July 27, 2015
The team at The Barrels.
Mike Hamill called in to report that our Elbrus team is back in the valley, safe and sound, and heading out for lunch, soon. He also said that weather was poor today so they feel good about sneaking the climb in when they did.
The attached photo is of the team on their way down at a place called “The Barrels”. They’ll use their 2 contingency days hiking around the Baksan Valley.
Phil Ershler
July 27, 2015
Classic sunrise shadow on Kilimanjarol (Greg Vernovage)
Dustin called in from the summit of Kilimanjaro. All is well with a perfect climb to the roof of Africa!
Not a breath of wind up there. I could not hear any wind in the Satellite phone when Dustin called. Gorgeous sunrise!
They are tucked in at Mweka Camp for the night. What is for dinner, Dustin? “Who cares, the food has been so good and we are all so happy, we will eat what the great cook staff feeds us and get some sleep!â€
Nice job Team!
Greg Vernovage
July 26, 2015
Luke checked in after some great training at the tongue of Pequeno Alpamayo. The first time out to the glacier can be a little intimidating. This is one of the reasons we like to go out before we climb. Get out there and see the first piece to the puzzle that is Pequeno Alpamayo.
 This mountain will literally give this team a taste of all kinds of climbing. Glacier travel out of the gate followed by some exposed short bursts of a ridge to the “first†summit. We arrive there and celebrate as the true summit takes our breath away and most people hit the pause button and usually say, “Wait a minute, we are going up there?â€
 Yeah, it is a great day of climbing with a little rock scrambling up and down as well!
 The team is going to walk at 3:30 am. Perfect timing!
Greg Vernovage
July 26, 2015
Dustin reports from Barafu High Camp that all is well and the team is ready to head for the summit tonight! Everyone is doing great, no issues and are excited. They got to bed a little earlier today in anticipation for a wake up at 10:15 pm. Dustin wants the team to start walking by midnight.
Dustin told me that the team felt like it was Christmas Eve and they just didn’t know how they were going to get any sleep. They are having a great time! Go get it everyone!
Greg Vernovage
July 26, 2015
Summit of Elbrus (Mike Hamill)
Good news this morning from Russia. Mike Hamill called in to report a tough but successful summit day. Elbrus is a serious work out and never to be underestimated. Weather got particular nasty on the descent but all team members are back at the hut – safe and doing just fine.
They’ll spend tonight at the hut and then make their return to Terskol in the morning. Congratulations, to all!
Phil Ershler
July 25, 2015
Luke checked in from Pequeno Alpamayo Base Camp after a great acclimatization hike up Pico Austria. From the top of Pico Austria you can see a lot of the route of Pequeno Alpamayo and Condoriri. The wildlife on this hike is great. The Condor, Llama and Bolivian Rabbit called the Viscacha can be seen everywhere.
 Tomorrow is a big training day. The team will walk out to the tongue of the glacier and train for glacier travel, self-arrest and running belay. This first mountain has it all! The team will be ready to go.
 Acclimatization is going well, keep up the good work!
Greg Vernovage
July 25, 2015
Mt. Elbrus
Game day has arrived. Mike called this morning, Pacific time, and let me know the crew put in another good acclimatization day on Elbrus. It also served as a good opportunity to get their ‘systems dialed’ and prepare for tomorrow’s summit attempt. Weather remains favorable and forecasts show the same for the next couple of days. Winds, in particular, look to be very light. That’s a big help on Elbrus, or any mountain, for that matter. Wish them luck. It’ll be an early alpine start with a return to our high hut for the night after the summit attempt.  Game on!
Phil Ershler
July 25, 2015
The great Barranco Wall today. It is a short day on the trail but one that requires a little more attention. Dustin and the team navigated the Barranco Wall with a little cloud cover. We make today and tomorrow slightly shorter days of trekking in order to prepare for our summit night.
