March 16, 2011
Led by Eric Simonson, Greg Vernovage, Justin Merle, Mike Hamill, Ang Jangbu Sherpa, Eben Reckord, Adam Angel, and Max Bunce.
Our third shipment of food and gear has now reached Kathmandu, and everything is moving forward on schedule. With the conclusion of the Losar Festival (Tibetan New Year), ten more IMG sherpas and two cooks are heading to Base Camp today to continue work on the tent platforms.
March 16, 2011
Winter livin' on Mt. Rainier.
Greg called in this morning to report that the winds have died down a little bit, and after scouting the route and snow conditions yesterday, they’ve decided to pull camp and head to Camp Muir today.
If all goes as planned they’ll get to Camp Muir this afternoon and if they’re feeling good they might sneak in a little training or an evening lecture after dinner.
Step 1 is getting to Camp Muir, which is never a given on Mt. Rainier in the winter.
Tye Chapman
March 15, 2010
Digging in and building a good camp is an important part of any Denali Prep Course.
The Seminar called to check in at 8:00 a.m. All is well. They spent a good night, with a snug camp established, at the base of Panorama Point at about 6,200 feet. They reported the weather as “nice, but not greatâ€. What that means in guide speak is snowing and windy with gusts up to 20mph. It was deemed too windy higher up to attempt to move to Muir today. Instead, the team will check out their route up the Muir snowfield in advance, do some snow stability tests, train with avalanche transceivers, and continue on with seminar training skills.
The current camp is in the best possible location for protection from the weather, so they will continue to train from this point until a move to Camp Muir looks favorable. Right now it appears that tomorrow will be good for the move with a clearing trend in store. The weather the rest of the week should be milder and provide for some good training opportunities.
George Dunn
March 11, 2011
Everybody enjoys a good photo now and again…
Check out this beauty taken by Steve Harshbarger while on Safari in 2010. Not a bad way to wrap up a climb of Kilimanjaro!
March 9, 2011
By Eben Reckord via OR’s Verticulture
29,035ft or 8850m - Either way it's the top of the world!
It’s hard to think that my journey to the top of the world started on a train in Tokyo. I was fourteen and I knew I wanted to climb, but wasn’t quite sure how to go about it. The closest climbing gym was three hours away and every Sunday my friends and I would set out for it. It was an all-day event and we made sure our homework from the American School in Japan was done before leaving so that the adventure could run late. Not really knowing what we were doing we bouldered our brains out, too afraid to try roped climbing. Though only pulling on plastic every Sunday, the experience would evolve into a serious passion for big mountain climbing. And, like any good climb, by no means was it a straight line from those Sunday outings to Pump 2 in Tokyo to the summit of Mt. Everest.
The flag I’m holding up in this picture means so much to me. In the middle is the rising sun; Japan’s essence. I consider it a commitment to a new day, a commitment that anything is possible. The Kanji means number one. And though I am an American, my time in Japan helped to shape the man I am today.
Outdoor Research has been with me from the start of my guiding career when I met Dan Nordstrom on the Emmons Glacier on Mt. Rainier. (Read more)
March 8, 2011
As another set of winter storms is heading our way over the next few days, which only drives home the point that Mt. Rainier is the premier training ground for Denali Climbers.
We’ve got a another Denali Prep Seminar coming through here this weekend and it looks like they’ll get a full dose of what Mt. Rainier brings to the table this time of year. Guide Greg Vernovage just had a look at the weather and got a little excited because he loves getting out in the mix of it and teaching climbers what to expect when they head up to Denali later this year or next season.
We’ll have more on this program as it gets underway on Sunday.
For now here’s a look at the forecast.
Tye Chapman
March 4, 2011
Note the skier... We will not be on skis on this program. (Photo by IMG Guide Chris Meder)
Have you climbed Rainier before & are you looking for a more challenging route? Well, if you’re very fit and looking to push yourself physically and technically on a non-standard route, then this is the program for you!
The crux of the route, the finger itself, is a narrow chute that necks down to a few hundred feet across. The steepest part of the chute is 40-50 degrees in angle. Above, the upper mountain eases off in angle and the final 2,000 feet are a more typical 20 degree slope. Hazards on this route include the potential for isolated rock or ice fall during warming conditions so we climb the exposed part of the chute rapidly to avoid prolonged exposure.
All participants must have prior alpine climbing experience either on Rainier or on other major glaciated peaks, and be familiar with basic mountaineering skills including cramponing in firm ice and snow conditions.
Dates: June 7-11 and June 29 – July 3
Group size: 4 climbers & 2 guides
More Info
March 2, 2011
Come swap some climbing stories with us at the Harmon Expeditionary Event at the Harmon Brewery in Tacoma, WA on March 8th. Event starts at 5pm. Good beer. Good food. Good stories. Good times.Â
March 1, 2011
Mt. Rainier
Every year we get together with a few REI’s in the area and give some Rainier Prep Talks. We’ll cover some of the gear necessary to climb Rainier, discuss some training tips as well as a few of the more popular routes.
Below are our upcoming dates and locations.
| Date | Time | REI |
Presenter |
| Wednesday, March 2, 2011 | 7pm | Seattle | George Dunn |
| Wednesday, March 23, 2011 | 7pm | Southcenter | Tye Chapman |
| Wednesday, March 23, 2011 | 7pm | Tacoma | Greg Vernovage |
| Tuesday, April 12, 2011 | 7pm | Issaquah | George Dunn |
| Wednesday, April 13, 2010 | 7pm | Southcenter | Tye Chapman |
February 24, 2011
Greg Vernovage meets Nepalese Ambassador Shankar Prasad Sharma
IMG Guide Greg Vernovage had the privilege of meeting a Nepalese VIP earlier this week:
“On February 20th, I was honored to meet with His Excellency Shankar Prasad Sharma, the Nepalese Ambassador to the United States.
The event was held by the Nepal Seattle Society to represent the Visit Nepal 2011 promotion. On this special night I spoke with the Ambassador about tourism in Nepal as well as my experiences while climbing in the Himalaya. The night was capped off with a documentary titled: “Sherpas – The True Heroes Of Mount Everest.†Nice people, great footage of Mount Everest and a look at what some of the Sherpa do for everyone who climbs Mount Everest.â€
Greg Vernovage
