June 28, 2019
Austin Shannon leading a two person private trip out of Chamonix. Great climbing every day and a great place to hang out in the evenings enjoying the amenities of town.
George Dunn
Kili Team at Shira Camp
June 28, 2019
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- Team heading uphill (Phunuru Sherpa)
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- Rest break for some shade and a picture (Phunuru Sherpa)
Always fun to field phone calls from Phunuru when he’s guiding Kilimanjaro. “All’s well, team’s great, everything’s good†is the typical message and that was certainly the case when he called in Thursday morning, Seattle time. Of course, their day was already over as it’s 10 hours later on Kilimanjaro. Bottom line is that the team did well getting to Shira Camp, at around 12,500’. They’re well above the tree line now with unobstructed views of the mountain. Longer day tomorrow. Up past a place called the Lava Tower and then back down to camp at 13,000’. Climb high, sleep low is the climber’s adage. Why? Because it works great for acclimatization.
All remains well in East Africa.
Phil Ershler
Kili Approach Complete!
June 27, 2019
One happy group (Phunuru Sherpa)
First day of the Kili approach is ‘in the bag’. Machame Camp is at 10,000’, right at the upper edge of the rain forest. All’s well and the team is looking forward to Day Two, with camp at the Shira Plateau as their objective. Check out the photos Phunuru sent of the team!
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- And they’re off! (Phunuru Sherpa)
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- Happy Trails! (Phunuru Sherpa)
As always, we’ll keep you updated as the team progresses.
Phil Ershler
Busy On Rainier!
June 26, 2019
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- IMG Guide, Robert Jantzen, leads his team on a climb of the Emmons (Rowan Stewart)
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- A grand landscape (Patrick Mauro)
June is one of the busiest times of the year on Rainier with climbs on the ID/DC, Emmons, Kautz, and Fuhrer Finger coming and going at anything but a glacial pace. Add to that Mountain Day Schools & Crevasse Rescue Schools and suddenly it’s almost July! We are enjoying every minute of it, too.
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- The summit morning view that never gets old (Porter McMichael)
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- A little bit of solitude on the Emmons (Harry Hamlin)
We are also enjoying the amazing pictures our guides and clients send us after each climb! From sunrise to sunset, we see a lot of smiles up there.
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- Ascending the Muir Snowfield (Peter Adams)
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- IMG Guide, Keith Rumburg, and team in perfect position for a photo on the Kautz (Nickel Wood)
As we close out June and roll into July, look for plenty more updates and pictures on Facebook & Instagram!
All is well on Rainier!
Heather Garland
Kili Time!
June 26, 2019
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- First group photo (Phunuru Sherpa)
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- Exploring Moshi (Phunuru Sherpa)
Can it be Kilimanjaro season, again? The answer is YES. I think Kilimanjaro lead guide, Phunuru Sherpa, is spending as much time on Kilimanjaro as he does on Everest. Imagine summiting Kili with a multiple (and I mean multiple) Everest summiter? He’s not only a great climber but a great guide – and an ever better companion. Folks come back from climbing Kili with Phunuru can’t stop talking about the experience.
He reported in on the 25th and let the office know that everyone was present and accounted for and that gear was checked/packed and they still had time to explore the town of Moshi. The approach hike starts tomorrow morning. They’re looking forward to 7 days and 6 nights of team effort and then it’s safari time. Stay tuned. Phunuru’s great at getting photos out and we’ll want to keep everyone updated as to progress. No news is always good news but hopefully we’ll be able to post most days.
It’s Kili time!!
Phil Ershler
The Sun Sets With A Summit On IMG Denali’s First Season
June 10, 2019
The sun does set on Denali (Jason Edwards)
Austin and his team flew off the mountain yesterday evening. They’re showered, fed and rested, and now checked out with the National Park Service. They are a pretty happy crew and some are already making their way home. The guides will stay in Talkeetna one more day to clean and dry gear. Nice end to our first guiding season on Denali. Big congratulations one more time to all members of Austin’s team and all the guides. Nice job, gang.
Phil Ershler
Update From The DC
June 9, 2019
Team Slay-dies (Leanne Sebren)
IMG Guide, Leanne Sebren, checked in from the DC today with pics of something we haven’t seen in awhile – the sky! She and ‘Team Slay-dies’ were all smiles as the group climbed through Cathedral Gap from Camp Muir to the Flats. Higher freezing levels are expected overnight and we hope this bodes well for their summit attempt.
All is well on Rainier!
Heather Garland
Update From Alaska – Denali Summit!
June 8, 2019
IMG climbers on the summit of Denali (Mike Haft)
We have an update from Alaska! Andy Polloczek and his crew are back at the landing strip, waiting for clouds to dissipate and clearer skies that will allow for a flight to Talkeetna. Hopefully, they are out today and on their way home in the morning. We thank everyone for an excellent effort!
In other news, Austin Shannon and his team had 100% on top yesterday. Weather was as hoped and it was not a day to sit at high camp. Even though the team had a long day the day before, they all said “let’s go†when they woke to good climbing conditions. “When the fish are running, it’s time to go fishingâ€! Great job by all.
Their return to high camp was uneventful and they’re making their move lower now. They’ll decide along the way whether to stop at 14K or 11K or head all the way down to 7,500 for the night. They’ll do what feels right and at least get down as low as they can. A flight out, weather permitting, is scheduled for tomorrow.
So, all is well in Alaska.
Phil Ershler
Denali Update
June 7, 2019
View from above (Jason Edwards)
Andy and team are on their way back to the landing site. Time to get a shower, a nice dinner and sleep again in a bed. They know they gave it their best and that’s what really matters.
Austin and team woke up this morning at high camp and were met by pretty good weather. Team had a quick discussion and decided to take a shot. They are motivated and want to take that shot – NOW. Have not heard back from the team and won’t likely until later today but we’re sending them our best thoughts. Wishing them luck on their summit bid and hoping Andy and team are able to fly off the mountain this evening.
Phil Ershler
Cho Oyu 2019 Is Confirmed For This Autumn
June 7, 2019
Guyachung Kang (7952m) and Cho Oyu (8201m) from Pang La at sunrise (Anthony Nightingale)
We still have a few spots available for our Cho Oyu Expedition this Autumn. If you are interested in visiting Tibet, climbing an 8000 meter peak and preparing for Mount Everest, Cho Oyu is a great choice. Join IMG for our 28th expedition to Cho Oyu!
Greg Vernovage