The 2019 Rainier Season Is On!

May 5, 2019

The first DC team of the 2019 Rainier season (Heather Garland)

The Rainier season is officially underway with the first DC climb of 2019 hiking up through Paradise as we speak. The weather looks stable, if a bit warm, with 10,000′ freezing levels. IMG Guides, Jay Lyons (far left) & Ryan Dougherty (far right), summited early yesterday as part of a team that established a route up the Ingraham Glacier. They and IMG Lead Guides, Mike Haft (front left) and Nickel Wood (front right), have excellent conditions and a motivated crew. We couldn’t picture a better start!

Stay tuned for updates!

Heather Garland

Denali Prep Seminar Season Comes To A Close

May 3, 2019

IMG Denali Prep Seminar at Camp Muir (Betsy Dain-Owens)

As the sun sets on the 2019 Denali Prep Seminar season, we’d like to thank every one of our participants for their hard work, enthusiasm, and willingness to both enjoy and be humbled by the mountain. From epic storms to ground blizzards to whiteouts to bitter cold to fierce winds to bluebird days, Rainier delivered. We hope you enjoyed learning new skills such as crevasse rescue, sled hauling, and expedition camping as much as we enjoyed teaching them.

We wish you the best as you head to Denali, Aconcagua, Ecuador, and big mountains around the world!

Heather Garland

Denali Prep Headed To Ingraham Flats

May 2, 2019

The Denali Prep Seminar at Little Africa Camp on Rainier (Willie Webster)

Nickel checked in this morning and reported it’s a little windy and chilly at Camp Muir with clouds just below 10,000′. They are headed up to the Ingraham Flats Camp and will scout the upper mountain for a possible route to the summit. Their back up plan is to work on crevasse rescue skills on the Ingraham Glacier.

Ice axe self-arrest training during the last Denali Prep Seminar of 2019 (Leanne Sebren)

The team has been working hard and is excited for the opportunity move higher!

Heather Garland

Final Denali Prep Seminar Of 2019

May 1, 2019

IMG Guide, Nickel Wood, leads the training on the last Denali Prep Seminar of 2019 (Betsy Dain-Owens)

IMG Lead Guide, Nickel Wood, is at Camp Muir with the final Denali Prep Seminar of the 2019 season. The team spent their first few nights on the mountain working on expedition camping skills, moving from their first camp just above Paradise up onto the Muir Snowfield. They’ve hauled their sleds over four miles and now have first-hand experience in the importance of proper self-care (blister mitigation!).

: Working on proper ice axe techniques (Leanne Sebren)

: Denali Prep expedition camp on Rainier (Betsy Dain-Owens)

Today they worked on crevasse rescue techniques and tomorrow’s plan is to rope up for a walk across the Cowlitz Glacier possibly onto the upper mountain.

The weather has been fantastic so far and it looks to stay that way.

All is well on Rainier!

Heather Garland

IMG Camp Muir 2019

April 28, 2019

View of Camp Muir from the ridge April 2019 (Robert Jantzen)

IMG Guide, Robert Jantzen, checked in from Camp Muir to let us know the crew has been working hard! They shoveled a platform in the snow yesterday and today they are setting up the WeatherPort, a structure used by the guide services to store gear and cook for clients on the DC climbs.

: Shoveling the platform (Robert Jantzen)

: IMG Camp Muir Setup 2019 (Robert Jantzen)

All is well and the team expects to descend to HQ today. Climbs begin on Saturday!

We have an opening on our May 24-27 climb. Sign up today!

Heather Garland

New Openings On The DC/Emmons/Kautz!

April 24, 2019

Early season on Rainier (Patrick Mauro)

We have two new openings on the 3.5 Day DC Summit Climb!

May 20-23
May 24-27

We also have the following availability:

4.5 Day Emmons
June 15-19

4.5 Day Kautz
June 29 – July 3

Email your application packet to office@mountainguides.com today!

IMG HQ

Putha Hiunchuli Expedition 2019

April 23, 2019

Sherpas at Camp 2 on Putha Hiunchuli (Karma Rita)

If you’ve been following IMG’s current Himalayan season and it has you itching to climb a big mountain yourself, you should seriously consider our Putha Hiunchuli Expedition this September 16 – October 18! We first climbed 23,773′ Putha Hiunchuli (POO-ta hoo-en-CHOO-lee) in 2017 and are excited to return to this remote mountain in the Dhaulagiri Range this autumn.

Email office@mountainguides.com for more info!

Heather Garland

Available Mountaineering Courses with IMG – Summer 2019

April 23, 2019

Tibloc ratchet (James Wolff)

We still have availability on this summer’s mountaineering courses! Take one at a time or take them on consecutive days. Either way, you’ll be a better mountaineer and safer climbing partner when you’re done!

MDS = Mountain Day School
AMDS = Advanced Mountain Day School
CRS = Crevasse Rescue School

May 17 MDS
May 18-19 CRS

June 14 MDS
June 15-16 CRS

May 24 MDS
May 25-26 CRS

July 4 MDS
July 5 AMDS
July 6-7 CRS

July 25 MDS
July 26 AMDS
July 27-28 CRS

August 8 MDS
August 9 AMDS
August 10-11 CRS

August 21 MDS
August 22 AMDS
August 23-24 CRS

To sign up, just complete and submit your application packet to office@mountainguides.com!

IMG HQ

IMG Spring Guide Training 2019

April 22, 2019

IMG Guide Staff 2019 (Robert Jantzen)

It’s hard to believe we are less than two weeks away from our first Rainier climb of the season! Our dedicated office staff has been busy since September processing applications and answering gear questions and now it’s time for all of their hard work to come to fruition. But before we turn our full attention to climbing the mountain, we must first tend to the task of guide training. Every spring, veteran guides and new guide candidates meet at IMG HQ in Ashford, WA for orientation, a BBQ, and training. This year’s turnout was the biggest yet and we were fortunate to have excellent weather both days.

2019 guide training on Mt. Rainier (George Dunn)

I asked IMG Guide, Rowan Stewart, what he enjoyed most and he said, “The highlight of the weekend for me was the training day at Paradise on Sunday. We had the opportunity to practice rescue skills, work on in the field problem solving, and absorb information from the knowledgeable senior staff of IMG”.

There was certainly no shortage of knowledgeable senior staff. On Saturday, we had Emily Johnston, MD present her “Doc Talk”, followed by hands-on technical training with Jason Edwards, Andy Polloczek, and Jonathan Schrock. Emily, Andy, and Jonathan will all be guiding on Denali this summer before stints on Rainier, in the Alps, and on Elbrus.

IMG’s world-class guide staff is the best in the business. Join them on guided treks, climbs, and mountaineering expeditions all around the world!

Heather Garland

IMG Crevasse Rescue Courses Available

April 19, 2019

Proper crevasse rescue skills are essential in the mountains (Greg Vernovage)

If you are planning a glacier climb in the Cascades this summer, you and your teammates will need the requisite crevasse rescue skills. IMG’s two day Crevasse Rescue School is the perfect place to learn the knots, anchors, and systems that are mandatory for any mountain climber.

We have availability on the following comprehensive training sessions:

May 18-19
May 25-26
June 15-16
July 6-7
July 27-28
August 10-11
August 23-14

Don’t leave it to chance in the mountains, climb prepared! Email office@mountainguides.com or submit your application packet now.

IMG HQ