PMG & ARCO/Murray Team Summits Shuksan (Harry Hamlin)
September 6, 2018
IMG Lead Guide, Harry Hamlin, called in from Shuksan today to report 100% to the top. Harry and the PMG & ARCO/Murray team made an early bid in an effort to beat incoming weather and it was a good call! With blue skies for their backdrop, the team was all smiles!
George Dunn
September 6, 2018
Today’s check in from IMG guide Charlotte Austin on the Salkantay Trek:
“All good here, finished our third day of trekking and now we’re hanging out at the Santa Teresa hot springs. All team members are healthy, happy, and looking forward to Machu Picchu.â€
George Dunn
September 6, 2018
All is well with the Cho Oyu Trekking and Climbing Team in Tibet. Dallas and the team had a great hike up to 16,075 feet outside the town of Tingri. The team was rewarded with a few brief views of Mount Everest between the high clouds.
Everyone is packing up and will be ready to head out after breakfast for Base Camp. With the new road, the team should arrive to Base Camp for brunch. This team is doing a great job acclimatizing. It can be hard to take it slow at the beginning of the trip, but the payoff is huge! Taking it slow and staying healthy at the beginning of the trip puts “money in the bank†for later in the trip.
Up at Base Camp, Phunuru and our advance Sherpa team are making good progress moving gear towards ABC.
Nice work everybody!
Greg Vernovage
Lead IMG Guide, Charlotte Austin, has been calling in to report each day of the Salkantay Trek September 1-10.
The group enjoyed a tour of the Sacred Valley the day before starting their trek to Machu Picchu. Charlotte reported “lots of souvenirs, archaeological sites, and good food.â€
The most recent report from Charlotte today, September 5, says “Checking in from the second night on the trail — all good here. The whole team made it over the pass in good style, and the weather has been awesome. People are stoked! That’s all the news! Tomorrow we head toward the coffee plantation & the hot springs, and we’re all looking forward to rinsing off the trail dust.”
It sounds like the team is well, having fun, and enjoying their time in Peru. In three days they will be at Machu Picchu taking in all of the amazing accomplishments of the Inca culture.
George Dunn
September 5, 2018
Are you going to climb Mt. Rainier in 2019?
Let’s cut to the chase:
Denali Expedition Seminar & Summit Climb: Literally a prerequisite for Denali. This program features 6.5 days of learning/training/climbing and generally getting your butt kicked by the winter weather on Mt. Rainier. This program is for you if you have your eyes on Denali or if you’ve got your eyes on an elusive winter summit of Mt. Rainier. Included in the price of the program is lodging for your first night in Ashford and all breakfasts and dinners on the mountain. At a cost of $2482 for the 6.5 day program, this is an incredible deal with 2:1 guiding and free lodging for the first night.
AIARE Avalanche Level I & Level II: There are few things like experiencing the mountains during the winter. The beauty, the majesty, the solitude, the vastness. To safely experience the mountains during the winter we need specific skills. Whether we are backcountry skiing/snowboarding, snowshoeing or climbing, our ability to assess avalanche hazard and travel in avalanche terrain is paramount to our safety and success in reaching our objectives. Join IMG’s team of certified avalanche educators who work as avalanche professionals throughout the United States to learn and hone your avalanche skills.
Kautz Route: This is a great program for the climber with previous climbing experience. This is the best option for those who’d like to return to Rainier to attempt a different, slightly more challenging route. 1 day traversing the south side of Mt. Rainier, 1 day climbing the Turtle Snowfield, Summit day up the Kautz Ice Chute and 1 day down to the parking lot. All Kautz climbs starting in July, when conditions start to get firmer on the upper mountain will include the Advanced Mountain Day School to help get the team better prepared for the conditions on the route. A prior attempt of Mt. Rainier via the DC or Emmons routes is recommended.
3.5 Day Disappointment Cleaver Route: We believe this program is far and away the most enjoyable way to climb Rainier and is also a great introduction to mountaineering. It starts out with a half-day orientation and gear check. On the 1st day of the climb the group will ascend the Muir Snowfield up to Camp Muir (10,000ft). After dinner (usually IMG’s world famous burritos) it’s off to a full night’s sleep in the Gombu bunkhouse. Day 2 features a nice breakfast (usually pancakes and bacon) followed by a 1/2 day training at Camp Muir. After the training the group will move up to High Camp at the Ingraham Flats (11,000ft). Day 3 of the climb is reserved for the summit attempt and then all the way back down to Paradise and on to IMG HQ to hopefully sign the summit board.
