So Far So Good

June 25, 2015

Day 2 on the trail took the team to Shira Camp at an altitude of about 12,500â€™.Â Nice in that you have unobstructed views of the mountain.Â Andy reported that the youngsters were, by far, outperforming the â€˜oldstersâ€™.Â Well done, gang.

Tomorrowâ€™s long, with the group heading up to about 14,500â€™ before dropping back down to Baranco Camp,at about 13,000â€™.Â Nothing steep but just more distance to travel.Â Pretty ideal from an acclimatization perspective.

As we often say â€“ â€œso far, so goodâ€.

Phil Ershler

And They’re Off

June 24, 2015

And They Are Off

Combine a great group of climbers and a great guide like Andy Politz and itâ€™s just hard to miss.Â A couple of super nice families filled most of our 22 June Kilimanjaro departure.Â Several teenagers in the group, too, and theyâ€™re all â€œtearing it upâ€.Â Theyâ€™re moving right along with zero issues.Â People arrived and bags arrived right on schedule and theyâ€™ve completed their first day on the trail today.Â 4,000 vertical foot gain took them to the Machame camp at 10,000 ft.Â First day is a big one and the views just get better each day.

Phil Ershler

Wilderness First Responder Recertification

June 20, 2015

One of the many requirements of guides at IMG, is that they acquire and maintain certification as a Wilderness First Responder (or WFR). Every guide goes through a 72 hour course, which covers a wide range of medical issues that could arise in the backcountry. In a WFR course, trainees practice backcountry first aid through a series of realistic â€œscenarios.â€ Once a trainee passes the 72 course, their training is good for two years. That means, every two years, guides have to go through an intensive 2 day recertification course.

This weekend, IMG Guide, and owner of Sentinel Outdoor Institute, Peter Anderson is at IMG Headquarters in Ashford, teaching a WFR recertification course. In addition to the large number of IMG guides taking the course, there are also representatives from Alpine Ascents, Northwest Mountain School, and EXUM Mountain Guides.

: Eric Simonson plays the patient in a scenario (Photo: Josh McDowell)

: George Dunn plays the patient in a scenario (Photo: Josh McDowell)

: Group scenario (Photo: Josh McDowell)

: 9 am start on Saturday (Photo: Josh McDowell)

It will be a busy weekend here in Ashford! We also have a 3.5 day climb gear check, a Kautz climb gear check, and a Crevasse Rescue School going on at IMG Headquarters today. That comes out to about 45-50 people at IMG today!

Josh McDowell

Prep For Mt. Rainier Talk At Outdoor Research

June 17, 2015

An IMG rope team on one of the final pushes to the summit of Mt. Rainer. (Photo by IMG Guide Chris Meder)

Join IMG Guide Dallas Glass at the Outdoor Research Retail Store this Thursday, June 18th, at 5:30pm for a Prep To Climb Mt. Rainier presentation. Dallas will cover the routes, the gear and the training/fitness needed to climb Mt. Rainier. Dallas has had a busy summer on Rainier having led a few DC climbs, a Kautz climb and will be on the Emmons next week. Join him for a couple hours and pick his brain a bit.

Who: Anybody in need of a Mt. Rainier fix!
What: Climbing Mt. Rainier Basics (routes, gear, fitness)
When: Thursday, June 18th. 5:30-7:30
Where: Outdoor Research Retail Store (map)

Tye Chapman

Perfect Conditions In The North Cascades

June 15, 2015

North Face of Mt. Shuksan (Justin Merle)

Lead Guide Justin Merle was able to send a couple of photos during his climb of the North Face of Mt. Shuksan today.

Looks like ideal conditions on this 50 degree route, up perfect neve snow.

Justin and his partner will head over to attempt the west ridge of Forbidden Peak after descending from Mt. Shuksan.

What a great couple of climbs to knock off this summer!

George Dunn

Mike Haft: Newest Member of the Rainier Century Club!

June 14, 2015

At 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 13, 2015, Mike Haft became the newest member of the Rainier Century Club.Â The club is reserved for climbers (almost always guides), who have climbed to the summit of Mt. Rainier 100 times!Â Mike Haft is in his 7^th year as a guide for IMG, which means he averages 15 summits every summer.Â For most, standing on top of Washingtonâ€™s highest peak, is a once in a lifetime achievement.Â Mike is not showing any signs of slowing down, and he will be at 200 before you know it!

Mike Haft with Sara Cohen, on his 100th Summit

IMG guides in the Rainier Century Club:

Craig John (100+)

Emily Johnston (100+)

Aaron Mainer (100+)

Justin Merle (100+)

Liam Oâ€™Sullivan (100+)

Andy Politz (100+)

John Race (100+)

Jason Tanguay (100+)

Brenda Walsh Hollon (100+)

Jeff Ward (100+)

Paul Baugher (100+)

Eric Simonson (200+)

Jason Edwards (300+)

Phil Ershler (400+)

George Dunn (500+)

*And of course, Mike Haft…Way to go Mike!

