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2014-2015 Aconcagua Dates Released

April 8, 2014

Team on the summit of Aconcagua (Ben Kurdt)

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

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Whitney Team Just Missed Summit

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

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Whitney Team Moving To High Camp

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.

Moving on up to High Camp
A nice spot for a break.

Tye Chapman

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Whitney Team #3 Hits The Trail

March 27, 2014

Mt. Whitney (Trent Carey)

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

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Mt. Whitney Updates

March 24, 2014

Mt. Whitney (photo: Rick Cole)

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.

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IMG Guides On Their Way To Everest

March 21, 2014

Left to Right: Andy Polloczek, Greg Vernovage, Justin Merle and Aaron Mainer

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

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Mt. Whitney Team Pulls In To High Camp

March 21, 2014

Mt. Whitney benchmark

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.  Everyone is doing great and the weather couldn’t be better.  We’ll look forward to hearing from George tomorrow night, hopefully with a summit report.

Becky Kjorvestad

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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

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‘Tis The Expedition Season

March 11, 2014

Expedition Season Kickoff Sale ends March 16.

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

 

mg_ns_logo

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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.  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

 

 

 

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