Entries By jt schmitt
August 9, 2018
Posted by: Robby Young, JT Schmitt
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Summit Climb teams, led by
RMI Guides Robby Young and JT Schmitt, reached the top of
Mt. Rainier and are on their descent. As the teams began their ascent from Camp Muir, there was warm weather for climbing but as they neared the summit the temperatures became cooler with 30 mph winds on the summit.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb Teams!
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
June 25, 2018
Posted by: Mike King, JT Schmitt, Ben Ammon
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 348'
Monday June 25, 2018 - 2:11 PM PT
We woke at midnight for a 1:35 AM start down from 11K camp. What originally looked like a cloudy day in whiteout navigation mode turned into a beautiful clear morning with alpine glow on Mt Foraker’s Sultanna Ridge. We took some breaks, dug up a cache, and finally walked up ‘heart break hill’ to finish the self propelled portion of our expedition. We waited for 3 hours plus for the weather to clear between the Alaska Range and Talkeetna. Finally, K2 Aviation swooped in with the stunning Turbo Otter ski planes to whisk us back to a rainy Talkeetna. Food, beverages, showers, and sleep are in order... for some of us, in that exact order. Thanks for following along and what a great team to climb
Denali with!
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
June 25, 2018
Posted by: Mike King, JT Schmitt, Ben Ammon
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 11,000'
Monday, June 25, 2018 - 12:14 AM PT
This is Mike, checking in from 11,000' Camp as the team continues their descent to the airstrip. We woke at
17,000' Camp this morning after a long summit day. The team packed up and headed down the West Buttress with spectacular views of the Alaska Range. Once on the fixed lines we baking in the mid day sun and were looking forward to getting our cache sorted and headed to 11,000 Camp for some dinner and rest. We got water and high fives from the other RMI Teams and turned in for some rest, not sleep. We'll plan on hitting the road at 2 am in hopes of getting an early flight to Talkeetna. The weather isn't promising so an extra night or 2 at the airstrip might be in our future.
RMI Guide Mike King
June 23, 2018
Posted by: Mike King, Ben Ammon, JT Schmitt
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 20,310'
RMI Guide Mike King and his team reached the summit of Denali, 20,310' today around 6:35 PM PT. Their June 4th Expedition met in Anchorage and has spent the last several weeks, acclimatizing, climbing and waiting out the weather. Their patience and perseverance paid off today.
Congratulations to the team!
On The Map
June 22, 2018
Posted by: Mike King, JT Schmitt, Ben Ammon
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 17,200'
Friday, June 22, 2018 - 7:45 pm PT
It's been a Tale of Two Camps, either the Camp all sits together or they rally up the same piece of terrain at the same time. We were second on the fixed lines and after an initial moment of flailing we got to 16,200' for a break. The remainder of the day had us climbing the
West Buttress into 17 camp with amazing views of the Peters Glacier and North Summit of Denali. Light wind made some of the exposed ridge sections feel more exposed. Today was a good lesson in keeping toes and fingers warm because we didn't set any records for the 14-17 leg. Everyone is nestled in their tents drying out boots and gloves. Dinner, hydration, sleep and hopefully we'll be heading for the summit on Saturday.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
June 22, 2018
Posted by: Mike King, JT Schmitt, Ben Ammon
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 14,000'
Thursday, June 21, 2018 - 10:04 PM PT
Yup, just another weather day here at
14,000' Camp on Denali. Snow and calm air the entire day. Breakfast was ate, coffee drank and cards played throughout the day in the Posh. We were hopeful this low pressure system was breaking up tomorrow. Instead it looks to be a Saturday to Monday window. We'll wake up at 5 am and check the weather. Fingers crossed we can get to 17 camp and be on the summit Saturday.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
June 20, 2018
Posted by: Mike King, JT Schmitt, Ben Ammon
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 14,200'
Wednesday, June 20th - 8:18 pm PT
We woke to clouds and snow at 14K Camp today. We were hoping for clear weather to make a carry to
17K Camp; unfortunately, the winds up high prevented us from getting on the fixed lines. We eventually went for a walk up towards 15,000' to stretch our legs and lungs. The Team got a spectacular view of Genet Basin and the lower Kahiltna Glacier. We are back in camp now and continue to hang out at 14K. The forecast has been accurate for 17K and above but not so for 14K Camp. We'll need to see decreasing winds up high to make our move and if we don't get that in a few days the only option will be to descend.
RMI Guide Mike King
June 18, 2018
Posted by: Mike King, JT Schmitt, Ben Ammon
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 14,000'
Monday, June 18, 2018 - 1:27 PM PT
Listening to the wind run down the
West Buttress sounds like a never ending wave crashing against a rocky shore. The snow is drifting 3-4 feet in places thanks to the 30 mph wind gusts. This is an actual weather day, the previous four have just been a warm up. The forecast is for more of the same. We continue to hang out in our tents and later today there is going to be a food swap so the team can get some different snack food choices.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
June 17, 2018
Posted by: Mike King, JT Schmitt, Ben Ammon
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 14,200'
Sunday, June 17th - 5:53 pm PT
Happy Father's Day to all the Dads following along. The storm broke by mid day with views of the wind blown
West Buttress. The Team spent some time walking around camp and getting to know some of the other groups at 14K Camp. We've been eating good, getting plenty of sleep and are all eagerly awaiting a window to climb to 17K Camp. The forecast is 5-6 mores days of high winds above and snow down here in Genet Basin. Books are being swapped and audio books Airdropped. That's all from 14 for now.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
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Awesome job team. What a great way to inspire all of us. Safe descent my friends
Posted by: Stuart Nyren on 8/9/2018 at 10:01 am
Way to go Robby and team! It’s amazing to me that you were just up the four days ago- what you guys do is inspiring and RMI guides are rockstars!
Posted by: Casey Bradshaw on 8/9/2018 at 8:35 am
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