Bolivia Team Roughing It On Sun Island

July 20, 2016

: View from atop Sun Island (Greg Vernovage)

: Senor Paulino Esteban and Greg Vernovage

: Bolivia Team Photo (Jordan Wallack)

There are great views in every direction when we visit Lake Titicaca.Â A boat ride during a mountaineering trip can be difficult to understand sometimes but on this trip, we cannot pass up the opportunity to hike to the top of Sun Island (14,000â€™)…for acclimatization.

Once on top, we can see the Cordillera Real Mountain Range and on a clear day, all the way down to Illimani.Â After the hike, we have a picnic on the shore with local food usually consisting of 4-5 different varieties of potatoes, chicken, eggs and of course trout.

Tomorrow is an early morning, off to our first camp near Pequeno Alpamayo with a quick stop to visit the home of Senor Paulino the famous Ra reed boat builder.Â His work is amazing to look at and his welcoming smile and handshake are always a welcome stop on our way to the first climb.

Greg Vernovage

Bolivia Team In Copacabana

July 19, 2016

: Huayna Potosi (Greg Vernovage)

: Bolivia Team

: Tiki Boats (Turner Britton)

The Team was out the door early this morning to get out of the city and beat traffic.Â Once out of the city, they caught their first glimpse of Huayna Potosi and then further down the road, Lake Titicaca.Â The Cordillera Real is a beautiful range with tall peaks keeping the Team company all the way into Copacabana.

Once in Copacabana, they will tour the town and find a spot to watch the sunset.Â The weather forecast is consistently beautiful for them.Â Tomorrow is the boat ride to Sun Island, they had better stay in the boat because legend says that anyone who falls in the Lake is not allowed to be rescued!

Matterhorn Teams Ready

July 19, 2016

Climbers on the Breithorn Traverse, Zermatt (Matt Farmer)

Our team on the Matterhorn program has been reporting in regularly. They are all well and progressing along towards their final goal, a summit of the Matterhorn. Over the past few days they practiced their rock and alpine skills and climbed a few 4,000 meter peaks above the town of Zermatt, staying at a high hut just over the Italian border.

Today, July 19, the first team of three climbers and three guides headed up to the Hornlihutte, the climbersâ€™ hut at the base of the Matterhorn. They will be going for the summit tomorrow. Tomorrow, the second group of three climbers will hike up to the Hornlihutte for a summit attempt on the 21^st. The weather forecast is a good one, and we wish the team well!

George Dunn

Elbrus Team Taking In The Sights

July 19, 2016

IMG Senior Guide, Mike Hamill, has met his crew and they’re off on another adventure in Russia.Â St. Petersburg, the Baksan Valley and town of Terskol, Elbrus and Moscow are all on their agenda.Â Mike will keep us posted over the next two weeks as they take in the sights and make their attempt on Elbrus.

—

: Sightseeing in St. Pete

: Dinner in St. Pete

Phil,

Great tour of the city today. Tomorrow morning we’ll get a chance to check out the Hermitage before catching an afternoon flight to Mineralnye Vody.Â Iâ€™ve attached a couple of photos from the day.

Mike

Gear Checks Complete For Kilimanjaro Crew

July 19, 2016

IMG Senior Guide, Charlotte Austin, reports in from Tanzania as she begins another Kilimanjaro expedition.Â We’ll be wishing them all a safe, successful and enjoyable trip.

—

The team is all smiles!

Hey guys,

Greetings from Moshi! It got hot here, so we’re enjoying sitting in the shade after a great day of gear checks, running errands, and stocking up on souvenirs. Now we’re sitting at the Union Cafe waiting for our pizzas to be delivered. About to crack a Kilimanjaro beer!

Thanks,

Charlotte

—
Phil Ershler

150 Ascents Of Mt. Rainier!

July 18, 2016

: Merle on the Kautz (Photo Patty O’Rourke)

: The Kautz Ice Chute (Photo Patty O’Rourke)

IMG Lead Guide Justin Merle hit a mile marker on the Kautz Glacier of Mt. Rainier last week, July 14.

Justin, a world traveled guide for IMG, now has seven summits of Mt. Everest to his name. But last week was all about Mt. Rainier. Justin completed his 150^th successful ascent. That places Justin in the upper echelon of all Mt. Rainier guides. In our book, he is one of the best ever!

Congratulations, Justin!

George Dunn

Bolivia 2016 – Here We Go!

July 18, 2016

: Illimani (Greg Vernovage)

: Old Town La Paz (Greg Vernovage)

Andy is psyched!Â He has the first Bolivia Team together in La Paz.Â â€œAll members with all duffels.â€Â Gear checks are complete and this Team is dialed.Â No hiccups with gear is a great way to start the trip.

The Team had the welcome dinner last night and are doing a little sightseeing and acclimatizing around La Paz today.

They’re out the door tomorrow morning for continued slow acclimatization. First stop is the shores of Lake Titicaca (12,000ft.) followed by a nice hike on Sun Island up to 14,000ft.Â Let’s not feel too sorry for these guys!

Greg Vernovage

4 Spots on Next Emmons Climb: Get ‘Em While They’re Hot

July 12, 2016

It’s not every day that we get last-minute cancellations on Rainier trips, as spots usually sell out quickly and trips stay solidly booked throughout the season.Â Our next Emmons Glacier trip, however, from July 17 to July 21, has four open spaces for anyone interested.Â Although the Emmons route is more physically demanding than the Disappointment Cleaver route due to the heavier pack loads and longer distance traveled, it is significantly less crowded and provides the same beautiful views and mountain experience. Here are a couple of photos from our last Emmons trip to pique your interest:

: Getting onto the Emmons Glacier (Angie Diana).

: The view of the mountain from Camp Schurman (Angie Diana).

Because we provide training in cramponing, ice axe arrests, and rope travel as part of the climb, there are no prerequisites other than a high level of fitness.Â So if you are in excellent shape and can make it out to Ashford this Sunday until next Thursday, you are welcome to sign up!Â For more information about theÂ itinerary, gear, pricing, and how to sign up, click here. Hope to see you soon in the mountains!

Angie Diana

Burgers in Africa

July 10, 2016

Kilimanjaro from Mweka Camp

Charlotte and team are off the mountain and back at the hotel in Moshi.Â Everyoneâ€™s happy and healthy, nursing sore knees with burgers and Kilimanjaro beer.

Steve and Tiffany are on their way home tonight with Mark and Lauren heading home in the morning.Â Charlotte will be taking off to climb Meru for the next couple of days.Â Itâ€™s been a great trip with great climbers.Â No safari this trip but Charlotte remains â€˜psychedâ€™ to meet our next team and climb Kilimanjaro when she returns from Mt. Meru.Â Yes, it is that much fun.

Phil Ershler

Top of Africa!

July 9, 2016

“Jumping for Joy” on the summit of Kilimanjaro (from a prior trip)

Received two sat phone calls from Charlotte in the last 24 hours.Â The first (evening of the 8^th, PT) was to let us know that everyone was standing on the top of Africa and the second (this morning, the 9^th) was to let us know that everyone was down at Mweka Camp (10,000 ft.), tired, fed and ready for a well-deserved sleep.Â The hike out will take around 4 hrs. tomorrow and theyâ€™ll be getting showers, putting on clean clothes, eating and drinking, a bunch, and telling a lot of â€˜war storiesâ€™ as they celebrate their success with a final team dinner.

Our congratulations to Mark and Lauren, Stephen and Tiffany for being super team members and for climbing with Charlotte and our Chagga crew to the summit of Kilimanjaro.Â They totally nailed this one!

Phil Ershler