June 4, 2012
IMG Guide Mark Allen and team made it down to the ‘landing strip’ on Mt. Logan last Friday and were flown off about an hour later by our good friend and Alaska bush pilot, Paul Claus.
All are safely back in the United States of America after battling the harsh conditions and brutally cold weather that Mt. Logan threw at them. No summit, but a phenomenal effort by all!
Tye Chapman
May 31, 2012
A typical camp on Mt. Logan
Mark called in with an update on the Logan team. After a rest day to recover from their previous efforts on the upper mountain, they started the descent from Camp 4 at 10am on Thursday May 29, heading down to Camp 3 and their cache of supplies there. Conditions were not great, it was pretty much white-out with 5 foot visibility [note reference to ping pong ball in title] and 20mph winds. Definitely navigating by compass and gps! The group made it to Camp 3 at 4110m and due to a shift in the winds, had to rebuild their camp walls before setting up camp.Mark says the guides provided tent door service to the group for dinner that night. Everyone worked hard! Currently it is windy, snowing and poor visibility.
The group will sit tight until conditions improve, then will continue their descent to the pickup site. The good news is they are now out of the worst of the weather; they have plenty of food and fuel and the team is all healthy. They’ll continue to wait for the good weather and will be in position to capitalize on it when it comes.
George Dunn
UPDATE May 31 @2:30pm: Mark called in this afternoon to report improving conditions allowing them to continue downhill. Their goal is C1 if the weather holds.
P.S. Happy Birthday to Sven’s father!
May 29, 2012
IMG lead guide Jenni Fogle called in from the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning at 9:30am as they started back down from the summit. The team topped out earlier in the morning, with 100% success! The weather isn’t absolutely perfect but it is good enough to summit. Jenni reported high cirrus clouds overhead, a lower cloud layer below 8,000 feet, and 30 mph winds on the summit. A great day for a summit and it looks like our summit teams are back on track in reaching the top.
My congratulations to the entire team!
George Dunn
May 29, 2012
Lead guide Mark Allen called in at 1:30 p.m. PDT with a report on the team’s progress today. Unfortunately, it looks like the team will start their descent tomorrow without tagging the summit. The team established a high camp over Prospector’s Col on the summit plateau two days ago. They were one day and 7 kilometers short of the summit. However, a report of approaching severe weather was the deciding factor for them to descend back down a camp back to Camp 4 at 16,000 feet. The weather moved in a day early, and they spent the day of May 28 navigating down the mountain in high winds, cold temps and white out conditions. All made it safe and sound back to Camp 4. It doesn’t look like a second push for the summit is possible for the team. The team is taking a day of rest today to rehydrate and stock up on food. They will start their descent tomorrow. They’ll drop down to Camp 3 to pick up a cache of food, and will continue to descend to the landing site on the glacier by Thursday evening. Weather is expected to continue to be poor for the next two days, but Mark says it isn’t as bad now they are below the worst of the winds.  With a bit of luck with the weather , the team could be picked up as early as Friday morning for the flight off the mountain.
Spirits remain high, the team did the best they possibly could, there just wasn’t a decent weather window for them to summit in. Mark reports that to date, they have had three good weather days during the trip which landed on the mountain on May 15. Tough luck, but my congratulations to the team for a solid effort.
George Dunn
May 29, 2012
After 100% success to the top of Mt. Bona on May 26, the entire team descended the mountain on May 27. They had hoped to summit nearby Mt. Churchill before descending, but whiteout conditions prevented them from an attempt. Instead, they descended to their base camp and were flown off the mountain the very next morning. Talk about a quick trip down the mountain! I’ve been in touch with trip leader Sheldon Kerr who is flying home from Anchorage today, and will look forward to hearing her full report on the trip.
My congratulations to the entire team for a job very well done!
George Dunn
May 28, 2012
We’ve seen some ups and downs (no pun intended) on Mt. Rainier this season! May started out with some mid-August type weather putting everybody is a great mood! But, that weather was quickly followed up with 3 feet of snow and some high winds reminding us that it was in fact May, not August.
It seems we’re back in the swing of things after yesterday’s descending climb tagged the top while “putting in the cleaver” along the way. Those guys, specifically IMG Guides Josh Tapp, Erica Engle, Sara Cohen and Liam O’Sullivan, along with some help from the other guide services, put in an absolute ton of work establishing the route making it ready to climb. Kudos to all those involved!
Right now, IMG Guide Jenni Fogle and here squad are at ‘The Flats’ and ready to climb tonight. The forecast doesn’t look too bad, but we won’t be certain until Jenni sticks her head out of the tent tonight around 1:00am!
Tye Chapman
May 27, 2012
Good news from Mt. Bona! IMG Guide Sheldon Kerr reports 100% on top of Mt. Bona yesterday. Today, some of the folks are off climbing Mt. Churchill – a neighboring peak. They’ll head on down to Base Camp today and will hopefully be off the mountain in just a couple days – weather permitting of course!
Relatively near by is IMG Guide Mark Allen, who reports some pretty cold conditions on Mt. Logan. They were not able to get their cache in up on Prospector’s Col yesterday, but that’s not the end of the world. The plan now is to move up to the col today, to take advantage of the forecasted weather window coming their way.
