience for conditions. Little could we do today with about 1 foot of snow in the last 24 hours. We spent the morning digging camp out, and then made the most of the afternoon with a thorough session of rope skills at camp. A break in the weather motivated a tour of the Pika later, which for about 1 1/2 hours, kept us around its eastern perimeter, below the formations of "The Trolls", which we aspire to climb soon. A hearty dinner of pasta and steak (that's how we roll on the
Alpine Seminar) brought us back to warmth, while the laughter was a constant because of the funny music played out of
Chase's phone (Will promises to do the Michael Jackson's moves of Thriller after our first summit).
Expectant to see what the weather will bring us tomorrow,
RMI Guide ElÃas de Andres Martos and team
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What a beautiful color the water is! Nothing better than taking a cold plunge to get more oxygen. Sending blessings to all as you get started on this adventure. Looking forward to the updates as this story is created.
Posted by: Debbie Z. on 8/9/2016 at 7:18 am
Well done all! Looks like great conditions. Enjoy the cold water and the big adventure.
Posted by: Dan Foster on 8/9/2016 at 4:11 am
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