For the more experienced climbers we have more technical programs like the Fuhrer Finger Route and Liberty Ridge.
Additional programs include: Little Tahoma Seminar, Glacier Skills Seminars, Mountain Day Schools, Advanced Mountain Day Schools and Crevasse Rescue Schools are popular programs for climbers looking to get a grasp of the basic skills needed to pursue climbs on their own.
More questions? Don’t miss our Rainier FAQ which should answer a lot of your initial questions.
Ready to sign up? Click here to see our registration forms. Please note that the only way to apply for a position on a Mt. Rainier climb is to submit a completed application form. Absolutely no reservations or holds can be made over the phone.
September 5, 2018
Dallas and Phunuru checked in overnight from Tingri and Chinese Base Camp. Both teams are working hard and enjoying the weather. Phunuru and the Sherpa team have all of the tents up at Chinese Base Camp (16,000’). Down at Tingri, our climbers had a great acclimatization hike up a nearby hill. The team climbed to 15,500 feet and caught another glimpse of Cho Oyu through the clouds.
The team in Tingri has elected to take an additional acclimatization day before moving up. This is money in the bank since there is no hurry to get up to Chinese Base Camp. The area around Tingri is beautiful, so spending an extra day here just gives everybody a little extra time to look around and enjoy their new surroundings. The team is healthy and strong, and we want to keep them that way.
Phunuru has already hired 30 yaks for the trip to ABC, so he and the Sherpa team will be breaking down the gear into yak loads for the trip up to ABC in the next day or two.
All is well in Tibet!
Greg Vernovage
September 4, 2018
Dallas and Phunuru checked in overnight. Phunuru and the Advanced Sherpa Team made it to Chinese Base Camp and have all the big tents up. “Big tents†refer to the dining and cook tents that we set up as the core of camp. The Sherpa Team will set up the sleeping tents tomorrow in anticipation of the team’s arrival.
Down in Tingri (14,100 ft), Dallas and the climbing team took a moderate acclimatization hike. They caught their first glimpse of Cho Oyu and enjoyed a visit to a local monastery before lunch. The afternoon was spent taking care of themselves. Some people took a nap, others did some reading, and some adventurous members went out and did a little shopping. Tomorrow will be a good test day. The team will head out and hike to over 15,500 ft in the hills east of town.
The Team is feeling good and all is well in Tingri!
Greg Vernovage
September 3, 2018
IMG Senior Guide Dallas Glass checked in from Tingri. The team was up and out the door with a beautiful day in Kyirong. The entire team loaded up the trucks and jeeps and headed up the winding road to upper Kyirong. From upper Kyirong, the road opens, and the team drives around the large lake, Pigu Tso and might catch a view of Shishapangma. Dallas snapped a couple more photos of Zugu Nowa (23,000 ft) on their way out of upper Kyirong.
The Team made great time and pulled into Tingri for a late lunch. After lunch, Dallas and Phunuru talked more about logistics. The Sherpa Team will plan to head up to Base Camp in the morning to set up tents and prepare the cook tent. Our climbing team will take a few days in Tingri (14,300 ft) to acclimatize. Tingri is a good place to acclimatize. Our team will go on a few hikes during the day and take plenty of time to make sure they are feeling good before moving up.
All is well in Tingri and the Cho Oyu Team!
Greg Vernovage
September 2, 2018
Dallas and Phunuru checked in after a great day of hiking and touring around the city of Kyirong. The team hiked up the road most of the time to gain some altitude. Heading up the road and following the switchbacks, the team trekked to over 10,500 feet. On their way back to the city, the team stopped off to visit a small monastery called Pakba Monastery. Everyone felt great and are excited to see what is coming next.
The plan for tomorrow is for the team to take off early and head towards Tingri. Hopefully the weather is good and the team gets the big view of the large lake, Pigu Tso and Shishapangma (8027m).
Greg Vernovage
September 1, 2018
Phunuru and Dallas checked in this morning to let us know the entire IMG Team has crossed the border and are now in Kyirong. Dallas said everything went better than planned during the 9.5-hour (slightly bumpy) drive to Kyirong. The weather was nice and they only encountered a couple traffic jams.
The route to the border is historic! It started out as a trade route for rice and salt, then as things do, things got political. You can read more about the new (old) road via Kyirong here.Â
The whole team is together now and will spend a couple days acclimatizing in Kyirong (9,160ft. / 2,790m). The team is planning to do a few acclimatization hikes in the area where they can trek up to 12,000 ft. The team is excited to stretch their legs and see historical Kyirong.
The Team is across the border!
Greg Vernovage
