April 12, 2011
IMG Partner and Director of Ski Patrol at Crystal Mountain, Paul Baugher was recently featured on King 5 News as he and his ski patrollers did their best to eliminate some of the avalanche danger that has been a long standing partner of year’s ski season.
April 8, 2011
Our Whitney climbs continue to be successful after the first two stormy climbs.
The third trip summitted 100% as previously reported. So did the fourth trip, April 2-5!
A private climb of 4 persons (April 4-7) summited April 6, and they descended that same day all the way down in the face of approaching windy conditions. Word is the conditions are about as good as they get on the route right now.
Now we are awaiting news of success from the sixth climb of the season, April 7-10. They should be summiting tomorrow a.m. It looks like the weather may just be OK for them, we’ll post as soon as they let us know of their success.
George
April 7, 2011
Please excuse the shameless plug…
We’ve posted some photos from the ongoing Everest Expedition on our facebook page. Check it out and give us a “thumbs up” or a “like” if you approve.
April 6, 2011
Another Rainier season approaches…
2011 Ropes for Rainier have arrived.
We received our 2011 Rainier ropes today. Bluewater 9.4 Dominators to be exact.
Let the climbing begin!
Tye Chapman
April 5, 2011
Heading down to Lone Pine for some pizza and beer!
We summited Whitney over the weekend (Saturday) around 9:15 a.m. in windy conditions. The whole team made it in good style. The weather improved as we descended and we were back at high camp by around 1:30 pm.
It was a beautiful afternoon in camp, resting and enjoying the sun. Sometime after midnight it started to blow and snow and got pretty wild. The guides’ tent suffered two broken poles and we had to collapse it to survive the winds. Working outside I clocked some of the gusts at 70mph. Luckily the rest of the tents held up OK with minor damage. The guides spent the rest of the night in their collapsed tent with no ill effects, and by about 5:30 a.m. the winds died and the day began with clear, sunny skies once more.
We packed up, and started walking down a little after 8:00 a.m. We passed the next climb as they were preparing to depart from Lower Boy Scout Lake and move up to high camp. It looks like they will have great weather for their climb, high pressure is building over the area for Monday and Tuesday. Our team continued on down and we were in Lone Pine for a lunch of pizza and beer shortly after noon. It was a great climb and a great way to finish my visit to Whitney this year. My thanks to all the members who share these climbs with me. I’m already planning next year’s visit.
George Dunn
April 2, 2011
Mt Whitney Plaque.
George called in this morning from the summit of Mt. Whitney. “100% on top! A beautiful, but cold, morning here on the summit of Mt. Whitney. Strong team. Great climb.”
They’ll spend a few minutes on the summit before heading back to camp for some hot drinks, dinner and some well deserved rest. Tomorrow they’ll head back to Lone Pine, celebrate and fade back into life.
Tye Chapman
April 1, 2011
Heading to high camp on Mt. Whitney.
George Dunn called in today to report that conditions have improved since his last go-around on Whitney last week. They’re en route to High Camp now and given that the snow is settling nicely they should have an opportunity to climb tonight/tomorrow.
Good luck guys & gals!
Tye Chapman
March 31, 2011
Asolo Evoluziones are a great choice of double plastic boots for Mt. Rainier.
With the Rainier season just around the corner we’re getting “the boot question” more and more frequently so here’s a snapshot of our thinking…
When to use plastic boots:
* Early season (May and June) and winter
* If you are a First time climber, you should rent them
* If you are a person with compromised circulation or a history of cold feet
When to use single boots:
* If you own your own boots and have used them successfully in similar conditions to Mt. Rainier
* During the peak summer season (July through September)
* If you have fit issues (very small, large, narrow or wide feet)
Late season suggestion:
If you are climbing in later season (after early August) it is often worth bringing a light pair of hiking or running shoes to wear on the first 2½ miles of the approach up to Pebble Creek. These are especially valuable on the way down if your feet are sore (or hot) in the double plastic boots.
For our full boot philosophy on Mt. Rainier click here.
March 30, 2011
Camp 1. (Photo by Landon Turner)
Aaron Mainer called in from +/- 6500ft on Mt. Rainier, where he and our Denali Prep Seminar team are camped, to report exactly what the forecast called (and is calling) for: bad weather.
Yesterday’s anticipated weather window closed quicker than expected forcing the team to hang down low, instead of heading up to Camp Muir. They put their time to good use by building some big wind walls around their tents in anticipation of the incoming weather. Today they learned about anchor systems.
That’s the beauty of these seminars – good weather or bad, there are plenty of opportunities to learn!
Tye Chapman
March 29, 2011
We received a quick note from Greg Vernovage late last night who’s with our Everest team in Kathmandu getting ready to make the hop from KTM to Lukla in the next few days.
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Hey All,
People are streaming in all day today. Our welcome dinner tonight at 6:30 will bring it all together. We’re doing a lot of gear checks and some last minute purchases – standard protocol in these parts.
The team is showing up looking great. All of the guides here are pretty fired up and excited to keep the trip moving. There is a great energy here and I can’t wait to get things rolling.
Greg
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**Remember you can follow all the Everest action on the Everest Expedition Coverage Homepage,
