IMG Guides On Their Way To Everest

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.Â I am happy to report that our IMG Everest guides are now on their way to Nepal.Â Mike Hamill left on Tuesday, and Greg, Aaron, Justin, and Andy left today.Â The rest of the team go in a few days.Â Next stop for todayâ€™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. Â The sherpas at Everest Base Camp have been making good progress on building the camp, despite fresh snowfall earlier this weekÂ (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

Mt. Whitney Team Pulls In To High Camp

March 21, 2014

Mt. Whitney benchmark

George Dunn just called in moments ago from Mt. Whitney, where he and the team are on the final stretch to High Camp.Â Everyone is doing great and the weather couldn’t be better.Â We’ll look forward to hearing from George tomorrow night, hopefully with a summit report.

Becky Kjorvestad

Denali Preppin’ On Mt. Rainier

March 20, 2014

Our latest Denali Prep team is up at Camp Muir training away. The weather cooperated enough for them to get to Muir (that’s a win this time of year) but isn’t quite conducive to a summit attempt. No matter, they’ve got unlimited terrain to train in for the last couple days of their 6.5 day seminar.

: Camp 1

: En route to Camp Muir

: Training on Muir Peak above Camp Muir

Tye Chapman

‘Tis The Expedition Season

March 11, 2014

Expedition Season Kickoff Sale ends March 16.

Every spring and summer countless expeditions to the Himalayas, to Denali, and locally here on Mt. Rainier, are in their final stages of planning. Naturally this means a lot of climbers out there are looking for some last minute deals on gear… Well, our friends over at Mountain Gear have made it pretty easy on folks by bringing together (and discounting) some important pieces of gear for every high altitude/cold weather climb or expedition.

Take a look, maybe you’ll find something for your climb this year, or if you’re a good planner, you’ll find a screaming deal for next year.

Tye Chapman

Denali Prepped And Mt. Rainier Worked

March 5, 2014

: Happy Campers

: Camp 1 of 1

Well Mt. Rainier asserted her authority once again this week… The Denali Prep Seminar got into the park as scheduled, just before a series of storms rolled in. The team knew the weather was on the way, they just hoped they could get into the park before the park shut things down. They did. Barely.

The beauty of these seminars is that the weather is something that climbers want and expect to see, there’s no better way to get to know your gear and your systems.Â The trouble this week is that it actually needed to be a bit colder, yes colder. The first couple days were nice and cold bringing in a couple feet of snow, but the freezing level went up the last 36-48 hours turning the snow to rain.

In the end the gang pulled the plug a couple days early and have opted for some training down here in Ashford. They’ll work on some crevasse rescue/self-extraction and get a little deeper into the world of navigation. While it’s great to practice these skills in the field, sometimes it’s better to get things dialed in a controlled environment.

Tye Chapman

PolÃ©-PolÃ©

February 28, 2014

Moonrise over Kiliâ€™s sister peak Mawenzi (Eric Simonson)

Jenni Fogle and team are now safely home and already sharing tales of their adventure with family and friends after another successful ascent of Kilimanjaro and authentic Serengeti safari.Â We wish each member a hearty â€œwelcome homeâ€ and hope to see them again in the Mountains.Â Great job team!

Looking to make your own Kilimanjaro memories, but want to hear more about what Kilimanjaro is really like?Â There are still a few spaces on our upcoming 2014/2015 treks.Â Please read Jacque Brillâ€™s telling trip report from her 2013 climb for a first-person recount of IMGâ€™s Kilimanjaro experience:

Pretty soon after landing in Tanzania, even before arriving at the base of the mountain, you begin to see t-shirts, mugs, and kitchsy key chains adorned with the words “Pole Pole.” It’s a Swahili expression that translates to some combination of “slowly, gently, softly,” and it will become something of a mantra on the journey to the over 19,000 foot summit of Mt.Â Kilimanjaroâ€¦.(read more)

Clarissa Hughes

Aconcagua Signing Off

February 22, 2014

A final dinner with friends (Mike Hamill)

The guides and the last of the team members are on flights home now and all will arrive home on Sunday.Â Always nice to wrap up another Aconcagua season.Â Guides Mike Hamill, Peter Dale and Leandro Villegas did a great job as so did each of the team members.Â When everyone can come home with 10 fingers and 10 toes, most with the summit and all still friends â€“ weâ€™ll call that a success.

Dates for next seasonâ€™s trips will be posted shortly.Â Not too early to pin down the trip which fits your schedule.Â Aconcagua signing off for the season.

Phil Ershler

Patagonia Trek Wraps Up

February 20, 2014

: Approaching the north side of Torres del Paine (Tye Chapman)

: The team at Bader Valley (Tye Chapman)

: View of the French Valley (Tye Chapman)

: Floating icebergs on Glacier Grey (Tye Chapman)

: Group meal on the last day (Tye Chapman)

Tye Chapman and his Patagonia crew are heading home today.Â Last night was their final dinner in Puerto Natales.Â Tye sent several photos from the trip and we’ve decided to post them all.Â Why would you NOT go to Patagonia with us next year?

Phil Ershler

Patagonia Team Kayaks On Lago Grey

February 19, 2014

From: Tye Chapman
Date: February 19, 2014, 2:05:01 PM PST
To: Phil Ershler
Subject: Quick note

Hey Phil:

We are just back to Puerto Natales and all went well today.Â We went kayaking this morning and had a great boat ride down Lago Grey. We even saw a puma on the drive to Natales so pretty good icing to the cake, if you ask me. We just got back to the hotel, took quick showers and are off to dinner. Sensational trip.

– Tye

: View of Lago Grey (photo: Tye Chapman)

: The ladies strutting their stuff (photo: Tye Chapman)

: Cruising the lake (photo: Tye Chapman)

Going On A Lion Hunt

February 18, 2014

: Camp in the Serengeti (photo: Kelly Baker)

: Here kitty kitty (photo: Eric Simonson)

Jenni Fogle called from Serengeti to report a great day on safari.Â They watched a lion stalking wart hogs, and saw a ton of elephants and giraffes and other animals.Â She said they had a brief thundershower in the afternoon that cooled things down a bit.Â Tomorrow they head to Ngorongoro Crater.

Eric Simonson