March 8, 2010
Question of the day: How should I train for Mt. Rainier?
Climbing Mt. Rainier is tough for even the fittest of climbers, so doing your physical homework is extremely important. Have a look at the Training Suggestions for Mt. Rainier webpage for a detailed look at what it takes to climb Mt. Rainier.
Tye Chapman
Operations Manager
March 5, 2010
As our Mt. Rainier season fills up we get questions about other climbs here in the Pacific Northwest and the answer is simple: climb in the North Cascades and you will not be dissappointed!
The North Cascades of Washington are a climber’s playground and offer a complete variety of challenges in a great mountain wilderness. Some of the bests climbers of North America cut their teeth here, learning the skills necessary to make them competent climbers.
One great thing about our North Cascades Program is that most of our climbs are conducted on a custom basis. You and your climbing partners can join our expert guide staff for ascents of Forbidden Peak, Eldorado, Sahale, Sharkfin Tower, Boston Peaks, Triad, Mt. Shuksan or any of the dozens of other great climbs in North Cascades National Park for a private climb.
Just give us a call and we’d be happy to put something together for you!
Tye Chapman
Operations Manager
March 4, 2010
I spent yesterday afternoon with a great group of kids from Orting! We talked about climbing Mt. Rainier, Leave No Trace ethics, and played with some of the gear I brought along. And because it was such a nice day we went out side and practiced setting up a tent then fired up the stoves for some hot chocolate. Note: 7 4th and 5th graders fit in a Eureka High Camp tent.
Below you’ll see Michael who volunteered to put on some climbing gear as we talked about each item. Looks like my stuff is a bit big on him, but he’ll grow into it I’m sure.
Good times had by all!
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Tye Chapman
Operations Manager
March 1, 2010
We sent IMG Guide Eben Reckord to Africa to lead our January and February Kilimanjaro climbs. Here’s a look at a Kili climb and Safari from his point of view:
Day 1: Kiss the kids goodbye and turn off the Blackberry!
Day 2: Arrival in Africa! “Oh, the heat!†“Did my bags make it??†There is a lot of anxiety the first night, but everyone made it as did their luggage… Somehow everything always works out.
Day 3: Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project briefing in Moshi and a Keys Hotel burger (beef patty with two fried eggs, sautéed onions and cheese). Time to pack and maybe hit the pool. We meet our local guide staff and then it’s off to dinner. There’s no shortage of food on Kili trips!
Day 4: With Gore-Tex ready we set out from Machame Gate en route to Machame Camp. It feels good to finally get walking, but we conserve our energy and when we arrived at camp everyone was pleasantly surprised by the nice dining tent all set with afternoon snacks – is that popcorn?
Day 5: We’re making our move to Shira Plateau Camp today. The bump to 12000ft. is nothing to shake a stick at. The air is getting thinner, but the terrain is incredible. Light headaches begin to emerge as we pull into camp. At camp some take off to check out the caves while others just rest. It’s chicken wings for the afternoon snack and then it’s dinner. I think it’s potato leek tonight! Barranco hut tomorrow.
Day 6: Barranco hut sits only three hundred feet higher than Shira, but to get to Barranco a climber must either pass through the Lava Tower Notch at 15,100 or traverse the Lower Lava variation which tops out at 14,800. For those that attempt the notch, they can be greeted with phenomenal views and a more challenging descent into camp. Those that make the traverse are in store for a rolling trail. Either way offers its own challenges.
Day 7: Moving from Barranco camp to Karanga Valley Camp. With stomachs filled with hot drinks and toast the team sets out to negotiate the Barranco Wall (921ft. from bottom to top).  It’s chilly and the sun hasn’t hit just yet. We have our gloves on and our trekking poles stored on the pack. Ten minutes out of the gate it gets steep.  Steep moves to steeper and then to even steeper, we’re using our hands now and there are some places where we are having to pull ourselves up by our hands. We are climbing now!  We all make it up the wall and take a good rest on top. Tomorrow we are off to Barafu Camp (15,000ft.).
Day 8: We all wake up to the sun. We leave a little later than normal as we don’t have much ground to cover and could stand to use the extra hour of rest.  So by nine AM we are out on the trail moving up to high camp.  The move up to Barafu is pretty mellow with only a short, but steep hill right before getting into camp.  When we get into camp we find tents tucked within walls of lava rock. Not much to say about Barafu other than the amazing sunset. If the clouds clear it is one of the most beautiful places on the entire mountain.
Day 9: Technically, it is still day 7. 11PM! Who wakes up at 11pm? We’ve got one hour before we’re walking. Get dressed, eat, go to the bathroom and don’t forget to breathe. It is go time. The stars are phenomenal.  There is an excited nervousness in the air as folks are ready to get walking. Amazingly enough we all get out by midnight and our summit bid has begun!
