Recent Accident on Liberty Ridge Mt. Rainier

June 1, 2014

Mt. Rainier. (Photo by Dustin Balderach)

Many of you have heard about the recent tragic accident on the Liberty Ridge route. We are deeply saddened by this event and our hearts go out to the families of the climbers and fellow guides.

An accident like this attracts a lot of media attention. It is common for our customers to raise questions about the accident and about the risks and mountaineering hazards on their upcoming climbs.

Here are a few of the FAQs.

Was IMG involved in the accident?

NO. IMG clients and guides were not involved in the accident. This accident involved one of the other highly respected and competent guide concessions operating under special permit from the National Park Service. IMG did provide the assistance of several guides for the Search and Rescue (SAR) operation until it was suspended.

What happened?

We may never know all of the details this event including how it happened. That said, it appears the team of 6 climbers fell, or was swept off, by snow, ice, or rock avalanche from high on the Liberty Ridge route.Â After SAR efforts by the NPS and Army Friday it is believed there are no survivors.

Is this unusual?

Yes. Mountaineering accidents are a well-known risk of the sport but the risk of an event of this magnitude is very rare. It is the 2^nd most deadly mountaineering accident on Rainier.

The Liberty Ridge route is one of the most technically challenging climbs on Mt. Rainier and considered a classic in North America among serious mountaineers. The route is continuously steep exposed and committing. It is subject to the risk of objective hazards including snow avalanches, ice avalanches, and rockfall.

Does IMG guide Liberty Ridge?

Yes. We guide this route and have one climb of the route for this year scheduled for next week. We use highly experienced guides and the climb is only open to select climbers with advanced technical skill and stamina. This climb is conducted with an emphasis on safety including adding extra days to allow for weather and changing route conditions.Â All of our trips are subject to cancellation or may be turned around due to avalanche, weather, or other safety concerns.

The IMG owners in consultation with our guides are considering cancelling this climb. This decision will be separate from any decision based on route conditions or any safety concerns. This decision will be based what we feel is the best way of showing respect for the lost climbers. We also know that this would be a difficult time for our team under the pall of the recent tragedy.

Is my Rainier trip still on schedule?

Yes.Â All of our current climbing teams on the mountain are proceeding without issue. That said, our guides are continually evaluating all mountaineering hazards, including weather and route conditions. All IMG guides (and the IMG owners) will continue to make adjustments to a programâ€™s itinerary including turning the climb around or even cancelling the trip when deemed necessary for your safety.

Will I be safe on my upcoming trip on Rainier with IMG?

IMG has a stellar mountaineering safety record. The risk of falling or encountering objective hazards is always present on a climb of Rainier. Overcoming these hazards is integral to the sport and characterizes its challenge and adventure.

No one can guarantee that a mountaineering accident will not happen. We must remain humble enough to recognize that these risks can only be minimized and never completely eliminated regardless of skill and experience.

Each individual climber must decide whether to accept the risks inherent in mountaineering.

What is the bottom line?

The good news is that the current overall fatality risk in climbing Rainier is less than 2 per 10,000 climbers. Even though that risk is very small the best way to further reduce that risk is to climb with an experienced competent guide service with a good track record.

IMG stands by its safety record that is second to none. We live by the adage â€œthe summit is optional, returning to base safely is mandatoryâ€.

The bottom line is there is nothing more important to IMG than your safety.

Where can I go from here to learn more?

For more information about this accident we have provided the following link

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Official-Six-Rainier-climbers-likely-died-in-fall-261439191.html

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/6-missing-reported-missing-mount-rainier/ngBQG/

If you have further concerns about an upcoming trip please donâ€™t hesitate to call our office for more information.

Mt. Bona Team Standing By

May 28, 2014

Camp on Mt. Bona (Photo by Chuck Garcia)

Guide Erica Engle called in this morning from Mt. Bona. All is well and the team is safely down at the landing site on the lower glacier. The weather has been good, but there are clouds currently obstructing the glacier and the bush pilot cannot pick up the team until visibility clears. Erica will continue to monitor the weather and will call the pilot as soon as the clouds clear. Hopefully they will be picked up today, right on schedule!

