DC & Emmons Teams Summit Rainier

June 22, 2018

Sunrise on Rainier rarely disappoints! (Luke Reilly)

Two teams. Two routes. Two teams summit!

Yesterday IMG Chief Guide, Justin Merle and his Emmons team summited Mt. Rainier. Having summited yesterday makes the walk out to the trailhead today all that much more enjoyable today. The team is safely back in Ashford celebrating a successful climb!

On the DC Route Nickel Wood and 100% of his team summited this morning. He reports that after nearly 6 weeks on the Ingraham Direct, the route has officially switched over to the Disappointment Cleaver. It was a good run on the ID this year! Nickel and his team are also back in Ashford, likely swapping stories with the Emmons crew.

Uphill today is Senior Guide Jason Tanguay and his DC team.Â It’s always nice to see Jason on Mt. Rainier. He brings a lot of experience, and usually some floss. Why floss? Well, Jason is also a full time dentist! Needless to say, the team is in good hands!

All is well on Mt. Rainier!

Tye Chapman

Alps Team Summits The Monch

June 21, 2018

: Don’t look down! (Austin Shannon)

: Perfect climbing conditions. (Austin Shannon)

: All smiles on the summit. (Austin Shannon)

The Alps team summited the Monch (4107m) today on their first day of climbing out of Wengen. They will stay in a climbing hut on the side of the Monch this evening (Monjochhutte) and will attempt the Jungfrau in the morning. Lead guide Andy Polloczek reports that conditions look good for the ascent tomorrow!

Tomorrow night the team will descend to Wengen for a welcome rest at the hotel and a good dinner.

George Dunn

The Swiss Alps Don’t Disappoint

June 19, 2018

: The Matterhorn (Austin Shannon)

: Weissmies (Austin Shannon)

: Sunrise (Austin Shannon)

: Climbing in great weather. (Austin Shannon)

: View from the hut. (Austin Shannon)

: Hut in the Swiss Alps. (Austin Shannon)

IMG Guides Andy Polloczek and Austin Shannon checked in from the Swiss Alps reporting that they had a good climb and fantastic weather on their climb of the Weissmies. They stayed in a hotel last night for showers and a good meal and are traveling to Wengen, a small mountain town near Grindlewald for their next climbs of the Monch and the Jungfrau.

Truth is, Austin’s photos say a lot more than Andy did.

George Dunn

All Is Well On Mt. Rainier

June 18, 2018

: Approaching camp on the Wilson Bench on day 1 (Dallas Glass)

: The Kautz Ice Chute (Dallas Glass)

The season on Mt. Rainier is cranking right along. Here’s a quick recap:

Kautz Route – Dallas Glass reports that he and his team are ready to tackle the Kautz Ice Chute tomorrow morning!

Emmons Route – Justin Merle is getting his Emmons team ready to hit the trailhead in the morning. Gear checks today.

DC Route – Anna Hicks summited via the Ingraham Direct this morning. Emily Johnston and her team will greet Anna’s team with hugs handshakes on the Muir Snowfield this afternoon as they make their way to Camp Muir.

Little Tahoma Seminar – Max Lurie and Mingma Sherpa and their team are on Day 3 of 5 and spent the bulk of today training.

Tye Chapman

Alps Classics trip gets off to a good start!

June 17, 2018

On the summit of the Rifflehorn (Andy Polloczek)

IMG Guides Andy Polloczek and Austin Shannon checked in today after their first training day on the Riffelhorn above the town of Zermatt. Andy reports that the team is doing well and they are heading to their next objective tomorrow, an ascent of the Weissmies, a 4,000 meter peak nearby. The team will be staying in a climbing hut tomorrow night so we’ll hope to hear from them when they get back down to Zermatt the following day.

George Dunn

Never A Dull Moment In A PNW Summer

June 15, 2018

: DC 6.14.18 (Patrick Mauro)

: DC 6.14.18 (Patrick Mauro)

: DC 6.14.18 (Patrick Mauro)

The winters can be pretty long here in the PNW, but those winters pay pretty nice dividends during the climbing season, and we do our best to take full advantage of the season. This means we see some pretty busy weeks and months, with weekend and upcoming week as a prime example.

