Cho Oyu Climbers Moving up to Camp 1

September 14, 2013

The Cho Oyu team went for a short acclimatization hike today on the glacier above ABC and spent the afternoon relaxing, packing, and organizing for their first rotation to Camp 1 tomorrow.Â IMG guide Mike Hamill reports that their plan is to move tomorrow up to the Camp 1 at about 20,500 ft.Â They will spend a night there, then climb above C1 the following day up toward the ice cliff, before descending to spend another night at C1.Â Then they will descend to ABC the following day.

: Climbers above ABC

: Cho Oyu above ABC

: Ice Cliff Above C1

The Sherpas carried to C1 today and they report that there is some fresh snow below C1 but overall conditions are good. The Sherpas will carry to C1 again tomorrow.

Eric Simonson

Puja Time!

September 13, 2013

: IMG Cho Oyu team at ABC (Mike Hamill)

: Lama Chuldim at the Puja (Mike Hamill)

: Cho Oyu team acclimatization hike (Mike Hamill)

Mike Hamill reports: â€œ We had an eventful day here at ABC! Despite persistent snowfall since we arrived, we had our Puja to bless the climb in the morning, and got in a great hike towards Lake Camp and C1 in the afternoon. Chuldim, a Tibetan Lama from a local village, led the Puja. The Sherpa said it was one of the best Pujas they had been a part of. After a hot lunch the team headed up the mountain in good weather and were able to reach just below Lake Camp before the weather turned and the blizzard resumed on the descent. Overall it was a great day and one the climbers will not soon forget. We plan to go for another short hike tomorrow as a team if the weather is good and the Sherpa plan to carry supplies to Camp 1. ABC is starting to fill up and the route to C1 is getting kicked in.â€

Eric Simonson

Kili Team At Shira Camp

A beautiful view of Kilimanjaro

September 12, 2013

Another leg of the trip is in the bag.Â Chris called to let us know that everyone got to Shira Camp in good form.Â A bit of light rain but no issues.Â Works for us.

Tomorrowâ€™s a longer day with the team reaching an altitude of around 14,500â€™ before dropping some of that altitude as they reach Baranco Camp â€“ 13,000â€™.Â Think of the old climberâ€™s adage of â€œclimb high, sleep lowâ€.Â 13,000â€™ isnâ€™t super low but itâ€™s certainly lower than 14,500â€™.

Phil Ershler

Mt. Rainier Route Looking Good

September 12, 2013

: On top of Gibraltar Rock looking up at the switch backs heading up the upper mountain.

: The ladder leading up to the top of Gibraltar Rock (12,600â€™)

: Old guides on top, Eric Simonson and George Dunn

IMG partner Eric Simonson and I took a break from the office the past couple of days and climbed Mt. Rainier to review the new summit route.

Conditions couldnâ€™t have been better on the mountain. I have rarely seen a better September route to the summit and my hat goes off to IMG guides Justin Merle, Dallas Glass and Ian Delaney for establishing the new route.

The trail now heads hard left from the top of the Disappointment Cleaver, traversing the Ingraham Glacier over to Gibraltar Rock. To gain the top of Gibraltar, there is a 15 foot vertical ladder anchored up against a rock outcrop to make surmounting this obstacle easy. Above the ladder, there is a great trail chopped into the steep slope protected by a fixed hand line that traverses easily to the top of Gibraltar. From here, the rest of the route goes very smoothly, zig-zagging up the smooth upper mountain slopes to the summit. Other than the one vertical ladder, there are no ladder bridges or other difficult crevasse crossings on the route. This is about as good a route as I have seen in September.

A couple of words about the route difficulties over the past two weeksâ€¦ The old route heading up above Disappointment Cleaver required some steep climbing and at least one 10-20 foot ladder crossing. This was not an easy route to maintain, but was significantly hampered by the bad weather we experienced during this time. On several occasions, our parties were able to climb through the breakup, but were turned back by poor weather and windy conditions on the upper mountain.Â When the weather is good, like it is now, everything becomes easier. This new route variation will greatly add to our success on the mountain this coming month.

My thanks to all three guide services, IMG, RMI and AAI for working together and spending some considerable time and effort to create and maintain the route to the summit.

