Entries By robby young

Elevation: 7,800'

Hi all, Today started on the early side and ended late, but we got so much accomplished today. We started with a last hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs, potatoes, and toast with plenty of coffee, before heading to the H2 hangar to catch the first flight off the runway. The flight into Kahiltna Base Camp is always stunning, and today was no exception. The turn over the West Ridge of Mt. Hunter brought Base Camp into view, and we banked for the runway. With all of our team on the glacier, we started preparing everything to walk. We weren't sure the surface conditions would be firm enough by midday, but we prepared nonetheless. We rigged sleds, packed duffels and packs, sorted group gear, and at last decided it was time. Some thin, high clouds had moved in, helping to keep the heat from making things too sloppy, so we decided to go for it. We descended Heartbreak Hill, and made the turn up the main Kahiltna, walking to 7,800 feet, at the base of Ski Hill. Here we spent the evening setting our first camp. Tomorrow the plan is to move with all of our gear to 9600'. There is word of some weather coming in, so we'll see how that impacts our plan, but we are psyched to have made our first moves towards the mountain. All for now, we'll be in touch tomorrow. RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

On The Map

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Ooh Rah Ski Hill! Good luck to the whole team especially Nicky and Bob!

Posted by: Bill Rosche on 5/16/2014 at 5:10 pm

Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Getting Ready for Takeoff!

May 15, 2014

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Robby Young, Josh Maggard

Hi all! The skies are clear, winds calm, and it's a great day to fly to Kahiltna Base Camp. Our team is heading in first thing this morning to start moving towards our objective! We'll check in this evening from the glacier with more news of the day. All the best, and we'll keep you updated on our progress over the upcoming weeks. RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Robby Young, Josh Maggard and team

Mt. Rainier: Winter Seminar Wrap-up a Great Week of Training

April 18, 2014

Posted by: Brent Okita, Zeb Blais, Ben Liken, Robby Young

Elevation: 10,060'

RMI Guides Brent Okita, Zeb Blais and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Winter Team finished up a great week of training. The team has started their descent and will be back at Rainier Basecamp this afternoon. Congratulations Team!

Mt. Rainier: Winter Seminar Train in Some Tough Weather

April 17, 2014

Posted by: Brent Okita, Zeb Blais, Ben Liken, Robby Young

Elevation: 10,060'

A little wind and snow couldn't keep this intrepid group of aspiring alpinists from training on our last full day of the seminar. What most impressed the guides was the 100% participation of the group given the 50 mph winds and heavy snowfall. We look forward to a last evening together going over a couple more topics and sharing a war story or two. RMI Guide Brent Okita

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Hot meal and warm, cozy bed awaits…so proud of you!!

Posted by: JK on 4/17/2014 at 10:39 pm

Mt. Rainier: The Winter Seminar Tries for the Summit

April 16, 2014

Posted by: Brent Okita, Zeb Blais, Ben Liken, Robby Young

Elevation: 10,060'

We left Camp Muir this morning at 4: There was a cap over the summit from the outset of our climb but we were thankful the winds from yesterday evening had abated and hoped the cap would follow suit.45 a.m. in reasonable winds. The team took to heart the lessons learned at yesterday’s climbing school and climbed strong on the upper mountain in deteriorating conditions. I began the route finding effort up the Ingraham Direct but gave way to RMI Guide Zeb Blais as he led the team up to a break at 12,800’. As we switchbacked our way up the mountain, we encountered increasing wind speeds and steadily decreasing visibility. We made the smart and safe choice to call 13,400’ our high point for the day. On our descent to Camp Muir, clouds would billow up from below causing white out conditions followed by periods of visibility. This process repeated continually until we returned to Camp Muir. We’re back at Camp Muir safe and sound. We are looking forward to a low-key afternoon at camp with a siesta and some easy training on the schedule. Signing off for now, RMI Guide Brent Okita

Mt. Rainier: RMI Guide Brent Okita Checks In as the Seminar Ascends to Camp Muir

April 15, 2014

Posted by: Brent Okita, Zeb Blais, Ben Liken, Robby Young

Elevation: 10,060'

We had a great day for making our way to Camp Muir yesterday. Blue skies and just enough wind to keep us from over heating. Everyone did well! Camp Muir will be home through Friday. The next few days we'll be training around Camp Muir. It's going to be a fantastic week! RMI Guide Brent Okita

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Thank you for the update. Great job, y’all! Just getting to Camp Muir is an accomplishment in and of itself, not to mention while carrying all that weight!! But every foot past Muir is farther than most will ever go, so go as far as you can and take photos!!! Post more photos! :)

Hey Drew!! Much love!