Over the next few days we’ll have a total of 7 different programs heading into the field. On Mt. Rainier alone we’ll have three DC Teams, and Emmons Team, a Kautz Team, a Little Tahoma Seminar, a Mountain Day School and a Doc Talk by IMG Guide Emily Johnston. Outside of Mt. Rainer we have a Mt. Baker climb, which headed into the field today, and two Mt. Shuksan programs next week.

So don’t take it personally if we miss your call; we’re likely on the phone, radio, sat phone or talking to our climbers in person. I promise we’ll call you back!

Tye Chapman

DC Team Summits / Good Weather On The Horizon

June 14, 2018

: The DC Team making their way up the Muir Snowfield (Patrick Mauro)

: If you look closely you’ll see climbers leaving Camp Muir. (Patrick Mauro)

Three different teams and three different outcomes. First, IMG Chief Guide Justin Merle called in from the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. He and his team summited via the DC Route (currently the Ingraham Direct). They’ll make their way back down, stopping briefly at The Flats and at Camp Muir, before descending down to the Paradise parking lot.

On the north side of the mountain is/was the Emmons team. It’s no secret that the past couple days have been pretty rough on Mt. Rainier. The storm brought some heavy winds and snowfall, which the Emmons team took head on. They were slated to summit yesterday, right in the midst of the storm. IMG Senior Guide Luke Reilly opted to ride the storm out at Camp Schurman. After a long night in camp they packed up and made their way down to the trailhead yesterday afternoon. No summit, but they’re all safe and prepared to come back another time!

On the Fuhrer Finger route is senior guide Harry Hamlin. He and his team opted for some technical training today and ventured over to the Kautz Ice Chute. They’re doing well and will make their way down to Paradise and on to Ashford tomorrow afternoon.

Uphill today is Rikki Dunn and his DC team. They’re en route to Camp Muir today and have a pretty darn good forecast in front of them.

Tye Chapman

One Team Summits, Others On The Move

June 12, 2018

Looking up the Emmons route from Camp Schurman (Luke Reilly)

It’s always a good day when one of our teams calls in from the summit of Mt. Rainier; today was no exception. Our Disappointment Cleaver Team battled the cold temps and reached the summit in good form this morning. They’ve made their way down the Muir Snowfield and are now looking forward to hot showers and cold beers! Taking their place on the mountain is our uphill DC Team led by Justin Merle. They’re eyeing Thursday as their summit day.

Our Emmons Team did some training this morning and pulled into Camp Schurman early this afternoon. IMG Guide Luke Reilly reports that they’re in position to take advantage of whatever Mt. Rainier gives them tomorrow morning. There’s only one way to know what that will be – wake up and take a look!

And on The Fuhrer Finger Route, Harry Hamlin reports that his team used today to do some training, if things look good tomorrow they’ll move up to their second camp. It’s a 5-day program so they have a little wiggle room.

All is well on Mt. Rainier!

Tye Chapman

Another Beaut Of A Day Rock Climbing In Oregon

June 12, 2018

Jerry on top of Smith Rock Group’s north tower. (Jonathan Schrock)

IMG Senior Guide, and Bend, OR resident, Jonathan Schrock checked in from Smith Rock this afternoon. Schrock reports that the Matterhorn training program wrapped up nicely today with a climb of Smith Rock Group’s north tower.

Smith Rock, just outside of Bend, OR is an excellent training location for aspiring rock climbers or climbers looking for some depth in climbing experience and the ability to move quickly and confidently on technical terrain. The views aren’t bad either!

Tye Chapman

Rainier Update: Teams On The DC, Fuhrer Finger & Emmons Routes

June 11, 2018

Fresh snow and some windy conditions on the upper mountain. (Max Lurie)

Despite a recent hiccup in the weather here in the Pacific Northwest, things continue to go pretty smoothly on Mt. Rainier. Right now we have three teams on the mountain.

Harry Hamlin and his team are at their first camp on the Fuhrer Finger route. They’re going to see what the recent snow has done to the south side of the mountain. Over on the north side of Rainier is Luke Reilly and his Emmons team. They’re parked at their camp for the night on the Inter Glacier. They’ll move up to Camp Schurman tomorrow. Our DC team is at The Flats ready to take a shot at the summit, if things look favorable in the morning.

The weather doesn’t look like it has quite stabilized just yet, so the teams on the mountain will do their best and continue to take what Mt. Rainier gives them.

Tye Chapman