All continues to go well up north!
Tye Chapman
May 25, 2012
Mt. Bona
IMG Guide Sheldon Kerr called in yesterday from Mt. Bona to report that all is well. They were in camp at 14,oooft. anticipating a rest day today given a marginal forecast. No report today so we’re assuming they’re hanging tight at camp waiting things out.
A few hundred miles away on Mt Logan, IMG Guide Mark Allen reports that the team had a beautiful day resting and solidifying their wind-walls around their tents. A big day yesterday from King Col to C4 (16,000ft.) and an evening of digging earned them their rest day today.
They’ll head up to Prospector’s Col tomorrow and drop some gear before returning to C4. They’ve enjoyed good weather thus far and are just a few days away from getting a shot at the summit once that cache is dropped at Prospect Col.
Tye Chapman
May 24, 2012
Mt. Bona
*7:30 pm PDT, May 23 -Â Lead guide Sheldon Kerr called in for a brief check-in yesterday evening to let us know the team was continuing right on schedule as they moved up the mountain. They made a carry to high camp at 14,000 yesterday, and were planning to either take a rest day or move to high camp today.
All continue to do well and the team is enjoying very good weather to this point.
Nice job, team!
May 23, 2012
IMG Guide Mike Hamill
How long have you been guiding?
I’ve been guiding for 12 years. After climbing rock and ice throughout New England and New York during college, I applied for a summer job guiding on Rainier shortly after graduating. One thing led to another and I began guiding year round leading both domestic and international expeditions. I’ve been fortunate to have many great opportunities to guide on the mountains of the Seven Summits over the past decade for International Mountain Guides and Alaska Mountaineering School.
How many times have you climbed each of the 7/8 summits?
I have climbed all of the original (Bass list) Seven Summits at least 4 times; some as many as 19 (Aconcagua) times.
Why did you write Climbing The Seven Summits?
When I began climbing on the Seven Summits I struggled to find accurate information on several of the climbs, and there was no one resource that compared and contrasted all of the climbs easily. A lot of clients and independent climbers mentioned they had the same problem. I felt that with my experience on these mountains I could create a guide book that filled this niche and promoted safe and environmentally responsible climbing, creating a better experience for all as these climbs become more popular.
What was the most challenging part of putting it together?
The most challenging part of putting a book like this together for me was spending so much time in front of a computer! Being a mountain guide I’m fortunate to be able to combine my passion for being in the mountains with work and even on my days off I’m happiest outside, so it was difficult choosing to pass up days climbing, skiing and fishing to write and edit. In the end, it was a great experience and education for me and I am glad to have had the opportunity to pursue a different type of goal. As Phil Ershler remarked after writing “Together on Top” with his wife Susan, it is more difficult to write a book about the Seven Summits than to climb them, and I would agree.
IMG, in particular the owners here at IMG, played a big role in your guiding career. How did this come about?
That couldn’t be more true; IMG guides, specifically the owners, have played a big role in my guiding career and influenced me immensely. First of all, without the opportunity to guide the Seven Summits I wouldn’t have been able to write this book! Furthermore, I have always had great respect for the owners as climbers, guides, and most importantly as first class people, and this is the reason I sought work with International Mountain Guides in the first place and continue to do so. I am inspired by what the owners have accomplished outside their business such as Eric Simonson’s well-known expeditions and books regarding the search for Mallory and Irvine, and Phil’s Book “Together on top”, among many other accomplishments. The IMG owners foster an environment of professionalism, hard work and achievement and lead by example and I have tried to emulate this.
Do you get excited about Everest each time you return? Why?
I have been asked this question many times about Everest and other peaks I guide on a regular basis. Climbing these mountains is never routine no matter how many times you have been up them. For no mountain is this more true than for Mt. Everest. On each expedition, factors such as the weather, the team, the political situation, objective hazards, among others, change and force you to continually adjust your “plan” and make every expedition unique. The mountains are very humbling and deserve great respect, especially Everest. Also, I really enjoy seeing friends from all over the world who converge each year on Everest and meeting new people and learning from their experiences.
Which of the 7/8 is your favorite? Why?
This is another question I get asked frequently. My favorite climb of the Seven Summits is probably Vinson Massif. It’s unlike any of the others because of it’s remoteness. It’s a committing feeling to be as isolated as we are while climbing Vinson, and also very freeing at the same time. There is no place like it on Earth. Antarctica is a very beautiful continent. Beyond the climb, the Russian Illysian cargo flight to and from the ice, and the time spent in Southern Chile make the experience very unique and enjoyable.
What’s next on the agenda?
I am currently on Everest in Nepal. After this climb I head to Alaska for a Denali expedition, which is also one of my favorite yearly pilgrimages. Then, off to Russia for an Elbrus expedition and some time spent guiding on Mt. Rainier. This fall I will be guiding Cho Oyu and Vinson Massif. I will also be at the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City this summer and the Banff Book Festival this fall so stop by and see me.
[Update: Mike is on his way back to Kathmandu after leading another successful Hybrid Everest Program.]
