Entries By matias francis
September 15, 2021
Posted by: Matias Francis
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 9,131'
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
At around 10am today a team led by RMI Guide Matias Francis reached the summit of Mt. Shuksan. The climbable weather was short lived, as they raced the impending rain back to camp. The weather won this round as they made it back to camp soaked, but happy. The team will spend the night at high camp, before descending down during the day tomorrow (hopefully in the sun).
Congratulations to the team!
The team led by RMI Guides Dustin Wittmier and Matias Francis reached the summit of Mt. Triumph today! The team climbed Triumph's northeast ridge to the summit where they enjoyed views deep into the North Cascades, including Mt. Baker. The team is making the most of their time in the North Cascades and plan to climb Thornton Peak tomorrow before their program concludes later this week.
August 28, 2021
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Matias Francis, David Price, Nathan Delmar, Josh Hankin, Augi Fleer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Mt. Rainier Summit Climb teams, led be RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Matias Francis crested the crater rim at 8:15 a.m. Although the sun is shining, the skies are a bit hazy. The team will spend some time on top before starting the descent.
Congratulations to today's summit climbers!
August 12, 2021
Posted by: Andy Bond, Matias Francis, David Price, Augi Fleer, David Shuer, Nathan Delmar
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Climb team August 9 - 12 led by RMI Guides Andy Bond and Matias Francis reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The team enjoyed a spectacular meteor shower as they left Camp Muir on their alpine start and climbed toward the summit. Andy reported a beautiful day with calm winds and warm temperatures once the sun came up. The team was starting their descent from the crater rim just after 6:30 am PT. Once back at Camp Muir they will refuel and repack for the remaining 4.5 miles back down to Paradise.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Wow! What an incredible experience. Definitely a special day on the mountain.
Posted by: Amanda P on 8/13/2021 at 11:28 am
July 31, 2021
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier, Matias Francis
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 8,816'
At noon yesterday the West Ridge - Forbidden Peak team reached the summit. We started early to beat the heat (and other parties) and were rewarded with shade for much of the ascent. The climb went smoothly, the team was strong and all optional crux pitches were sent!
July 23, 2021
Posted by: Mike Haugen, Matias Francis, Jack Delaney, Liam Weed
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
RMI Guide Mike Haugen checked in via radio at 7:40 am as the Kautz Seminar July 18 - 23 team was just reaching the crater rim. The team did well and climbed strong from their camp at the top of the Wapowety Cleaver. After enjoying the views from the summit the team will descend via the Disappointment Cleaver route. This group met at Rainier BaseCamp on Sunday, July 18 and after two days of off mountain training began their ascent via the Kautz Glacier Route. Their time on the mountain included glacier travel training as well as focusing on techniques required for the current conditions on the upper mountain. The team will conclude their program with a celebration in Ashford later today.
Congratulations to the Kautz Seminar climbers!
Amazing accomplishment Dustin! Can’t wait to hear all about it!!
Rose
Posted by: Rose on 7/24/2021 at 12:48 pm
Way to go Dustin! We are so proud of your accomplishments! Can’t wait to hear about your expedition when you get back to work! Your fans at iMemories!
Posted by: Sheila Beals on 7/23/2021 at 11:56 am
June 26, 2021
Posted by: Win Whittaker, Avery Parrinello, Matias Francis, Jackson Breen, Erika Birkeland, Axel Ryd
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The American Lung Association (ALA) Climb for Clean Air Teams were on the Mt. Rainier summit early this morning….100% success! RMI Guide Win Whittaker called from 13,500’ on the descent back to Camp Muir.
THANKS, RMI! What an incredible team of guides (special shout to Erika!). Already pondering the next move…:)
Posted by: John on 6/28/2021 at 2:19 pm
Way to go climbers! And such a gorgeous day!
Posted by: Stephanie on 6/26/2021 at 12:14 pm
June 3, 2021
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Matias Francis, Chase Halbert, Mike Walter, Avery Parrinello, Luke Wilhelm
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Denali
Elevation: 20,310'
Thursday, June 3, 2021 - 10:27 am PT
We've waited through wind and snow for weeks and we finally got our shot. We woke up yesterday to clear skies and relatively (for 17k feet) warm temps in camp. We had stoves firing early, before sun hit camp, and got everyone up to start prepping. With breakfast done and packs loaded we stepped out of our sunny camp into the shadow of the Autobahn. It was a chilly couple hours crossing to Denali Pass and we were all psyched to get back into the sun. A slight, but cold 10mph breeze in our face kept it chilly all day, but we kept moving past Zebra Rocks, around Archdeacons Tower, onto the Football Field, up Pig Hill, and along the summit ridge to the summit! We were standing on top just after 6pm yesterday. With photos taken, we started working our way back down, well aware of the distance still to get back to the comfort of our sleeping bags. The long hours of sun help alot and we rolled back into camp around 11pm, just as the sun left camp. Tired, chilly, sore, but excited that we managed to reach our goal!
