Summit Success on Rainier!

May 25th, 2025

Arrival at the Summit! (A Diana)

Descending from the summit. (A Diana)

A successful week for International Mountain Guides on Mt. Rainier, as 2 of our Disappointment Cleaver teams enjoyed summits. Team #1 lead by Juliana Garcia celebrated the first summit of the 2025 season, with cold and breezy conditions and limited visibility from the crater.

Team #2 lead by Angie Diana, summited May 24th, with great route conditions, and beautiful views as they watched the sunrise from high upon the mountain.

IMG Denali Progress

May 23, 2025

11000′ K Camp with Mt. Foraker in the distance (Riley Gilson)

Team 1, lead by Brad Swanson, is ascending to 11k Camp! This incredible landscape provides a beautiful view of Foraker’s summit on a clear day, as seen in the photo above.

Team 2, led by Max Bond, is caching at 10k, and will be spending to night at Ski Hill. Caching is a process by which climbers ease long ascents by taking time to take a load of supplies (but not their full gear load) to a higher elevation, and then returning and taking a second trip with the rest of their gear to make a huge load more manageable. They also give their bodies time to acclimate to the higher elevation and slow their ascent. This means lighter loads on stronger bodies, which is a benefit in the extreme conditions of this beautiful mountain!

Team Bond arrives on the Mountain!

Lead Guide, Alex Bond, and Assistant Guide, Lindsey Valero, sitting in the ski plane abut to take off

Lead Guide, Max Bond, and Assistant Guide, Lindsey Valero, sitting in the ski plane abut to take off

May 22, 2025 – Team 2 has arrived on the Kahiltna Glacier! They are headed up to Ski Hill Camp, and will begin their trek up the mountain tomorrow morning.

Team Swanson is carrying gear to 10k Camp to cache supplies and begin acclimating to the altitude. They will continue to climb with interspersed acclimation/caching days for the next week and a half until they’re within range of the summit.

First arrivals to Kahiltna!

May 21. 2025 – Team Swanson has arrived on the Kahiltna Glacier! From here on out the team will be out of cell service, and all communications to HQ will be coming via InReach. They are currently at 7,200 feet above sea level, and over the next two weeks they will climb up a additional 13,100 feet to the mountain’s 20,300 foot summit.

Team Bond has arrived safely in Talkeetna, and is hoping to be able to fly out to the glacier tomorrow. They’ll get a good dinner and some good rest while they can, and be ready to launch as soon as the weather allows!

Team Bond in front of a large stone fireplace with mounted taxidermy animals

Team Bond last night at the Lakefront Hotel in Anchorage

A New Group of Arrivals About to Join Those Waiting at Talkeetna

May 20, 2025

IMGD Guide, Brad Swanson, sits on the front steps of a log building petting a very content orange cat

IMGD Guide, Brad Swanson, with his new best friend.

Team 1 is on day three of waiting to fly out of Talkeetna, the staging ground from which the climbers will take a bush plane up to the Kahiltna Glacier Base Camp. However, this delay is not unusual and spirits are high among the team as they make new friends, human and feline.

Team 2, led by Max Bond, has arrived in Anchorage, and will be departing for Talkeetna tomorrow morning. They will then wait for their own turn to fly out to the glacier and begin this incredible journey!

Good Luck to IMGD Team 1!

May 17th, 2025

IMG Team Brad Denali travels to Talkeetna today!

The adventure is underway! Our IMG Denali team kicked things off early this morning with a shuttle ride from Anchorage to Talkeetna.

Today, they’ll be busy with final gear checks and attending the mandatory National Park Service briefing. Spirits are high as the team prepares to launch their climb of North America’s highest peak. Best of luck to everyone, the mountain awaits! Follow along here on the blog and on our social media for updates from the expedition as the team makes their way up Denali/McKinley!

IMG Denali Team 1 Touches Down In Anchorage!

Landing at Kahiltna Base Camp in 2024

May 16, 2025 – And they’re off! IMG Denali Team 1, lead by Senior Guide Brad Swanson, landed in Anchorage today and is busy getting ready for the expedition ahead. After gear checks and a team dinner, everybody will get a night of good rest before heading to Talkeetna, the launch point for the expedition. Check back soon for more updates!

2025 Guide Training Wraps Up!

April 29, 2025

: 2025 IMG Guides & Staff at Guide Training (Harry Hamlin)

Well- that’s a wrap, folks! We’re finishing up guide training this week.

Over the past week we’ve had field sessions for the guides to review and test on crevasse rescue, avalanche rescue, camp maintenance and many more topics. Our team going up to Denali also had their own field day and HQ day to review all things Denali including sled rigging, other technical skills, logistics, rescue operations, and packing tents for the expeditions.

Our new guides will be out the door this week for training climbs, volunteer days with Mt. Rainier NP, and Leave No Trace training.

It’s a big step each season to finish guide training because it means that the PNW season is officially underway.

IMG New Guide Training 2025

April 28, 2025

: Climbing the Ingraham Glacier (F Baldwin)

: New Guide training returning to Camp Muir from the upper mountain. (F Baldwin)

IMG is gearing up for the season on Rainier, and our new guides spent last week with with some of our supervisors, getting to know Mt. Rainier!

Guide Training 2025

April 24, 2025

IMG Guide Training 2025

New guide training 2025 underway on Rainier.