Entries By pete van deventer
January 16, 2012
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 16,200'
Helloooo everybody,
The team has been very busy today here at Camp 1. It's hard work napping for several hours, eating as much prosciutto and cheese as we can, and making sure to stay hydrated to boot. Games of cards, iPods, and chit chat fill in our spare time. All of this work is necessary however for our success on the upper mountain. Tomorrow will see us move to a new camp at 18,000', and we'll start the acclimatization cycle over again.
The weather has been pretty sunny today with clouds here and there, but our fresh breeze that began last night has encouraged the group to remain in tents for much of the day. We are looking forward to a scrumptious dinner of tortellini, and a good night of sleep. For those that are wondering, cooler temps and the breeze today have resolved our aquatic camping problem, turning our aquarium into a rather exciting skating rink.
Abrazos from Argentina,
RMI Guides Pete, Gilbert, Gabi, and the Aconcagua double A hockey team
On The Map
January 13, 2012
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
Hey all,
This is the Aconcagua crew checking in from Base Camp. It's been a beautiful rest day here with crystal blue skies most of the morning. It was a great day to sit outside, enjoy the sun, and visit with other teams here. Several folks were even warm enough to take showers via nalgene bottles.
It hasn't been all play though, as each team member had to sort through gear and decide what is going to make the move with us and what will stay here at base camp. It's an important task, since from here on out, every extra thing we bring adds weight to our packs. We will enjoy a last gourmet dinner from our outfitter, Grajales, before our big move to Camp 1 tomorrow. As I write, clouds are building, and it looks like we may get a touch of snow to brighten the landscape tonight.
All the best, and we'll check in from 16,000' tomorrow!
Ciao,
RMI Guides Pete, Gabi, Gilbert, and team
On The Map
Hi Jeff & team, I look forward to reading the blog everyday, sounds all good from here. I’ll bet you are getting to know one another & know who you’re on the mtn w/keep the postive feedback coming. I hope you are sleeping well,I could just picture you taking a shower from you water bottle. Love always, take care mum
Posted by: Norene Kimes on 1/15/2012 at 12:25 pm
Larry,
Hang in there, be safe and have fun!
Posted by: Holly Seaton on 1/14/2012 at 8:01 pm
January 12, 2012
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 14,000'
Hello everyone! We are back at basecamp after a very successful carry to, and cache at Camp 1! The group did very well today, and now all of our upper mountain gear and food is staged for us. The next step: REST. Today was the first day of the trip with heavy packs, and for many of the group a new personal altitude record. Tomorrow we will spend the day at base, eating food, napping, and recovering tired muscles. If all goes according to plan, we will move our camp to 16,000 feet the day after tomorrow, and continue the process of acclimating and moving our gear up the mountain. Everyone is excited to have completed our first big day, and sends their best!
All for now.
Cheers,
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Gilbert Chase, Gabriel Barral, and team
Its only been a week and two days and I can’t even explain how long it seems! I miss you sooo bad! I cannot wait to hear more about it! Congratulations on making it to your highest point! I hope u can carry your sunblock! I love u mawah! What an experience! The pictures are unreal!!!!!!! It’s sooo massive! You are punkswole!so this thing and come home to your three babies with a lot of pics!
Posted by: Wiyanna on 1/14/2012 at 9:27 pm
Bryan, Dude wear that mountain out like we wore my Jeep Cherokee out!!! You got this brother! I’m proud of you! Love Adam Stroupe
Posted by: Adam Stroupe on 1/13/2012 at 6:38 pm
RMI Guides Lindsay Mann and Pete Van Deventer recently met up in Frisco, Colorado, for the AIARE Level I Avalanche Instructor Training Course. AIARE (American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education) is the main course provider for avalanche courses and training in the United States. For three days Lindsay and Pete along with 16 other future instructors discussed current avalanche knowledge, curriculum material, and teaching techniques. Classroom time was balanced by field sessions, ski touring the very accessible terrain around Vail Pass. While the snowpack so far this year is relatively uninteresting from an avalanche perspective, the opportunity to trade ideas with 16 other peers and watch each other in the field was a great experience for both Lindsay and Pete. Many thanks to First Ascent and RMI for providing a Guide Grant to aid Lindsay and Pete in moving into an avalanche education instructor role. Look for Pete and Lindsay ski touring around the Aspen, Colorado, area when they are not guiding trips on Rainier, Alaska, and beyond for RMI.
The entire team arrived safely in Mendoza with all our gear (almost). One delayed bag should be arriving tomorrow in Mendoza.
It is after midnight here and we just returned to the hotel after our first team dinner. We had a great meal enjoying the local flavors of Malbec and of course some Argentinian beef. We were busy all day with everyone's arrival and our first team meeting. We are now just finishing the day.
Everyone is excited to start the trip and is looking forward to get closer to the big mountain.