George Dunn

Training Day At Cho Oyu

September 12, 2013

: IMG Cho Oyu team doing fixed line training in ABC (Mike Hamill)

: Friday the 13th on the Tibetan calendar (Ang Jangbu)

Mike Hamill reports:Â “Today the team rigged up for climbing on the upper mountain and reviewed techniques for fixed lines and the ice cliff.Â Then we took an acclimatization hike above base camp after lunch in snowy weather. There was 5 inches of new snow last night with blustery conditions and it’s snowing again this afternoon. The team is doing well and enjoying being settled in at ABC, our base for the next few weeks.Â The plan is to hold the Puja tomorrow morningÂ (an auspicious day on the Tibetan calendar) followed by an another afternoon acclimatization hike.”

Eric Simonson

The Machame Workout

September 11, 2013

Day 1 on the climb is a good work out.Â Machame trailhead is at 6000â€™ and Machame Camp is at 10000â€™.Â Chris called in and reported that the team did a good job and that everyone made it to camp in good order.Â A few light sprinkles and then a 10 minute rain shower before it all quit.Â Tomorrowâ€™s a little easier, with the team camping at 12,500â€™.Â The Chagga crew had all the tents set up and were feverishly working on hot drinks and dinner, which always begins with hot soup.Â I doubt anyone will have trouble sleeping tonight.Â They may be at 10000â€™ but Iâ€™m betting everyone will be tired and ready for bed.Â Thatâ€™s the best kind of â€˜tiredâ€™ there is.

Phil Ershler

In the forest. (Adam Angel)

Climb In Smith Rocks Oregon

September 11, 2013

: Mimi crushing it. (Austin Shannon)

: Smith Rocks. (Austin Shannon)

We are entering the end of summer season when rock climbing is at its best in Smith Rocks just outside of Bend, OR. We have a private team over there currently led by Austin Shannon. The conditions are perfect and Austin reports a good time is being had by all.

George Dunn

Beaut Of A Day On Cho Oyu

September 11, 2013

: Jump! (Mike Hamill)

: base camp. (Mark Bellamy)

: Cho Oyu. (Mark Bellamy)

IMG Guide Mike Hamill checked in from ABC. Â This team is doing great! Â Everyone made it into ABC in good time and had a good night of sleep.

Mike said: “The weather is perfect and the view of Cho Oyu and the surrounding peaks couldn’t be more impressive. The team is just enjoying getting settled in, soaking up the sun, and taking in the view. Today is a rest day,Â tomorrowÂ we will do a short hike above ABC, and the following day will be the Puja.”

I think the Jumping photo pretty much sums up their team spirit.Â I would say they should break out the net and ball but I think Mike’s plan is better. Â This team has some work to do but for now, they are enjoying some great weather on Cho Oyu!

Greg Vernovage

Rainier Team Summits Today

Route to the top of Gibraltar Rock (9.9.13)

September 10, 2013

Justin Merle called in from the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning reporting good conditions on a new route he and his team put in yesterday.

The route has been tricky this year especially as of late, but this recent good weather has given us an opportunity to get some scouting done and establish this new route. The current route goes to the top of the Disappointment Cleaver as â€˜normalâ€™ then heads out to top of Gibraltar Rock. There are no â€˜ladder crossingsâ€™ but there is one vertical ladder to gain the top of a rock bulge.

This is a huge improvement on the route over the past few weeks – special thanks and kudos to IMG Guides Ian Delaney and Dallas Glass for their hard work the past couple days on the route.

Weâ€™ve got another team heading uphill today.

All is well on Mt. Rainier.

Tye Chapman

Cho Oyu Climbers At ABC

September 10, 2013

Cho Oyu. (Ang Jangbu)

IMG guide Mike Hamill checked in this morning from Advanced Base Camp (over 18,500). Â The team had a great hike up to ABC. Â The team is doing well. Â They had great weather and got a few good looks at Cho Oyu. Â It is always a good feeling to pull into ABC. Â The team can get all their gear and move into their tents to stay a while.

A little rest and some good Kaji cooking is always nice! Â The team will have a Puja, rest and prepare for what is next. Â With good weather, they will have great motivation as Cho Oyu is now right in front of them.Â From ABC the team can see all of Cho Oyu as well as the Nangpa La, one of the oldest trade routes in the world. Â This trade route connects Tibet and Nepal and is well over 18,500 feet.

Greg Vernovage