Entries By mike walter
September 28, 2019
Posted by: Mike Walter, JT Schmitt
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 11,500'
Our Four Day Climb Teams led by Mike Walter and JT Schmitt were turned just before Disappointment Cleaver on their summit attempt. Mike Walter reported single digit temperatures, and deteriorating weather. The team is back at Camp Muir and will be back at Rainier Basecamp early this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's team!
September 22, 2019
Posted by: Mike Walter, Ben Liken
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 13,300'
The Four Day Climb September 19 - 22 led by RMI Guides Mike Walter and Ben Liken were forced to turn back at 13,300' this morning due to high winds and deteriorating weather. The groups will return to Camp Muir and then continue down to Paradise later this morning.
With a very unfavorable weather forecast ahead of us, we decided to stay inside on the 15th and have a skills session with knots, hitches, carabiners, and other climbing gear. The 16th brought a better chance of climbable weather so we set off from the Lake Ann Trailhead armed with lightweight daypacks. We were able to approach the climb and reach our goal of climbing to the top of the Fisher Chimneys. We experienced wet-to-very wet trail and rock conditions, and only got rained on for a few sections of our climb. We then reversed our route and made it back to the trailhead just before the heavy rain started falling. It was a solid 12-hour day of climbing and hiking and we were happy to be back in time to beat the rain. And also in time for a late pizza dinner! The final push up the summit pyramid wasn’t in the cards with the hand we were dealt by the weather, but we were able to climb the bulk of the route and maximize the use of our time in the mountains.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
September 4, 2019
Posted by: Mike Walter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 9,131'
RMI Guide Mike Walter and Team reached the summit of Mt. Shuksan today with beautiful weather. They climbed the Fisher Chimneys route and didn't see any other climbers on the route. They enjoyed having the mountain all to themselves.
Congratulation to the team!
August 31, 2019
Posted by: Mike Walter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 9,127'
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Shuksan Team led by RMI Guide Mike Walter Reached the summit via the Sulphide Glacier Route. Mike reported a beautiful day of climbing. The team is back at camp celebrating their success.
Congratulations Team!
It rained over night and we slept in a bit until it stopped around 9 am. The clouds persisted until around noon and then the sun poked out a bit. We fit a very full day of training in despite the rain: snow and ice anchors, anchor systems, crevasse rescue, and belaying and top roping techniques were some of the topics we covered. The weather forecast looks better for tomorrow and we hope to go for the summit. I'll check in from the top!
RMI Guide Mike Walter and Team.
August 29, 2019
Posted by: Mike Walter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 6,000'
We had a great day of training today. We practiced ice axe arrest, cramponing, glacier travel, rock scrambling, steeper snow climbing techniques and efficiency skills. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed a great day in a spectacular location in the North Cascades.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
RMI Guide Mike Walter reported that it is a beautiful day on Mt. Rainier with clear skies and moderate winds. Mike and the Four Day Climb August 16 - 19 reached the summit early this morning and after enjoying some time in the summit crater started their descent. Those of us in Ashford and the lower elevations are below a heavy marine layer, Camp Muir and the upper mountain have mostly clear skies and sunshine. The team will descend to Paradise later today and celebrate their accomplishments before concluding their program.
Congratulations to today's Four Day Climb team!
August 12, 2019
Posted by: Mike Walter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 4,700'
The RMI Alpine Classic team led by RMI Guide Mike Walter was unable to leave camp at Lake Ann for a summit attempt of Mt. Shuksan due to steady rain. The team tried to wait out the rain but the rain persisted. They descended to the trailhead earlier today.
August 9, 2019
Posted by: Mike Walter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10,781'
The RMI Alpine Classic team has reached the summit of their first objective- the North Ridge of Mt. Baker! Route conditions and the weather were excellent. The team was approximately 14 hours round trip from high camp, summit, and back to high camp. The team is now resting at a hotel getting ready for their next peak, Mt. Shuksan via the Fisher Chimneys Route.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
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