George Dunn

Mt. Bona Team Summits (Almost)

May 26, 2014

IMG Lead Guide Erica Engle called in last night at 4:30pm. They were on the summit ridge at about 16,000 feet, 400 feet short of the summit. The guides made the decision to turn back at that point. They hit their turn around time, lenticular clouds were forming around the summit and winds were at 25 mph. Temperature was an estimated 0 degrees F. Time to turn back! Erica reported that the team did an excellent job all day, were climbing strong and feeling good. They called in again two hours later from Josh McDowellâ€™s cell phone. He was able to pick up cell coverage briefly from the nearest cell tower at Glenallen. The guides said all were doing well and they were nearing camp. Time for hot drinks and a well-deserved rest! The team will take the next two days to descend the route back to their pickup point.

IMG climbers on upper Mt. Bona (photo: Jim Matera)

Is the team disappointed in not being able to physically stand on theÂ summit of Mt. Bona? I doubt it from the sounds of their voices over the radio. In such a remote region of Alaska, on a glacier that has been rarely climbed, to piece together a safe route up the mountain and then finish with a strong team summit attempt, in my book is a resounding success. I’m proud of them for sticking to their plan, weighing the variables and keeping a good margin.

George Dunn

Bona Team At High Camp

May 24, 2014

Camp on Mt. Bona

IMG Guide Erica Engle called in from their high camp at 12,600ft.Â The team will likely go for the summit on Sunday. The weather forecast is in their favor.

That’s all for now.

George Dunn

Mt. Bona Team Making Good Progress

May 22, 2014

A stylish camp on Mt. Bona. (Photo by George Dunn)

IMG Lead Guide Erica Engle called this morning to check in. The group has been very busy the past two days, moving up the mountain. Their landing site was at 7,000 feet on the lower glacier, so they have some additional altitude to climb on this route.

The good news is they have been making progress steadily and all is progressing according to plan. On the 19^th the team moved up to 8,000 feet in one carry to get up some of the flatter portion of the glacier. On the 20^th they carried group gear up to 10,000 feet. On the 21^st the team all moved up to camp at 10,000 feet. They now are looking to scout the next section of the glacier today to find a camp location near 12,500â€™. Erica will call in next when they have made new progress. The extended forecast for the next five days looks good, so now it is just up to the team. We wish them good success!

George Dunn

Mt. Bona Team Kicks Off Climb

What’s going on in Alaska?Â Our Mt. Bona team just kicked off the solitary climb of the season – here’s the latest:

May 17, 2014: Mt. Bona Team Arrives In Anchorage

Question: How many duffels does it take to climb Mt. Bona, Alaska?

Team baggage arrives at the Anchorage airport (Dallas Glass)

Seven 50 lb. duffels of group gear! That equals 350 total pounds or around 32 poundsÂ person. The bags include all of the food, tents, ropes and climbing gear the group will need for their 10 day ascent of Mt. Bona.Â They donâ€™t have to carry all of the gear at once, down low on the mountain they will carry the bulk of the group gear up to the next higher camp, cache it, drop back down to the lower camp, then move up to the cache the next day. This is known as expedition style climbing.

Sunday, May 18, 2014: Mt. Bona Team Right On Schedule

The Mt. Bona team departed Anchorage bright and early this Sunday and flew on to Mt. Bona right on schedule Sunday afternoon.Â They had to make a quick choice with their bush pilot, the planned glacier landing on the Klutlan Glacier was clouded over, so instead they chose the north side of the mountain and were landed on the Russell Glacier. This saved a potential delay of one or more days, not being able to be flown onto the mountain.Â The Russell Glacier is on the north side of the mountain. It is a less often climbed route, and was the route for the original ascent in 1930.Â IMG partner George Dunn has led parties up the Russell twice before and recommends it as a great option. The team will have the entire route to themselves. Lead guide Erica Engle will check in as the group makes progress up the mountain, and weâ€™ll keep you posted.

