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
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. 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
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.
Tye Chapman
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
March 5, 2014
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
February 28, 2014
Moonrise over Kili’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. We wish each member a hearty “welcome home†and hope to see them again in the Mountains. Great job team!
Looking to make your own Kilimanjaro memories, but want to hear more about what Kilimanjaro is really like? There are still a few spaces on our upcoming 2014/2015 treks. Please read Jacque Brill’s telling trip report from her 2013 climb for a first-person recount of IMG’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. Kilimanjaro….(read more)
Clarissa Hughes
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. Always nice to wrap up another Aconcagua season. Guides Mike Hamill, Peter Dale and Leandro Villegas did a great job as so did each of the team members. When everyone can come home with 10 fingers and 10 toes, most with the summit and all still friends – we’ll call that a success.
Dates for next season’s trips will be posted shortly. Not too early to pin down the trip which fits your schedule. Aconcagua signing off for the season.
Phil Ershler
