Success on Kilimanjaro

Labor Day weekend has come and gone, hope it was enjoyed by all!Â Here’s a couple of updates from Kilimanjaro:

September 7, 2010

Sunrise from the summit bid

We love hearing of another 100% successful trip!!Â Olivia just phoned the office and reported that all members stood today on the true summit of Kilimanjaro with Olivia and our Chagga guides.Â Perfect weather was the word from O.Â Itâ€™s night there now and all have already made the 9000 vertical foot descent to their final camp at Mweka, altitude 10,000 ft.Â Now, the airâ€™s warm and thick and sleep will come easy.Â Itâ€™s a short hike on good trail in the morning down to the Mweka gate and pick up by our drivers.Â Quick shower and lunch at the Keys Hotel and then itâ€™s a pick up for the guys and off to their custom safari.Â Another great trip, great summit and great people.Â Nice!!

Phil Ershler

September 6, 2010

Olivia left a message at 7 a.m. (our time) – the team is getting up at 11 p.m. and leaving Barafu camp at midnight for the summit.Â The team is doing well and she will call back tomorrow with an update!

George Dunn

2011 Rainier Dates Released!

September 7, 2010

Working the snowfield en route to Camp Muir. (Photo by Warren Wilhide)

We’re happy to announce that our 2011 Rainier dates are now released and reservations for next year can be made. Dates fill up fast so book your climb and tell your friends ASAP!

When is the best time to climb Mt. Rainier you ask? Find the answer here.

New trips for 2011:
Little Tahoma
Kautz EX
Advanced Mountain Day School

Three steps to reserving your climb for 2011
1.) Call the office to see that the dates you want are still available. (360-569-2609)
2.) Fill out these forms then fax or email them to the office.
3.) Receive confirmation email within 48hours (during the business week).

Notes:
Group Policy: All applications need to be submitted at the same time. We are not able to “hold” climbs or pencil anybody in for any reason. Group size for most climbs is 12 (8 climbers and 4 guides).

$300 Application Fee: This will be applied to the cost of the climb and is required to reserve your climb. Final payment is due 90 days prior to the climb. All fees are non-refundable once received by IMG.

Cho Oyu Climbers Reach Camp 1

September 7, 2010

Camp 1

IMG Leader Mike Hamill reports that the team is all healthy now and all is well here.Â Karl, Markus, and Wolf are on their way up to C1 to sleepÂ with Kami and Karma Rita. Ang Pasang is up there today as well. Da Nuru and Mingma Tenzing are fixing a few pitches above C1 today so the climbers can go higher up tomorrow.

The main groupÂ will head to C1 tomorrow to spend one night, climb above C1Â a bit, and then descend the following day. We’re going through the technicalÂ harness set-up, etc today. Â The weather is a bit more unstable with snow and a bit of wind for most of today. Â This is the second day the Sherpas have carried to C1 so it’s pretty well stocked.Â So far so good!

Eric Simonson

Kili Team Arrives At Karanga Camp

September 5, 2010

Olivia called in via sat phone this morning to report that all is well at Karanga Valley Camp (13,000ft.). The weather continues to hold out for them with cool, clear morning and predictable clouds in the afternoons. They’ll move up to Barafu Camp (15,000ft.) tomorrow and head for the summit shortly thereafter!

IMG Kilimanjaro Team at Karanga Valley Camp

That’s all for now.

Tye Chapman

Cho Oyu Puja Ceremony

September 5, 2010

Mike Hamill reports from ABC that everyone is doing surprisingly well with the altitude, with almost no headaches or issues. Today the Sherpas and team members had a good puja ceremony and also got the Bgan internet terminal up and running, two important things!

IMG Cho Oyu Puja Ceremony

Mike reports that the weather seems to be stabilizing and pressure is rising. The team plans to hike towards C1 tomorrow and then come back down and sleep at ABC. Then, the next day they will rest and then they plan to head to C1 to sleep the following day.

Eric Simonson

Cho Oyu Climbers Reach ABC

September 4, 2010

Mike Hamill reports by sat phone that the team all made it up to ABC in good shape and that everyone is doing well.Â The IMG Sherpas did a great job getting the camp set up and all the yaks up there with the gear, so everything was looking good for the arrival of the climbers.Â Cho Oyu ABC is quite high, at nearly 18,500 feet, so one thousand feet higher than Everest Base Camp.Â That is why it was super important for them to move up there slowly, with lots of acclimatization hiking along the way.

The team will now do their puja at ABC, Â the sherpa blessing ceremony that which marks the traditional beginning of the climbing.Â Then, over the next few days, the Sherpas will start working on putting in Camp 1 and the climbers will continue their acclimatization with several day trips up toward Camp 1, before they move up there for overnight.

So far so good!!

Eric Simonson

: Cho Oyu ABC

: Cho Oyu Advanced Base Camp

A Special Message From Kilimanjaro

September 4, 2010

The breach wall on Kilimanjaro.

Olivia called in from Barancco Camp this morning to relay a special hello to all the kids of the Kili climbers… A big “hello and I love you” to: Alexander, David, Emory, Elizabeth, Jack, Harrison, Windham, Katherine, Evans, Luke, Mary Ellis, and Madelyn!

All is well at camp. They made good time today and have a shorter day to Karanga Valley Camp tomorrow which they’re all looking forward to. The good news about tomorrow is they’ll cross the Breach Wall (a bit of pretty steep scrambling in a few places) and traverse below the Southern Glaciers. This is typically the favorite day on the approach, with great scenery and rugged hiking.

All is well…

Tye Chapman

Kili Team Moves to Shira Camp

September 3, 2010

A little rain didn’t stop our Kili team from enjoying their move from Machame Camp to the Shira Plateau Camp.Â The rain has since passed which makes for a nice crisp & clear evening for the team rest and recover. Tomorrow they move to up to 14,500ft before dropping down to Barancco Camp at 13,000ft.

SPOT location of IMG Kilimanjaro Team

All is well.

Tye Chapman

Cho Oyu climbers on the move to ABC

September 3, 2010

Mike Hamill reports by sat phone that the climbers had a good night at Interim Camp (IC) and now they are on the way to Advanced Base Camp.Â Everyone is doing well, the weather remains good, Â and they expect to reach ABC later today.Â Interim Camp, as the name suggests, is only used for one night. Â Situated on the east lateral moraine of the Gyabrag Glacier, it has a good water source and space for camping.Â In recent years the Chinese have built a rough jeep road all the way to IC which is useful for emergency evacuation, but our climbers are walking from Base Camp. After all, they are trying to get acclimatized! Â Â The yak drivers will also stay there and go up to ABC and back tomorrow,Â so they donâ€™t have to haul extra yak food up to ABC.

Eric Simonson

: Ang Passang negotiating yak loads

: Yak teams heading to Intermediate Camp

: Intermediate Camp

Kili Team At Machame Camp

September 2, 2010

Kili team at Machame Camp

IMG Guide Olivia Cussen, one of the few IFMGA fully certified guides here in the US, called in again this morning to report that all is well on Kilimanjaro. The group knocked out 4000 vertical feet of trail yesterday, one if the harder days on the mountain, so it’s great to have that behind them while they continue to acclimatize to the higher elevations.

They’re at the Machame Camp now; tomorrow they’ll move through the “zone of weird plants” which are native to the high mountains of Africa en route to the Shira Plateau (12,000) where they’ll make camp.

All is well…

Tye Chapman