Cheers
Gabi, Pete and Gilbert
SIR WALTER GLOVER: Great weather forecast for the climb! Godspeed and have fun! Dan & Deb Meno
Posted by: Dan Meno on 1/11/2012 at 10:51 am
bryan!!! i am sooo happy to be able to hear your voice!!! hang in there!! you are my superman!! i love you.. prayers and wishes from everyone here….good luck!!!!!
Posted by: wiyanna on 1/11/2012 at 10:45 am
September 25, 2011
Posted by: Casey Grom, Pete Van Deventer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,060'
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer and the Five Day Summit Climb led by Casey Grom checked in from Camp Muir this morning. Due to high winds, blowing snow and poor visibility the climbers were unable to leave Camp Muir this morning to make their summit attempt. The telemetry at Camp Muir and the guides state that wind speeds were consistently 70 - 80 mph with a high of 102 mph during the 1 am hour. The teams are safe and warm in the hut enjoying breakfast and hot drinks at 10,000'. They will be starting their descent from Camp Muir at 9 a.m. PT.
For twelve days in late March, 9 other guides and I convened in the Wasatch mountains of Utah for the AMGA Ski Guides Course. The course, first in the ski guide certification track of the American Mountain Guides Association, is aimed at teaching and honing the skills for ski guiding in technical but non-glaciated terrain (the majority of the skiing terrain in the lower 48!) Over the 12 days, we mixed evening classroom sessions of technical rope skills, coaching, soft skills, and video analysis for skiing, with days spent touring the incredible terrain surrounding Salt Lake City. The course culminated in a two night, three day yurt trip near Logan, UT.
The three day yurt trip allowed us to have lengthier and more realistic “mock guiding” leads. Acting as guide for a group of guides who are playing the part of clients can be a contrived situation, and often presents challenges that are above the typical demand of a normal day guiding. The pressure is ratcheted up, as one can imagine setting a steep kick turn in an uphill track, while four other guides and two instructors all judge that kick turn and comment. Besides the pressure of setting tracks and style, there was the pressure to find the group good snow on the descent, and more often than not, the classic problem of people seeing their own lines that were “better” and desperately wanting to step out of their roles. The challenges were often humorous, though, and the pressure pushed everybody to step up to the plate in a type of guiding that was unfamiliar to most of us. Almost everyone in the course came from a guiding background, however, most often this was alpine guiding, the kind of climbing we do here on Rainier, the North Cascades, and Mt. McKinley. Many of the skills from the alpine realm are readily transferable to ski guiding; client care, many of the technical rope systems and short roping, and uphill guiding are all very similar. But ski guiding presents its own challenge: Down guiding. Trying to guide a group of skiers safely down a line can be a totally different ball game. Balancing the safety issues of being out ahead first to assess snow pack, safe zones, and boundaries, with the desire for client satisfaction, first tracks, good snow, and an uninterrupted run can be tricky. In addition, all of this happens at much higher speed, and things can change quickly.
Guiding techniques are always changing and improving as people dream up new systems or improve on old ones, and I always take away a lot of new tricks. This course was no exception. Add to that new snow almost every day (several feet fell on the Wasatch while we were there) and a great group of fellow students, the ski guide course was a great experience and chance to get a lot of feedback from other guides! A big thanks to the First Ascent/Eddie Bauer and RMI guide grant for helping me to get there!
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer
We wanted to let you all know that we made it to Mendoza! Got to Punta de Vacas around 1pm today, a couple hours in Penitentes, and then the van ride down here. Headed out shortly for our first big dinner off the mountain!
Hope all is well and we'll be in touch. Ciao.
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer
Nice work team. Was nice to follow your journey. Safe travels back to your homes.
Posted by: Erin Snowden on 2/17/2011 at 7:29 pm
Yo Billy, wish I was there with ya! Say hi to all the folks at the Hotel Nutibara.
Posted by: JJ Justman on 2/17/2011 at 6:41 pm
Hi all! RMI's Aconcagua expedition checking in.
We left Mendoza yesterday and drove through the foothills of the Andes to reach our final staging area at Los Penitentes. The bright green of the vineyards gave way to steep rocky faces as we wound up the valley of the Mendoza river. We were finally rewarded with fleeting views of Tupengato, the 6500 meter volcano on the Chilean border.
We spent yesterday packing for the mules, some loads to go straight to Aconcagua Basecamp, and some to follow us on our approach. We woke this morning excited to get our climb underway! We will load the shuttle for the trail head soon, and our climb will begin officially. We'll be in touch soon.
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Hi Jeff, Thanks for sending the snow!! We have snow coming down this a.m. yeh, hope you are staying warm & breathing is getting easier. I feel like I’m climbing w/you when I read the blog, pics are great to see. Luv to you, live it love it, keep going, mum
Posted by: Norene on 1/17/2012 at 8:00 am
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