Looking up the Russell Glacier. The route sneaks above the broken area on a ramp to the low saddle on the right of the highest point in the photo. The summit of Bona is actually behind the high point in the picture (Mt. Churchill), an edge of Bona is just visible on the right skyline of Churchill. (George Dunn)

George Dunn

Rainier Season Off To A Great Start

May 18, 2014

: The view from The Flats (photo by Cecilia Govrik)

: Guides Jess Culver (left), Jonathan Schrock (center) and Cedric Gamble (right) celebrating their first summit of 2014.

: A few of the first signatures on the 2014 Summit Board.

Well we couldn’t have asked for a better start to the 2014 Summer Rainier Season. We kicked things off last week with our first climb of the season and our first summits as well. Our second climb followed suit and I’m happy to report that our third climb tagged the top this morning.

Tye Chapman

Ready. Set. Go!

May 11, 2014

IMG Guide Training: Last week we had 25 IMG Guides here for our annual guide training. It’s always nice to catch up with folks you haven’t seen in a few months. We’re a family around here so while a lot of folks might not have seen each other in quite some time – we pick right back up where we left off without skipping a beat. We wrapped up the training with the annual BBQ in the rain.
IMG HQ: The lawn is mowed. The tents are up. New ropes are here. We’re stocked up on bacon, pancake mix, cocoa and coffee. The guide schedule is locked in and the vans have been fueled up. Lastly the 2014 Summit Board is up.

: 2013 & 2014 Summit Boards

: Eureka! tents ready to go.

Camp Muir: IMG Guides Josh McDowell, Jonathan Schrock, Josh Smith, Dallas Glass, Cedric Gamble and new guides Nickel Wood and Betsy Dain-Owen are working hard up at Camp Muir getting the weatherport set-up, and the Gombu bunkhouse cleaned out.
The Flats: Three of the guides on Muir set-up took a load up to the flats to start the set-up of our camp up there.
The First Climb:Â IMG Guide Josh Tapp rolled in from Montana last night. Tapp is leading the first climb of the season which gets started today with the orientation & gear check.

And finally, it looks like the weather is going to cooperate for the start of the season!

We’re off and running!

Tye Chapman

Annapurna Trekkers Heading For The Barn

May 4, 2014

Annapurna Trekkers at the Jhinu Danda hot springs on the Modi Khola river (Jenni Pfafman)

IMG guide Jenni Pfafman reports that her team started the day in Chomrong and finished up in Landruk. Â She says they “had a great day of trekking, with hot springs in the morning, lunch and a nice walk”.

Tomorrow they will trek a short distance, then hit the road that is now pushing into the south side of the Annapurna area. Â Â Then, they will continue by jeep back to Pohkara and catch the afternoon flight to Kathmandu. Â Before they know it, they will be back to the busy world after a short journey to some spectacular mountains. Â I am sure they will have some great memories.

Eric Simonson

Trekkers Reach Annapurna Base Camp

May 2, 2014

The South Face of Annapurna 1

IMG guide Jenni Pfafman reports that her team successfully reached Annapurna Base Camp this morning.Â They had rain overnight, but the weather cleared for them and they were able to get the big views that they were hoping for.

Annapurna is the worldâ€™s tenth highest mountain and was the first 8000m peak climbed.Â The South Face of Annapurna represents an important chapter of Himalayan history, as one of the first big technical walls on an 8000m peak climbed in Nepal back in 1970, by the famous British climber Don Whillans and Scottish climber Dougal Haston, on an expedition led by Chris Bonnington.

After their visit to Base Camp, Jenni and the team descended back to Machapuchare BC andÂ then continued down to the settlement of Himalaya, deep in the bamboo and rhododendron jungle of the Modi Khola gorge.Â Tomorrow they head back to Chomrung.Â Well done, team!

Eric Simonson

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