We'll start working our way down the mountain today, back to warmer temps, more oxygen, and a flight back to Talkeetna. They tend to be long days, so dispatches might be short, but we are headed home.
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Mike Walter, Avery Parrinello, Matias Francis, Chase Halbert, Luke Wilhelm, and RMI Teams 1 and 2
What an amazing accomplishment all of you have made !! Marc, I am so proud and honored to have you as my son.
Love you, Papa Bear
Posted by: David Gollob on 6/5/2021 at 7:33 am
Congratulations all! Such a lifetime of memories. Be safe coming down so you can make more memories.
Posted by: Susan K. Moore on 6/4/2021 at 10:27 pm
June 1, 2021
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Matias Francis, Chase Halbert
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Denali
Elevation: 17,200'
Tuesday, June 1, 2021 - 12:03 pm PT
Happy June 1st! It doesn't feel like it much here at 17K. We missed sending a dispatch last night because of some electronic technical difficulties that are resolved, but you should have heard via RMI Alaska Team led by Mike Walter that we all moved to 17K yesterday on a perfect day. It was relatively warm, calm, sunny, and as we were the first few teams out of camp, were able to move smoothly up the fixed lines and along the West Buttress.
We had hopes of going for the summit today, but the chance of snow that often only brings precip to the lower mountain defied that hope overnight and into today. We've got 3 to 4 inches of new snow in camp, still snowing, low vis, and just enough wind to move it around at maximum efficiency. It was a pretty easy call to stay in the tents today and ride it out, hoping that tomorrow brings clearer conditions.
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Matias Francis, Chase Halbert, and team
Wahoo to ALL of you! What a thrill to watch your progress from afar. I say sleep for days has been well earned!! I am so very proud of each of you and all the major steps you took to get there and then to make the summit. Wow is all I’ve got and thanks to the team of guides who kept you safe and focused and climbing!!! Amazing!
Posted by: Bethany on 6/3/2021 at 4:22 am
Can’t wait to hear you made it to summit - good luck Matt! All the way!
Posted by: Mitchell Fry on 6/2/2021 at 5:03 pm
June 1, 2021
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Matias Francis, Chase Halbert
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 17,200'
Monday, May 31, 2021 - 10:21 pm PT
Both RMI Denali Expeditions led RMI Guides Mike Walter and Pete Van Deventer made it to High Camp today at 17, 200'. We are busy melting snow and making hot water for dinner. If the weather is good, we hope to go for the top tomorrow.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Yessir! Good luck my guy. xoxo
Posted by: Z on 6/1/2021 at 8:39 am
I hope you make it
Posted by: Erin on 6/1/2021 at 8:09 am
Its with great humility that I thank Pete and Matias (ma-TE-us, get it right, and sorry for teasing you about it) for taking me, my children (Josh and Molly) and my children’s friends (Dylan, Bri, Brett and Luke) up that morning and congratulations to Josh and Dylan (and the other 4 climbers that morning) for summitting. Also, Special thanks to Josh Hankin for the great instruction, Augi Fleeras for guiding my daughter and Bri down and for Nathan Delmar (sorry about the macramé Joke-I’m sure it gets old and for bringing me down and not dropping me into a crevasse) and David Price (you are just an all around good dude). You guides do something amazing and I’ve seen amazing. Not only do you shoulder the responsibility for taking mostly unprepared climbers up this mountain and protect our lives, but you also trust us tourists to belay you and trust us not to make a lethal mistake and cost you your lives. And you do it every day and not for the money (pizza joke really not that funny). Pete, Matias and Josh especially, you guys are truly the most professional, mature, confident and athletic people I have every known, a special breed of individual who loves and appreciates the beauty of mountaineering so much that you go to extreme lengths to share it with others, many of us who have no business seeing it first hand, yet you do it with confidence and poise knowing that when we fall off or fall in, you can save us. Pete, thank you for recognizing that I needed to turn around and sending me down with Nathan. Also Pete and Matias, thank you for not stopping until Josh and Dylan were at the top in spite of the route conditions. To Peter and Kerri Whittaker, only got to say “hi” momentarily to you but it was both an honor and a pleasure. Thank you for finding guides like Pete, Matias, Josh, Augi, Nathan and David so a kid (old kid) from Kansas who has always dreamed of the mountains could experience Mountaineering first hand.
Godspeed,
Chris Banwart
Posted by: Jon Banwart on 8/31/2021 at 7:50 pm
Great job everybody!!!!!
Felicitaciones Nicko!!!!!
Posted by: Jose Fulginiti on 8/28/2021 at 1:13 pm
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