From down below,
JK

Posted by: JK on 4/15/2014 at 7:39 pm

Life at The Creek: RMI guides check in from Indian Creek, UT

December 5, 2013

Posted by: Robby Young, Sean Collon, Steve Gately

Categories: Guide News

October marks the end of the guiding season on Rainier, and the beginning of some of the best rock climbing weather and conditions throughout the Rocky Mountain West. RMI guides Steve Gately, Robby Young and Sean Collon celebrated "Rocktober" this year by spending their time down in Indian Creek near Moab, Utah. “The Creek” is home to some of the best pure crack climbing in the world, with fissures ranging from too small for fingers up to chimneys large enough for your entire body; running a hundred feet up otherwise featureless sandstone walls. It attracts climbers from around the world and is a popular hangout for guides in the October off-season. Sean, Steve and Robby documented their time in The Creek through film, and recount their experiences: Robby Young: There is no place like Indian Creek. The abundance of stunning cracks splitting through vertical sandstone walls appear otherworldly amongst the beautiful desert landscape of Southern Utah, located just a few hours from my home in Park City, UT. I was very excited to have the opportunity to spend some time in this wonderful place with some good friends, and fellow RMI guides. The vibrancy of the red rock offers a dramatic contrast to the snow and glacier covered landscape of Mt. Rainier in which we spend much of our summer. I was also lucky to be able shoot photographs and capture film of some of friends as they pushed their climbing skills in the never-ending pursuit to become better climbers and alpinists. Sean Collong climbing in Indian Creek (Robby Young).

Sean Collong climbing in Indian Creek (Robby Young).

Sean Collon: Rock climbing and mountaineering have a large number of common skills, techniques and physical requirements. Approaching rock climbs with heavy packs full of gear builds stamina, and the climbing itself requires total body strength; all of which contributes to success in the big mountains. When guiding, or on personal mountaineering trips, I rely heavily on the rope skills I have developed largely in the vertical world of rock climbing. But more than all of this, rock climbing, in and of itself, is fun. Like any type of climbing, it is physically and mentally demanding. It can be pure enjoyment, often scary and painful, but always tremendously rewarding. Steve Gately: After a busy Rainier season, trips like this provide us with some welcomed vacation time, while also allowing us a great opportunity for continued training. With back-to-back trips to Aconcagua coming up this winter, keeping my skills sharp is important to me. One aspect that goes consistently overlooked is not only the mental capacity but also the situational awareness needed for such long expeditions. For me, rock climbing is a way to keep my assessment skills sharp. There is some inherent risk in rock climbing, similarly to anytime that we step out into the mountains. This requires you to be constantly assessing situations, risk, hazards, terrain etc. This level of awareness is invaluable. You can be as strong as the best climbers out there, but without that ability to constantly assess your surroundings and problem solve when needed, well, you won't last very long in the mountains. For me, as a guide, this is one of the most important contributions I can bring to my trips and rock climbing provides an excellent way to stay strong, keep my skills sharp, and have a ton of fun while doing it! ______ Robby Young is as talented on rock as he is on glaciers and skis. He is spending the winter ski patrolling and teaching several avalanche courses in Utah and planning on a ski trip to Iceland this spring before his Denali expedition. See more of Robby's photography at www.robbyyoungphotography.com. Sean Collon is an RMI guide, originally from Michigan, spending this winter season in Utah ski instructing at Canyons Resort and training for the AMGA Rock and Ski Instructor Courses. He has climbed rock and alpine routes all around the Pacific Northwest and throughout the country, and guiding with Dave Hahn next summer on Mt. McKinley. Steve Gately is heading to the southern hemisphere this winter to guide on Aconcagua. Returning to Park City, UT, he will be found skiing, ice climbing and working on another short film about backcountry skiing in Utah's Wasatch Range before heading north to Alaska next summer.

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Great clip! I had the honor of attending a fundraiser last night (Golden,CO) for Jeff Lowe’s “Metanoia” movie. One of the items they were auctioning off was a 3 day climb at “The Creek” with Jim Donini! Jim was there and personally offered the trip. As you can imagine, it went for a nice high bid!!

Posted by: Lori Stewart on 12/18/2013 at 7:30 pm

RMI Guide Robby Young Recaps Climbing The North Ridge of Forbidden Peak

September 11, 2013

Posted by: Robby Young

Categories: Guide News

When the summer climbing season is in full swing, RMI guides look for every opportunity to get into the mountains. RMI Guide Robby Young took advantage of a few days off from guiding recently to climb the North Ridge of Forbidden Peak in the North Cascades. RMI Guide Robby Young navigating through the crevasses on the North Ridge of Forbidden.

