Entries By nikki champion
May 25, 2024
Posted by: Nikki Champion, Leif Bergstrom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 11,200'
The team came to the challenging decision, where part of the team chose to continue uphill and part of the team called yesterday their high point.
For those who chose to continue uphill, you can follow along with their journey on the May 12th Expedition with Dustin Wittmier. For the remainder of the team, we packed up late last night, walked through the night and flew back to Talkeetna mid-morning where we can now enjoy a shower and beer for our hard work.
RMI Guide Nikki Champion & Team
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May 24, 2024
Posted by: Nikki Champion, Leif Bergstrom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 11,200'
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Today was a challenging day. We rigged up with half the food and gear to go cache around Windy Corner. We made our way up Motorcycle and Squirrel, and through the Polo Fields but not all the way to Windy Corner. Going to see what tomorrow brings.
RMI Guide Nikki Champion & Team
Sign Up For Denali Expedition May 14, 2024 Emails
May 23, 2024
Posted by: Nikki Champion, Leif Bergstrom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 11,000'
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - 9:44 pm PT
Another weather day in the books. We woke up hoping to carry this morning, but instead were greeted by another morning of strong winds and snowfall. After looking up Motorcycle Hill for a bit, and watching to see if weather improved we crawled back in our sleeping bags and decided it was going to be another rest and weather day. We needed winds to die down a bit to make it around Windy Corner. After camp warmed up a bit, we made some coffee and breakfast burritos and settled into another day of acclimating and resting. The weather broke a bit, and we were able to get the caches reading for tomorrow, practice putting our crampons on and just getting a bit of fresh air. Tomorrow we are yet again hoping for a bit better weather, and the chance to carry.
RMI Guide Nikki Champion
Sign Up For Denali Expedition May 14, 2024 Emails
Hi Will and team! Glad you got a small break in the weather and hoping for the best in the coming days. Congrats on your determination and preparation to make the trip - enjoy this adventure to the fullest!
Posted by: Rebecca on 5/24/2024 at 5:15 am
Hey Pops!
Hopefully mother nature chills out a bit and you guys can continue the climb up! Stay safe and we love you
Cody & girls
Posted by: Cody,amanda,addie & ava on 5/23/2024 at 10:40 am
May 22, 2024
Posted by: Nikki Champion, Leif Bergstrom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 11,000'
May 21, 2024
Our first real rest day - and our first real weather day. Winds picked up overnight and didn't let off all day. Along with the winds came the snow. We spent all day in our sleeping bags or battling to keep track of our belongings in the snow. We wrapped our first weather day up with some hand delivered burritos, and crawled in bed hoping to carry beyond Windy Corner tomorrow.
RMI Guide Nikki Champion
Sign Up For Denali Expedition May 14, 2024 Emails
Stay strong, stay focused. Praying for better weather. We’re rooting for you! Love, Noel and crew
Posted by: Noel on 5/22/2024 at 6:30 pm
Sending prayers of strength and endurance. Amazed to watch your progress and thrilled you got rested for next milestone! Windy Corner here you come! Love to Tim! Teri
Posted by: Teri on 5/22/2024 at 6:01 pm
May 21, 2024
Posted by: Nikki Champion, Leif Bergstrom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 11,000'
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 - 9:58 am PT
Our first relaxed morning in the books. We woke up with the sun, and had an experimental breakfast of pan fried cinnamon rolls. Update, the experiment went well - and we've got another two cans for higher up the mountain. After breakfast we took some down time and then rigged up the empty sleds to make our way down to our cache. After a quick 40 minute downhill, we were reunited with the rest of our group, and personal food and gear. We rigged the sleds back up now full, and made our way back to camp. Once back at camp, we had a relaxing afternoon and prepped camp for some incoming weather. We wrapped up the evening with some butter chicken, and then crawled in bed looking forward to our first full rest day.
RMI Guide Nikki Champion
Sign Up For Denali Expedition May 14, 2024 Emails
We are all rooting for you and praying for you and your crew Jimmy! I check here daily to see where you all are and how it is going. Then I can tell the sisters when they ask about you. Keep up the good work, stay strong, and believe!
Posted by: Sister Michelle on 5/22/2024 at 10:44 am
I couldn’t be prouder Jimmy. Everyone is constantly asking about you and so excited about what you’re doing. You can do it! Open the way! It sounds like you have an incredible group, keep up the good work. -Much Love, Hannah
Posted by: Hannah Peters on 5/22/2024 at 6:02 am
May 20, 2024
Posted by: Nikki Champion, Leif Bergstrom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 11,000'
Hello from 11,000' Camp on Denali!
After a quick breakfast of oatmeal, we tore down camp and retraced our steps from yesterday. As we worked our way in and out of the clouds and limited visibility we finally pushed past our cache site, and continued to 11,000 ft. Once we rolled into camp, the work for the day wasn't done. We made quick work setting up tents and building camp. After many hours of hard work we finally wrapped up the evening with some ramen as it lightly snowed at camp. Tomorrow we will make the quick jaunt downhill to our cache and get the rest of our gear. Check in tomorrow!
RMI Guide Nikki Champion
Sign Up For Denali Expedition May 14, 2024 Emails
Keep going!! Love to you Tim! Go team!!
Posted by: Teri on 5/21/2024 at 12:40 am
Way to go Pops! We’re rooting for you. We love you.