The first hour is a blur.  Our head lamps light the trail ablaze and it is one foot in front of the next.  All the preparation and planning has come down to this. The climbing is steep and the possibility of turning around becomes real. As we get higher and the morning draws in it gets colder. It will get so cold that we will be wearing our down jackets to hike in. After six hours of climbing the sun starts to peak out along the horizon. The morning light energizes everyone and the crater rim is within site. The team collects on the crater rim… now it is time to go to Uhuru (the true summit). This 45 minutes walk will feel like the longest of some people’s lives.
I’d like to say the descent is easy, but you have to work to get down hill too… From high camp up to the summit and all the way back down to Mweka camp! A long day and some tired bodies at camps but the big smiles show how hard work pays off! Nice work everybody!
Day 10: Out to the gate and into the jeeps and time for another Keys burger in Moshi. After a shower and lunch it’s off for some shopping and afternoon wandering. Tomorrow we set out On the Safari.
Day 11: We stage out of Arusha for our Safari, but not before we have a five star lunch at the Arusha Hotel which was referred to as “the best lunch I have ever eaten in my life†by one of the climbers. After eating, it is off to the airport for our flight onto the Serengeti. Not an hour after landing in the preserve can we see giraffes, elephants and lions! Another world class dinner and a nice shower – yup these huts have showers! No wandering around camp after dark!
Day 12: We’re off to the Ndutu wilderness camp, but not before we see wildebeests, hyenas, zebras, baboons, leopards, jackals, impalas, gazelles, cheetahs, water buffalo, and more birds than you can count! What a day of game viewing – what safari is all about!
Day 13: We’ll check out a Massai Village and the Ngorongoro crater today. Words can barely describe the wildlife in the crater – what a place! Keep your eyes out for the hawks at lunch – they like sandwiches!
Day 14: It’s a buffet in the morning and then three and half hours back to Arusha. We’ll stop along the way to shop for souvenirs before a nice lunch at the Arusha Hotel.  When we finish up it’s time to shuffle the weight in your duffel bags and send out any last minute emails to family eagerly awaiting your return before boarding your transfer plane to JRO for the evening flight to Amsterdam. .
Day 15: Back home, tired and proud.
Eben ReckordÂ
February 26, 2010
February 23, 2010
Believe it or not the folks here at IMG let me out of the office long enough join our most recent Aconcagua Expedition! Below is a peek into our trip…
Day 1 – Mike, Greg and I sort group gear, hit the grocery store to shop for local specialties to bring on the mountain then re-package the group food.
Day 2 – All of our fellow climbers arrive in Mendoza clean and shiny and ready to climb. Gear-check that afternoon and a “get to know each other†dinner that night. Steak and wine is the way to go in Argentina!
Day 3 – We walked to the permit office in Mendoza to take care of a little business. Permits- check! The National Park does a great job of checking in and tracking all climbers on the mountain.
Day 4 – Load up – it’s time to go to Penetentes. This is the jumping off point and last call for checking your gear. We sorted the gear into Mule loads for the first 3 days and grabbed a good night’s sleep in a bed for the last time for quite awhile!
Day 5 – Let the journey begin! Started the 3 day hike into Basecamp. Great day that ended with some grilled beef at camp. Perfect! Beautiful walking in a spectacular valley. Everyone feeling really good.
Day 6 – Day 2 of the hike to BC. Another great weather day and our first view of the mountain. Most of us were stunned when we saw the mountain for the first time, very high, very big, very rugged, incredibly beautiful.
Day 7 – The day started off with a COLD walk across some glacially fed streams! Brrr. The trail got a bit tougher today but nothing the team couldn’t handle. We pulled into Basecamp in the early afternoon ready for the rest day the following day.
Day 8 – Rest day. Basecamp life moves a bit slower, but there was plenty to do. A short hike for some and long naps for others. The dining tent was great and the meals were awesome. Salad with tomatoes and avocados – who saw that coming? Silver Joe’s coffee brewed every morning in a French press, thanks Greg!
Day 9 – Carry to C1 at 16,000 feet. We loaded up all the personal gear that wasn’t needed at BC into our packs along with our group load and made our first pilgrimage to C1. Not a huge day distance wise but our first big challenge vertically. The trail through the penetentes, while faster than the scree slope, proved quite the challenge with the loads and the lack of 0’s!
Day 10 – Move to C1. Similar weight in the packs but a much easier day given the acclimatization days at BC and the carry the previous day. Felt like we were moving slower but the opposite was actually the case! First night sleeping at serious altitude = headaches and restless sleep… Pound the water and keep eating!
