April 17, 2014
Mt. Rainier National Park Geologist Scott Beason came across these breath-taking images the GeoEye-1 Satellite captured on September 19, 2013. The images speak for themselves. Enjoy!
Tye Chapman
April 17, 2014
Our Denali Prep team got a lesson in shoveling at Camp Muir this morning. It snowed a fair bit and was quite windy overnight… so if you’ve spent much time in the mountains you know that Snow + Wind = Shovel.
An experiential learning opportunity as demonstrated by IMG Guide Ian Delaney.
April 16, 2014
You wouldn’t think a shot at the summit of Mt. Rainier was possible today if you lived in western Washington (rainy and gray), but our Denali Prep Seminar gave it a good effort this morning before turning around just above 13,000ft due to increasing winds and decreasing visibility.
The team is now safely back at Camp Muir sipping on some soup and chowing down on an early dinner. Tomorrow they’ll train and then come down on Friday.
Tye Chapman
April 9, 2014
For many folks in the US, this past winter was long and super cold. That’s typical of many of our guides as well, but they seem to make the best of even the hardest winters. We recently caught up with IMG guide Craig John to hear how he faired the winter in the Northeast. He shared some of his winter ice climbing adventures with us, as well as told of his plans for the summer. Here’s the latest news from Craig John. Enjoy!
It’s been a long winter here in the Northeast but little green things are starting to rise up out of the ground and the last snow in town is almost gone. We had a busy ice climbing season in the Mt. Washington Valley with a lot of routes formed that only come in when there is A LOT of cold weather and enough snow to replenish the ice when the temperature sneaks above freezing. Routes like Repentance and Remission saw a lot of ascents due to the fact that they were so well formed. In fact, they became a bit easier as the winter went on because with so many ascents, buckets were kicked into the ice that allowed climbers a ready-made spot to place their crampons. I did many ascents of Shoestring Gulley on Mt. Webster this winter, a favorite of mine and the climbers I guide. Mt. Washington itself still has some ice but the rock climbing season is just starting up with the adventurous climbers from the valley already getting out to work on new routes left unfinished from the previous fall.
As for me, I’ll have just about seven weeks to rock climb before I head back to Tanzania for my 22nd and 23rd climbs of Kilimanjaro in June and July. It’s a great time of year to be there. It’s winter there and that usually means there will be a little snow on the mountain making the views all the more stunning. The Machame Route has incomparable views that constantly change as we traverse around the mountain to our high camp at Barafu. And the safari is spectacular this time of year, made all the better with our private camps allowing us to avoid the crowded lodges.I invite you to join me on the spectacular journey to the top of the African Continent. There are just a few spots left on the June 23rd thru July 5th trip. See you in Africa!!
-CJ
April 8, 2014
Team on the summit of Aconcagua (Ben Kurdt)
Did you happen to notice a couple of weeks ago that dates have been set for Aconcagua 2014/15 departures? That means that now is the time to consider carefully your Aconcagua plans for next season. As everyone knows, Aconcagua isn’t a technical mountain but it is a very physical mountain. Spring, summer and fall are great times to work on conditioning and start assembling your personal gear. Conditioning takes time. We don’t have to go out and kill ourselves any given day but we do have to push and, more importantly, we do have to be consistent. Nothing is more important to your safety, success and enjoyment of a climb than being in the best condition possible. And, getting outside with a pack on and hiking uphill is the best ‘sports specific’ training there is. Nothing to it but to do it.
Climb with IMG on Aconcagua if you want to be part of a team, from start to finish. Both US-based IMG guides will meet you in Mendoza as will our Argentine guide. We’ve worked with two sensational Argentinians from Mendoza who are super strong, speak English well, have great contacts with the Park and are simply dynamite companions. Then, we look for climbers who want to be contributing team members and want to actually ‘climb’ Aconcagua. Too often these days, more and more guide services are trying to sell Aconcagua as a glorified trekking trip. It’s not. This is a serious mountain that demands strong, committed climbers.
If that sounds like you and you’re anxious to climb the mountain as part of a unified team, give us a call. The satisfaction you’ll feel is proportional to the effort you make.
2014 – 2015 Departures
Dec 20, 2014 – Jan 11, 2015 (led by: TBD)
Dec 27, 2014 – Jan 18, 2015 (led by: Josh McDowell)
Jan 10, 2015 – Feb 1, 2015 (led by: Josh Tapp)
Jan 17, 2015 – Feb 8, 2015 (led by: TBD)
Jan 31, 2015 – Feb 22, 2015 (led by: Luke Reilly)
Feb 7, 2015 – Mar 1, 2015 (led by: Mike Hamill)
Phil Ershler
March 30, 2014
George called in yesterday from Mt. Whitney as they made their way down having just missed the summit due to high winds. They knew the weather might mess with their summit day, but they gave it a good go and were happy with the effort.
The team rolled back into high camp and opted to push on through the day to get back to Lone Pine for some pizza and a beer or two. Today they had a nice breakfast and a choice: ski, rock climb or Vegas…all with their own inherent risks.
Tye Chapman
March 28, 2014
George called in from Mt. Whitney today reporting great conditions. The team is doing well and was well on their way to High Camp. Once at HC they’ll hang out and get a good bit of rest before waking up around 2am to get moving towards the summit.
Tye Chapman
March 27, 2014
Mt. Whitney (Trent Carey)
George called in today at 10:30 a.m. to report that our 3rd Mt. Whitney team is now on their way up the mountain on this cool & breezy yet beautiful morning. Everyone is doing well as they hike to Lower Boy Scout Lake where they’ll camp for the night. Tomorrow they’ll move up to high camp.
George also announced that the March 22-25 Whitney team had 7 of 8 members reach the summit. Well done everyone!
Becky Kjorvestad
March 24, 2014
Mt. Whitney (photo: Rick Cole)
IMG partner George Dunn checked in from Lone Pine, CA this morning with an update on the Mt. Whitney climbs now in progress.
George reports that the first climb, March 20-23 was a great success with 7 of 8 team members making the summit. The approach hike is lengthened this year with a hike up the now gated and locked access road, but snow conditions are good up to the first camp and beyond. The group had a chilly early morning ascent on summit day, then the winds died down and the team spent over an hour on top enjoying the view from the highest point in the lower 48.
The second Mt. Whitney climb has their summit day today, they will descend from high camp tomorrow.
George heads back up on the third program, March 27-30, and is looking forward to another great climb. Hopefully the weather will hold, it has been perfect so far.
March 21, 2014
Left to Right: Andy Polloczek, Greg Vernovage, Justin Merle and Aaron Mainer
Sometimes the hardest part of these big trips is just getting out the front door. I am happy to report that our IMG Everest guides are now on their way to Nepal. Mike Hamill left on Tuesday, and Greg, Aaron, Justin, and Andy left today. The rest of the team go in a few days. Next stop for today’s crew is Seoul, then on to Bangkok, and then to Kathmandu the following day.
Up in the Khumbu, Jangbu reports that we had 143 loads flown by helicopter to Shyangboche yesterday, with more cargo still in Jiri waiting to fly.  The sherpas at Everest Base Camp have been making good progress on building the camp, despite fresh snowfall earlier this week (3 inches in Phortse and 6 inches at Base Camp).
For full Everest Expedition Coverage go to our 2014 Everest Expedition Blog.
So far so good!
Eric Simonson
