That’s A Wrap

July 19, 2013

The End

Safari finished yesterday afternoon.Â A couple of our climbers followed Sheldon and her mom to Amsterdam as they headed home.Â Others are moving forward with travel plans as they more slowly work their way back to the States.Â A great time had by all with 100% on the summit.Â Just great.

Weâ€™ll take a break from Kili for a bit now but check back when IMG Senior Guide, Chris Meder, heads over in September to lead 2 groups on the mountain.

Thanks, Sheldon, for a great lead and thanks to the team for making her job so enjoyable.

Phil Ershler

Hurrah For Horses!

July 18, 2013

Salkantay Pass

IMG guide Peter Anderson called in to report on the progress of the Salkantay trek. It was a big day today, trekking up and over Salkantay Pass at over 15,000 feet in elevation. Â It was overcast but still good views of Salkantay Mountain. The group put in a full day, 10 Â½ hours on the trail. The team could feel the altitude, some more than others, but on this trek horses are available to any ailing hikers and some members took advantage of a respite from hiking and rode for a bit. The team is now down at 10,000 feet in camp and the lower altitude should help all to feel better again soon. Tomorrow the team will hike to Santa Teresa with an optional side trip to the hot springs there, which all decided to take advantage of. It is all downhill from here for the trek and the team still has Machu Picchu to look forward to!

George Dunn

Training In Terskol

July 18, 2013

Waterfall on the way to the observatory (photo: Viki Tracey)

Mike called in to say that the gang all made it to Terskol, safe and sound.Â They had a good, sunny hike to an observatory and now are taking a day for a bit of refresher training on the lower slopes of Elbrus.Â Both these days also serve as great acclimatization. Â Elbrus is, after all, around 18500 ft high and the air is appreciably thinner up there.Â Several days of acclimatization only make sense prior to any summer attempt.Â Mike reports that the weather is a bit wet right now but theyâ€™re hopeful that by the time a summit shot comes around that theyâ€™ll get the break they need.Â Everyone arrived fit and with all their gear so thatâ€™s a big plus.

Weâ€™ll hear more when the gang has time to report in.

Phil Ershler

Perfect Start For Salkantay Trekkers

July 17, 2013

A pleasant view along the trek

IMG guide Peter Anderson called in this evening (5:30 pm PDT) to report that all is well with the Salkantay team. Today was the first day of their trek, and Peter reports it was a beautiful day with light clouds and a breeze to keep it cool. The group had no problems on the trail and are adjusting well to the altitude. They are camped at Soraypampa tonight at an elevation of approximately 13,000 feet. During hot drinks before dinner, local guide Â Juan de la Cruz entertained the group with flute music. Tomorrow they climb up over Salkantay Pass at an elevation of 15,180 feet, the highpoint of the trip.

George Dunn

Traffic Jam

July 17, 2013

Traffic.

Fun hearing from Sheldon.Â Messages are short and sweet.Â Todayâ€™s voice said â€“ â€œAll fine.Â Logistics are great and the food is amazing.Â Watch a group of hyenas take down a baby wildebeest today.Â Group doing great.â€Â Nothing else to add.

Phil Ershler

Triple Rainbow

July 17, 2013

Lightning and thunder rattled Mt. Rainier last night…but not before all of our climbs were treated with some pretty awesome rainbows!

: Camp Schurman. (Ty Gimenez)

: Camp Muir. (Luke Reilly)

: Camp 1 on the Kautz Glacier Route. (Peter Adams)

Tye Chapman

Matterhorn Team Starts Strong

July 15, 2013

: On the summit of the Riffelhorn (photo: Matt Farmer)

: Climbing on the Riffelhorn (photo: Mark Allen)

Our Matterhorn climbing group led by guides Matt Farmer and Mark Allen checked in yesterday, here is what Mark had to say about the first day of training on the Riffelhorn:

â€œEveryone had a blast today and climbed well. A few gear tweaks and dinner at my favorite dinner joint Pizza Roma where you are lovingly insulted by the Italian Mamma who serves you the best authentic food this side of the Monte Rose Massif. Tomorrow we taxi to Saas Fee and hike to the hut. The weather looks amazing and everyone is excited.â€

The group is varying from the regular schedule and heading to Saas Fee for better weather and climbing conditions over the next few days. Theyâ€™ll be staying in climbing huts and training on the Dri Hornli, the Weismeiss and the Jagihorn until their return to Zermatt on the evening of the Â 17^th.

From the 18^th to the 21st theyâ€™ll be focusing on their Matterhorn summit attempts with possible day climbs in between.

George Dunn

Elbrus Team Arrives In St. Petersburg

July 15, 2013

St Isaac's Cathedral (photo: Viki Tracey)

Elbrus season is upon us.Â What better way to start than by sending the man who literally wrote the book on the Seven Summits over as lead guide.Â Mike Hamill has a full IMG crew who just arrived in St. Petersburg to begin the first trip of the season.Â Mike reports that everyone got in without issue and that allâ€™s well.Â Sightseeing was the project of the day with St. Isaacs Cathedral, the Fortress of Peter and Paul, a little late afternoon cruise on the canals of St. Petersburg â€“ you know, all the usual â€˜touristâ€™ stuff.Â It would be crazy to be in Russia and not see all we can.Â Theyâ€™re out early tomorrow for Mineranye Vody and about a 4 hour drive to the village of Terskol.

Phil Ershler

Meanwhile, On The Serengeti…

July 15, 2013

Cats

Safari has begun.Â About a 50 minute flight took the crew out to the Serengeti.Â Fun to see the terrain from the air on the way in and drive across it on the way out.Â Anyhow, Sheldonâ€™s comment was â€œtons of cats eating different thingsâ€.Â Those things, of course, being other animals.

When she called, they were sitting out by the campfire.Â Life is tough.

Phil Ershler

Denali: Check!

July 14, 2013

Happiness is Denali in your rear view mirror.Â Actually, thatâ€™s not entirely true.Â There are some mountains you want to â€˜have climbedâ€™.Â There are other mountains that you truly want to climb.Â Denali falls in the latter category.Â The Alaska Range is special and spending time on Denali is always a thrill.

Greg was super proud of his team. As he said, â€œÂ to the very end of the trip, they worked together with and for each other.â€

The guys are all home now.Â One adventure ends and the next one begins.Â Wonder where theyâ€™ll end up next?

Phil Ershler