Day 11 – Carry to C2 at 18,000. Heavy loads again but a reasonable day distance wise with some vertical gain and traversing through the wind to camp. Arrived in camp, made the drop, took a break, and went right back down to C1 for the night.
Day 12 – Move to C2. Packed up camp and made for our new digs at C2. Second windy day in a row but that’s normal for Aconcagua. We set up shop on one side of the water source and called it home. Quesadillas anyone?
Day 13 – Carry to C3 (19,500) aka Cholera Camp. Tough day with a heavy load. We didn’t cover a ton of distance but we’re getting up pretty high at this point. After a short steep incline to start the day, the trail lengthens out before a steep section right before camp. Dropped our gear, piled rocks on top and back down we went.
Day 14 – Rest day at C2. Spent this day cleaning up, hydrating and healing up the best we could. Simple, everyday tasks are hard at 18,000 feet but our acclimatization schedule of climbing high and sleeping low helped our bodies adapt.
Day 15 – Move to C3. A cold and windy day! Made the move to C3. A little faster than the day before and everybody’s feeling reasonable which is good for 19,500ft! Ate as much as we could and hopped in the sleeping bags early in preparation for our summit bid.
Day 16 – Summit day! Cold night and a 5am wake up call got us out of the tent moving pretty quickly! A perfect summit day for the folks that made the top! Congratulations to Mark, Jim, Ann, Mike, Ian, Tim and Larry (ok and Mike and Greg too!)!!
Day 17 – Slept in a bit, but it was soon time to move on down to Plaza de Mulas (Basecamp on the other side of the mountain). Some crampon work and some loose scree didn’t stop us from getting down to a glass of wine and some strange pizza! Tim said it best – “only in mountaineering do people give congratulations the day before an 18 mile walk out to the trail head!†The team knocked out for a dusty nights sleep in the dining tent while Mike, Greg and Martin sorted the mule loads for the last days walk out…
Day 18 – Pancakes, coffee and an 18 mile walk! Started at 9:30 and arrived at the trail head at 4…we were moving pretty quick – the awaiting beers and showers back in Mendoza were quite the motivation. Ate and drank like kings in Penetentes as we waited for the mules to bring the rest of our gear down… loaded the van and trailer up and we were back in Mendoza 3 hours later. In the shower by 1am!
Day 19 – A restful day in the beautiful town of Mendoza. Sleep, eat, shop, clean and wrap it up with the celebration dinner Argentinean style which means a late reservation, several courses and some great wines to match! The prefect ending to an incredible two weeks on the mountain.
Day 20 – Some folks headed for the airport while others took a day to check out some wineries and relax one last day before re-entry into the real world…
Day 21 – Home….and ready to be there!A great trip and some great new friends!
A special thanks to IMG Guides Mike Hamill and Greg Vernovage as well as our local Aconcagua guide Tincho – these guys worked their tails off and deserve some recognition – not too much though or it’ll go to their heads!
Tye Chapman
Operations Manager
February 19, 2010
Phil Ershler called from Puebla, Mexico after a tough run at Orizaba. He said that the team wasn’t able to make it out of the hut due to 6 inches of snow and high winds that brought visibility to zero. To make matters worse, the conditions were as such that the team was forced to carry down the mountain 2,000 feet because the road became impassible. Too bad for these unexpected challenges, but once they got down the hill they were picked up and are now resting in Puebla. The team will depart for home tomorrow. Everyone continues to be in good spirits and good health. Good job, team, for putting up a good fight!Â
IMG Office
February 17, 2010
Phil called from Orizaba. They had a good training day today in spite of the snowy and windy weather. They hope that the weather will clear for their summit bid tomorrow. Because of these factors, this will be a close call. They plan to take a shot at the summit if the weather allows.
IMG Office
February 17, 2010
We made it back to Mendoza late last night after the long hike out. We’ll have our celebration dinner tonight and then most of the team takes off tomorrow. All is well.
-Mike Hamill
February 16, 2010
Phil Ershler called from Mexico. The Orizaba team is currently settled in at the Piedre Grande Refugio (hut). It’s a little windy with gusts of about 25 mph, but not to worry the group will be staying at the hut for the next day and a half. They’ll be training tomorrow and will get to bed early. The plan is to get up and climb in the wee hours of Thursday morning. Everyone is doing well and in good spirits. A full day of acclimatization and rest will prepare everyone for the long summit day, which is at least 12 hours round trip: hut – summit – shower (oh and they’ll need one too!).
We wish the team luck!
IMG Office
