August 4, 2019
Visibility was good for most of the day but got into the ‘soup’ on the descent around 16,500’.
No precipitation, but the wind tried to make the climb as difficult as possible. Tough summit day but 100% on top and down safely in spite of the conditions.
Congratulations to Jonathan, Sasha and team. Great, great job.
Phil Ershler
August 3, 2019
Jonathan checked in again today and reported that the acclimatization hike to the Pastukhova Rocks went well. That’s about 15K feet.
They’re now prepped, packed and about ready for bed. It’ll be an early, alpine start for the summit. Breezy but clear. Let’s hope it stays that way.
Phil Ershler
August 3, 2019
The team on Elbrus has moved up to their high hut. A little food packing first and then it was up the condoles and get settled into the hut there.
Nice having a cook to take care of food preparation, leaving the team to concentrate on getting ready for their climb.
Another acclimatization hike and two nights at that high hut before it’ll be time to take that summit shot. Once well acclimated, it’s all about taking care of yourself on the climb, and it’s all about the weather. Fingers crossed.
Phil Ershler
August 3, 2019
Time to say good bye to Africa for a bit and time for Phunuru to get back to Nepal, see his family and get ready to lead our post-monsoon Cho Oyu expedition. Safari ended with a visit to the Ngorongoro Crater, more animals, including the black rhino, and a final night at the Farm House. Time for flight home.
Everyone was a trooper and a successful summiter of Kilimanjaro. Nicely done, gang.
We’ll be back in a month with more IMG climbers and see if we can’t have another equally safe, successful and enjoyable trip up Kilimanjaro! Thanks to everyone who helped.
Phil Ershler
August 2, 2019
Harry called to let us know the team has returned to La Paz. After getting checked into their rooms, the first thing on the agenda is to grab a shower! The team had great climbs of Pequeno Alpamayo and Huayna Potosi.
The team will have a nice celebratory dinner tonight. Some members will depart in the morning while others will prepare for Illimani (21,200’). Climbers heading for Illimani will depart on Sunday morning for Base Camp. This is about a 3 hour drive through the countryside before coming to the end of the road. The trek to Base Camp on Illimani is one of my favorite treks and the Base Camp is located next to a beautiful stream in a beautiful and soft meadow for camping.
All is well in Bolivia!
Greg Vernovage
August 1, 2019
The Kili team had another great day on their safari! They saw LOTS of cats. Big ones. It really is amazing just how much wildlife you can see over 3 days, however, the elusive prize remains and that’s to see a black rhino. They’ll have to wait for their visit to Ngorongoro Crater tomorrow… and then they’ll have to let us know if they are the lucky ones!
All is well!
Phil Ershler
August 1, 2019
IMG Senior Guides Harry Hamlin and Roberto Gomez checked in from Huayna Potosi Base Camp just now. The team reached the summit this morning and are now back at Base Camp. Great work! The mountains in Bolivia are never “gimmee’s.†On Pequeno Alpamayo (17,482’), the terrain changes during the climb requiring climbers to be technically efficient on all levels; glacier travel, rock and steep ridge climbing. On Huayna Potosi (19,974’), we add more altitude and a steep face that needs to be climbed to the summit. It helps to have great weather and this team enjoyed beautiful conditions for climbing and Harry said there was zero wind on top!
The team will rest this afternoon and get a nice dinner made by our fantastic cook staff tonight. Tomorrow morning, they will load the bus at 9am and head to La Paz to celebrate. Some of the team will say goodbye and head home while others will take a rest day and prepare for the icing on the cake by heading over to Illimani (21,200’).
All is well in Bolivia!
Greg Vernovage
August 1, 2019
Descending from the summit May 2019 (Jay Lyons)
If you’re thinking about a Rainier climb in 2020 and want to dip your toes into the water first, we still have room on our August 21 Mountain Day School, August 22 Advanced Mountain Day School, & August 23-24 Crevasse Rescue Course! Come on out and learn some basic mountaineering skills with your IMG guides and be a stronger, safer member of any rope team.
Look for 2020 Rainier dates to be released the first week of September. We’ll send out a newsletter, post on the blog, and post on social media.
If you need an adventure fix sooner, there are spots available on our Salkantay Trek to Machu Piccu in September, our Carstensz Pyramid climb in October, and the Mexico Volcanoes in November. Register today!
Meanwhile, all is well this summer on Rainier, in the North Cascades, on Elbrus, in Bolivia, and on Kilimanjaro!
Heather Garland
August 1, 2019
Jonathan and Sasha took the team onto the lower slopes of Elbrus today for a day of skills review. All went well and the team is prepared!
After training, they headed down to Terskol for their final gear pack and one last night in the hotel before heading uphill tomorrow. The weather was a bit better today and we’re hoping it continues. It’s almost ‘game day’!
Phil Ershler
July 31, 2019
Prepping for Elbrus (Jonathan Schrock)
Jonathan checked in today from Terskol and reported that the team had a good acclimatization hike near the Cheget ski area. They timed it perfectly as they had thunderstorms last night, no rain during their hike, and then another rain shower shortly after they finished their hike.
Gear checks are done and everything’s right on schedule and going according to plan.
All is well… even timing the rain perfectly!
Phil Ershler
