March 30, 2010
IMG Partner Geo Dunn called in today to report that Whitney Team #2 made the top yesterday. 12 for 12 on top! Way to go team!
George is heading back up for his second go around on Whitney tomorrow. Go get em guys.
Tye Chapman
Denali Prep Seminar Delayed…But Happy
March 30, 2010
A big weather system settled in the Pacific Northwest these past few days and has dumped several feet of snow in the Cascades! Great for the skiers but not so great for the first day of our Denali Prep Seminar which was scheduled to get started yesterday.
With the roads inside Mt. Rainier National Park locked down for the day, our guides and climbers made the most of the day by training here at IMG yesterday. Over the course of the day the team worked on crevasse rescue techniques, self extraction from a crevasse (prussiking out) and some avalanche beacon fundamentals. They ended the training day with an obstacle course which put some of the skills they talked about and practiced earlier in the day to use.
The obstacle course events were:
1.) Prussiking up a rope
2.) Dragging a sled 50 yards in snowshoes
3.) Putting on crampons for inspection
4.) Tying 4 knots: overhand, figure eight, clove hitch and a butterfly
5.) And some bouldering on our rock wall in their double boots.
Congratulations to our winner Dave who walked away with an IMG t-shirt for his efforts!
The guides wrapped up the evening by whipping up some chicken curry and rice noodles for everybody up in the guide lounge.
Everybody’s good spirits yesterday paid off today when the park opened the gates at 11:00am this morning!
UPDATE: Lead guide Erica Engle just called in from their camp at 6500ft – all is well! It’s snowing but that’s a good thing!
Tye Chapman
Whitney Wrap-up
March 29, 2010
We had a great summit day! The route was in excellent condition and the weather was very good – a bit windy and cold, but mostly good.
The team departed high camp at 12,000 feet about an hour before sunrise. Unfortunately, one member elected to remain back in camp due to a knee injury. The rest of the team climbed well and we made good time up to Iceberg Lake just before dawn. We climbed up into the Mountaineers’ Gulley finding good firm conditions up to 35 degrees in angle. At the “Notchâ€, the top of the gulley at 14,000 feet, the team rested while the guides fixed the climbing ropes for the final thee rope lengths of steeper terrain. 
The first section included some rock scrambling, the second pitch was moderate snow and the third pitch was up to 55 degrees in steepness, but good step kicking in soft snow. The team all topped out by approximately 11:30 a.m. We all enjoyed the view up on top, rested and ate lunch, then were lowered by the guides back down to the notch. This was perhaps the busiest I have ever seen the route, it seems to be growing in popularity this time of year. As usual, the different climbing parties were friendly and worked together to minimize congestion. We did our part by assisting two individuals descend to the notch.
We had an easy descent of the main gulley and reached camp by about 4:30pm for a well deserved dinner and good nights sleep.
Conditions were as good as I have seen them on the route this year, snow conditions were generally excellent and the weather was perfect.
We passed climb IMG #2 during our descent. They are resting at high camp (Sunday March28) and will summit today.
I head back up again on our climb starting April 1 and can’t wait.
George Dunn
Whitney Team Summits!
March 28, 2010
George Dunn called in from Lone Pine this afternoon to report that they had 11 of 12 on the summit yesterday morning!
Weather was great! Pizza and beers for everybody!
Tye Chapman
Whitney Team At High Camp
March 26, 2010
IMG Partner and Whitney Program Director George Dunn called in from High Camp on Whitney – all is well! The weather is good and the team is looking forward to a short break this afternoon before heading for the summit early tomorrow morning. Should have another report on Sunday when they get back down to Lone Pine.
Tye Chapman
And They’re Off…
March 26, 2010
Our Everest guides are on their way to Kathmandu, we are rolling now! This morning we saw Expedition leader Justin Merle, Hybrid team leader Mike Hamill, and Sherpa guided team leader Greg Vernovage off at the airport. They are heading to Kathmandu ahead of the surge to get boots on the ground over there and get ready to receive the group. Eric Simonson and Phil and Sue Ershler leave tomorrow. Most of the climbers will be hitting Kathmandu on the 29th or 30th. The plan is to get everyone together on the night of March 30th at our welcome dinner at the Radisson Hotel, always a festive evening. Then, starting the next day, the group flies to Lukla and starts trekking, in three waves…Â Here we go!
Eric Simonson
Everest Expedition Coverage
March 25, 2010
With IMG Partners Eric Simonson and Phil Ershler along with guides Justin Merle, Mike Hamill, Greg Vernovage and Eben Reckord leaving for Nepal later this week the Everest Season is upon us! We’ll update this blog occasionally but for full Everest coverage be sure to check out the dispatches on the Everest page.
Tye Chapman
Like Horses To A Barn…
March 19, 2010
It’s a beautiful day here in the Northwest so what do two legends of Mt. Rainier do – like horses to a barn they went to Camp Muir!
IMG Partners George Dunn and Phil Ershler along with Sue Ershler left HQ about 8:30 and were walking uphill by 10:00am. They pulled in to Camp Muir at 1:30 and said hello to our Denali Seminar which is up there for its last day of training today.
Just spoke to Geo on the radio and they’re at 8000ft on their way down having a great day!
Both George and Phil are leaving next week – George to Whitney and Phil for Nepal… See, these guys do train!
Tye Chapman
Everest Rope On The Move
March 18, 2010Â
Ang Jangbu in Nepal reports that we have sent another MI helicopter charter load (3495 kg) to Shyangboche this morning, in preparation for the Everest expedition.  Ang Pasang and Ang Tshering at Shyangboche received the loads which will be heading up to Everest BC soon. Â
Among the loads is a large quantity of climbing rope (several thousand meters or a few miles!), which we have purchased on behalf of a group of the Everest operators. We hope to work together this year with as many other climbers as possible, to get a good route fixed up the mountain. Prior to sending the rope up to Khumbu, our Sherpas stripped it off the spools and stacked it into bags, so it is easy to deploy without kinking.Â
Eric Simonson
Â
Â
Â
Denali Prep Seminar At Camp Muir
March 16, 2010
After a beautiful day yesterday our Denali Prep Seminar broke camp early this morning and made short work of the Muir Snowfield given the conditions – arriving at roughly 1:30 this afternoon. The GPS’s came in handy today as the forecasted winds & snow came in right on time – as Greg put it when he called in (via radio) “we couldn’t see much of the snow field so I really can’t tell you what it looked likeâ€.
Â
Hot cocoa and tea are first in order this afternoon – after that the team will settle in and do some “classroom†work inside the hut at Camp Muir. I think citrus pork loin and mashed potatoes are on the menu tonight before a good night’s sleep.
Tomorrow’s forecast isn’t much better but it looks like the winds will die down and the weather will be improving later this week. Perfect training conditions for these guys!
Tye Chapman