“We pulled into Karanga Camp in perfect form and had hot lunch waiting for us.â€Â What was on the menu? “Fried chicken with french fries!â€
 What a great picnic at 13,000 on Kilimanjaro!
Greg Vernovage
July 24, 2015
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Machu Picchu (Peru)
IMG Guide Peter Anderson reports that all continues to go well. They’ve toured the Sacred Valley, done their gear checks and are ready to hit the trail! – George Dunn
The Matterhorn (Switzerland)
IMG Matterhorn guide Aaron Mainer reports that the climbers recently got down from their second climb.  The first attempt with two guides and two climbers was successful, but turned around 350-400m above the Hornli Hut today with the other two climbers in some marginal weather and conditions.  It was still damp from rain and then started to rain as they ascended.  The team will be having a celebration dinner, and then another day of climbing, possibly a “via ferrata†in the Gorner Gorge. – George Dunn
Pequeno Alpamayo (Bolivia)
Luke called in from our first camp on Pequeno Alpamayo. The camp is located conveniently next to a family that we have known for years. They have llamas and donkeys that help us transport our gear up hill. At 14,500 feet, we do not want to push up too fast. A night at this elevation will help us in the long run.The team had a nice acclimatization hike and are settling into tents for the first time this trip. It will be nice and cool, great for sleeping. Tomorrow is a casual morning and a good walk into Base Camp. – Greg Vernovage
Cedros Trek (Peru)
Trek leader Jason Edwards called in to report a successful end to the Cedros trek. All team members are back in the town of Juaraz and will be returning home after one last day in Juaraz tomorrow. On Saturday, July 25 Jason will lead a team back into the mountains to do a couple of big peaks in the area. Jason has changed the peak selection from Pisco to Ishinca and Urus. We’ll report on his climb next week. – George Dunn
Elbrus (Russia)
Mike Hamill reports that all continues to go smoothly in Russia. Acclimatization hikes are done and the team put in a day yesterday refreshing skills. Today’s the move up on to the mountain. A couple of gondola rides and an old, single chair lift takes the crew to a place called “The Barrelsâ€. Not a place where we like to stay so they’ll be hiking another 1.5 hours uphill to the site where an historic, old refuge was located prior to its burning down back in 1998. We have a small, private hut located here and that will be ‘base’ for the team for the next few nights. More acclimatization is smart before taking a summit shot. Weather remains favorable and forecasts show the same for a couple of days. It’ll be game day, soon. Phil Ershler
Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)
Hey Greg, just another perfect day on Kili. Everyone woke up at Shira camp feeling great and made a great push up to the Lava Tower Camp at 15k before dropping back down to Barranco Camp. We were above the clouds all day and had incredible views of Kili throughout the day. Doesn’t get much better than this. Super strong and fun team. The team talked – and a few sang – on the hike from 12700 to 15100 feet. Needless to say they were feeling great. Everyone is looking forward to a fun day scrambling up the Barranco Wall tomorrow. In the mean time everyone is relaxing, drinking tea, playing cards and generally enjoying the spectacular view! – Dustin Balderach
July 23, 2015
The team.
Our Machu Picchu trek, July 21-30 checked in from Cusco yesterday, 7/22. All is well with the team. Here is a report from guide Peter Anderson:
Buenos noches,
Everything is going great down here. Busy and hectic day but we are teed up nicely for our adventure. Great food, great city tour and a great mix of folks! Here we are at Plaza de Armas and learning about the Sun Temple in Cusco. From recent history to the conquistador history to the Inca history this quaint city is amazing. We also visited a true local market seeing chia seeds, coca leaf products and quinoa for sale.
We had a great evening of getting to know one another and having our group briefing for tomorrow’s tour of the Sacred Valley and our trek to come.
Skies are clear, temps are warm, and we are hoping the Inca gods keep it up!
The team photo ain’t great, but that’s what happens with a volunteer photographer.
Best,
Peter