Posted by: Noel on 5/20/2024 at 8:19 am
May 19, 2024
Posted by: Nikki Champion, Leif Bergstrom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 7,800'
Saturday, May 18, 2024 - 10:11 pm PT
Another solid day in the books. We woke up to clear skies, and cold temperatures. After a later dinner yesterday, we opted for a Slightly more casual start time. After a quick breakfast of granola and blueberries we packed up about 2/3rds of our group food, fuel, gear, and personal food and started up Ski Hill. After many hours of climbing we ran into Dustin's team digging up their cache around 9,900', and decided that would be a good place to put ours. We unloaded all the gear and food we wouldn't need for the next few days, buried it, and marked it with some wands. Then strapped our now empty sleds to our back and made our way back to the base of Ski Hill. We finished the evening up with the weather and some beef burritos. The plan is to move to 11 camp tomorrow if weather allows. Everyone is doing great on this first few challenging days. Check in tomorrow!
RMI Guide Nikki Champion
Sign Up For Denali Expedition May 14, 2024 Emails
Good job on the first part. Sounds challenging. We’re hoping the weather cooperates and things go smoothly for the team. We love you Pops!
Posted by: Noel, Xander, and Nora on 5/21/2024 at 11:30 am
Sounds like a strong start! We are rooting for you and the team! Sending lots of strength & love!
Posted by: Kelly Jeremy on 5/19/2024 at 2:44 pm
May 18, 2024
Posted by: Nikki Champion, Leif Bergstrom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Denali
Elevation: 7,800'
May 17, 2024 11:22PM PT
First mountain day in the books. After a pretty grim weather forecast, we had planned to sleep in a bit and have a later breakfast. To our surprise, K2 Aviation called us at 7:30 AM to tell us the weather looked great and to make our way over to the hangar.
By 9 AM, we had changed into our mountain boots and loaded into the plane. After a beautiful flight, we landed at basecamp - unloaded, organized, and rigged up the sleds, buried a basecamp cache for our return, and made our way out onto the lower Kahiltna.
It was a long heavy day - the one day of the trip we carry everything we brought.
Under blue skies, we rolled onto the base of the Ski Hill, built camp, and settled in.
We had a dinner of mac and cheese with bacon and got gear ready to cache tomorrow.
Hoping for another beautiful day, but just glad to be moving.
Check in tomorrow!
RMI Guides Nikki Champion, Leif Bergstrom and Team
Sign Up For Denali Expedition May 14, 2024 Emails
Thank you for the updates! You guys are all doing great! Sending you well wishes for a safe climb!
Posted by: Abby Roberts on 5/19/2024 at 9:21 am
Great start. Keep the good weather coming and climb safe
Posted by: Doc Peters on 5/18/2024 at 5:28 pm
Welcome to the first dispatch for the May 14th Denali Climb!
After a busy few days, getting to Talkeetna, and spending all day yesterday packing and preparing for the upcoming expedition, we went to bed hoping to fly the following morning.
We woke up early, called K2, and made our way to the hangar by 8 AM, dressed and ready to fly. Spirits were high, and we were optimistic. We loaded the planes and changed into our climbing gear. Unfortunately, the weather closed in on the mountain, and we entered a waiting period.
That waiting period extended into the afternoon and evening. We filled our day with a late morning coffee, walks to the river, a sanity run by Leif and me, and yet another dinner in town.
We will wake up again tomorrow and hope to fly. Until then, we enjoy the warm food and hot showers.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Nikki Champion & Team
Sign Up For Denali Expedition May 14, 2024 Emails
Tim & climbing crew: Hope all is going well on your climb &/or descent -as iam just getting into the RMI blog 1st time to follow your expedition up Denali - after our Alaska Land & Sea cruise -as I took your pic down by river in Talkeetna before your climb ( 1 of the group of 14 you met )
Posted by: Pete Sturos on 6/1/2024 at 5:37 am
Good Luck and enjoy your adventure!
Posted by: Priscilla on 5/18/2024 at 8:48 am
August 6, 2023
Posted by: Nikki Champion, Leif Bergstrom, Calvin Jiricko, Ellison Boord, Raymond Holt, Bailey Servais
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,080'
The Four Day Climb August 3 - 6 was unable to make a summit attempt due to continued rain throughout the night. RMI Guide Nikki Champion reported that rain began at Camp Muir around 10 pm and continued throughout the night. Light rain continued to fall this morning. The teams are planning to leave Camp Muir around 9:30 am heading downhill to Paradise.
We expect them to return to Rainier BaseCamp in the early afternoon.
Being a first-timer, although the trip turned out to be incomplete, took away a couple of things from the experience:
1. Now I know that it is doable and will come back to get to the summit next year
2. The basic training and know-how will be helpful for future activities (thanks to all the guides)
Personally, I thought, although summitting was out of the question due to bad weather, going up to Ingrahm flat was possible in the morning and would have given us some experience regarding rope travel. Not sure, if something else other than the weather was under consideration for this decision not to go to Ingrahm flat
Finally, I plan to come back next year. Would it be possible to get some sort of concession that time due to the fact that we could not do the second part at all this time around?
Thanks
—manoj
Posted by: Manoj Devasarma on 8/9/2023 at 4:24 pm
Go Uncle Jimmy!!! We are so proud of you! Stay safe and keep climbing that mountain! -Abby, Josh, Carter and Helena
Posted by: Abby Roberts on 5/25/2024 at 10:38 am
Go team Nikki, Go!!!
Posted by: Tracy and Bruce Wilhelm on 5/24/2024 at 1:33 pm
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