Josh McDowell

Rainier Summit Board Is Collecting Signatures!

June 2, 2015

The Rainier season is off to a great start! Over the past three weeks, the mountain has been mostly clear, and the winds have been low. It has been mid-summer weather, in the middle of May. What does that mean for our Rainier climbs? SUMMITS!

Aside from actually standing on top, one of the most rewarding feelings for IMG climbers is signing the â€œsummit boardâ€ upon their return to IMG Headquarters. The tradition was borrowed from a restaurant in Kathmandu, called the Rum Doodle. At the restaurant, anyone who summits Mt. Everest gets to sign the summit board, as well as eat free for life. Although we donâ€™t offer free food for life when you summit Mt. Rainier, the feeling of signing the summit board is a pretty special one. At the end of each season, we hang that yearâ€™s board in our shop, next to all the boards from previous years.

: Summit Boards from previous Rainier seasons

: 2015 Summit Board through June 1

: George signs Rum Doodle Everest board 1991

Every year, numerous past Rainier climbers come to the IMG Headquarters in Ashford, WA, just to look for their name on the summit board. Some remember just where they signed, and others sit and stare for 20 minutes before they can find their signature.

The Rainier summit board is a fun tradition, and we are happy to report that this yearâ€™s board is quickly collecting signatures!

Josh McDowell

Mt. Bona Team Summits

May 28, 2015, 11:30am PDT

Summit of Mt. Bona. (Photo Jeff Pickhotlz)

IMG Lead Guide Erica Engle called in just minutes ago from the small outpost town of McCarthy. The entire team has been flown off the mountain and will soon be on their way back to Anchorage. The team slowly made their way down the mountain in sloppy snow conditions over the last few days, then waited out all day yesterday before the clouds cleared and ace bush pilot Paul Claus was able to fly in and pick them up this morning.

My congratulations to the entire team for an auspicious climb. According to the best information available, this IMG team achieved the first complete ascent of a new route via the East Fork of the Russell Glacier and up the west ridge of Mt. Bona. The route was first visited and skied from 12,000 feet a number of years ago. The next visit was last yearâ€™s IMG expedition which almost summited but turned back in bad weather above 14,000 feet. Our April climb of this year turned back at their high camp, due to unsafe snow conditions. Â Finally, this team was finally able to pull off the complete ascent!

Again, my hat goes off to everyone for an excellent effort on a beautiful new line up Mt. Bona. Well done, team and we look forward to welcoming you home soon.

Note to family and friends: it will be some time yet before the team has cell coverage and will be able to call to check in. They will take 6 plus hours on their journey to Anchorage, hopefully stopping for showers along the way!

George Dunn

Bona Team Summits

May 25, 2015

High Camp on Bona (Photo Tom Allred)

The Mount Bona team has been busy the past few days. They moved camp up to 12,300 feet on May 23 after a carry of gear to the site on May 22. They had planned a rest day for May 24, but with a good forecast and snow likely in the future, the team opted to go for the summit yesterday. All made it to the summit of Mt. Bona, 16,421â€™, and safely back down to high camp, arriving late in the day. The team will have a late wakeup today, but will push to break down camp and get lower down on the mountain in anticipation of some snow expected to fall tomorrow evening. The team still has plenty of time on their schedule, they arenâ€™t planning to be flown off the mountain until May 28, at which time it looks like the weather will be clear skies again.

My congratulations to the entire team!

George Dunn

Mt. Bona Crew Making Steady Progress

May 21, 2015

The view (photo: Tom Allred)

IMG lead guide Erica Engle has been checking in at IMG headquarters to keep us updated.Â Here’s the low-down:

May 19: The team had a big first day on the mountain. The entire team carried from the landing site to 9,500 and made a cache of gear there. The day was long and arduous due to the snow conditions, a surface crust that broke through occasionally to knee depth even with snowshoes on.Â This is mostly due to warmer than expected conditions, with a daily freeze/thaw cycle down low on the mountain. It should be better up above the freezing level (hovering currently at 9,000 feet).

May 20: Better day today! The team got an early start for better snow conditions and moved up to a camp site at 10,300 feet. They established a good camp and are all set at the new location. Tomorrow they will descend to the cache at 9,500 feet and pick up the rest of the gear left there. The remainder of the day will be a rest day for all.

The weather remains clear and warm. Good conditions are predicted to last through Friday, with no major storms expected. All systems are go.

George Dunn

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