RMI Guide Robby Young navigating through the crevasses on the North Ridge of Forbidden.

With the summer climbing season on Mt. Rainier in full swing, it has become a bit more difficult to sneak away and enjoy the classic alpine routes in the North Cascades. My climbing partner, Mike, recently came to town and I wanted him to experience the beauty of the North Cascade Alpine Rock. Given that it was Mike’s first time in the range, we instinctively set our sights on the classic pinnacle summit of Forbidden Peak. Climbing the North Ridge of Forbidden in the North Cascades.

Climbing the North Ridge of Forbidden in the North Cascades.

The beautifully long and committing North Ridge fit the bill for a true alpine adventure. Unlike its prestigious West Ridge neighbor, the north ridge route involved a more indirect approach, which required climbing up and over the Sharkfin Col and across the remote and broken Boston Glacier. It gave the route a more remote alpine feel. Once on the ridge proper, the climbing soon became uninterrupted and classic as we made “quick” work of the never-ending knife ridge and vertical gendarmes. As anticipated, the summit of Forbidden did not disappoint, gifting us with views of some neighboring North Cascade summits like Eldorado, Torment, Boston, Sahale, and Buckner. Our descent down the West Ridge and back into Boston Basin ended as often long North Cascade routes do, in the dark; leaving us exhausted but eagerly anticipating future adventures in this beautiful range. RMI Guide Robby Young and his climbing partner enjoy the knife edge ridge on Forbidden.

RMI Guide Robby Young and his climbing partner enjoy the knife edge ridge on Forbidden.

________ RMI Guide Robby Young leads climbs in Washington's Cascades and the Alaska Range. Robby is an an accomplished ski mountaineer, ski patroller and photographer.

Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team’s Expedition Comes to an End

July 11, 2013

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Geoff Schellens, Robby Young

Wow! The close to expeditions happen so quickly. After spending two weeks working our way into position, and then waiting for our summit window, the descent flew by. After a day of waiting for winds to die to leave 17k, we left camp in much more moderate winds, but with moderate snowfall added to the mix. The group did a great job of working down the exposed sections of the West Buttress and down the fixed lines to 14k. We ran into Dave Hahn's group there, and traded stories while sorting and organizing our cache, and then continued on our way down to 11k for the evening. Once again the weather moved in, and we arrived at 11k with a chilly wind and snowfall. We set a hasty camp, dug our cache, and ate a hot dinner, before heading to bed. With snow in the forecast for the next day, and hoping to have some visibility, we opted to wake in the dawn hours of morning. The day turned out to be perfectly clear and calm, and we walked out under warming conditions, arriving at Basecamp just in time to see five K2 airplanes land to take out 24 climbers that had been waiting to leave for several days. We were next in line, but spent the day on standby, as K2 launched plane after plane to come get us, only to have to turn around due to clouds and obscured visibility in the passes that allow access to the Alaska Range. Finally, at 8 pm, we got word that the last flight for that evening had turned around and that we would spend another night on the glacier. We set a hasty camp, and cooked up a big dinner out of all of the tasty looking ingredients we could pull from our remaining meals. The next morning dawned clear, calm, and warm, but again, clouds hung in the passes, preventing planes from making it to us, until later in the afternoon. Finally, we had planes on the runway, but the pilots hurried us along, saying it wasn't going to last, and sure enough, as we headed out, pass after pass had shutdown with big white banks of clouds. As we rounded the corner of the Pica Glacier towards Pica Pass, we say the hole we needed and scooted through, with gray rock and white glaciers giving way suddenly to bright green forest and bog lands. Landing in Talkeetna is always a shock to the senses, as smells of grass, trees, pavement, jet fuel, and everything else come flooding in. We stepped off of the planes Tuesday evening to a warm, bright, scented scene, excited to be off the glacier, and gratitude to K2 for trying so hard to get us off. This trip brought together seven climbers who previously had never met to attempt and test themselves on the tallest peak in North America. The group did an amazing job quickly coalescing into a very functional team. We moved over the mountain efficiently (critical for the weather we would see in the second half of the trip), set camp quickly and solidly, and everyone supported everyone else. It was a pleasure for the three of us guides to work with the group, and their dedication showed as the conditions became more challenging, and everyone persevered despite. Thanks for tuning in and watching our adventure progress. Until next time, RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Geoff Schellens, Robby Young, and team signing out!

Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Descend to 11,000’

July 8, 2013

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Geoff Schellens, Robby Young