IMG Guides Summit Lib Ridge

May 31, 2009

Earlier this week IMG Guides Erica Engle, Eric Gullickson, Austin Shannon and Brian Warren summitted Mt. Rainier via Liberty Ridge…

About Liberty Ridge:

Liberty Ridge on Mt. Rainier is a very serious, technically difficult and physically demanding ascent that is reserved for strong climbers with prior climbing experience. The route is a prominent ridge that divides the Willis and Liberty Walls on the North Face of

Mt. Rainier. It is steep, exposed, and committing. The program begins at our facilities in Ashford but we shuttle the team around to the northern side of the mountain and the White River entrance for the start of the climb. The approach to this route is long and fairly involved, and circumnavigates part of Mt.Â Rainier on its north-eastern flank. We climb the route using two or more camps as we progress to successively higher altitudes. Technical difficulties start at the base of the ridge, 8,600ft and end at Liberty Cap, 14,112Â ft. The climb ends with a long trudge across a saddle to the true summit, Columbia Crest, 14,411ft. We carry our gear up and over the top with us and descend the technically easier Emmons Glacier route and back out via the White River entrance. Four days are the minimum time required to complete the climb, but we offer a 5Â½ day program that allows for an extra summitÂ day.

Tune up your skills and join us on one of our Lib Ridge climbs in 2010.

More Info On Lib Ridge

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Tye Chapman
Operations Manager

Winds Calmed For Another Rainier Summit

We had 100% on top this morning! The group just pulled into IMG HQ and reported that it was pretty windy on top today but not windy enough to stop them. They summitted around 6:15am and promptly turned around and headed back down to camp. The route continues on the Ingraham Direct for now.

Our next group of climbers is pulling into Muir right now and reporting a significant lenticular cloud building – looks like it’ll continue to be windy up high and nice and warm down low. They’re scheduled to move to the Flats tomorrow and try to summit early on Sunday…so… fingers crossed.

Summit Crater

Tye Chapman
Operations Manager

Too Windy Up High!

May 28, 2009

Well it was just too windy on the upper mountain for our last Rainier climb. The group got up to about 12,500ft and conditions were not improving so the guides made the safe decision and turned around. They all returned safely to Camp Muir in good spirits and cruised on down to Paradise yesterday afternoon.

Looks like the forecast calls for improving weather which is great for our climbers up at Camp Muir now. They plan on moving up to ‘The Flats’ after their morning training session today.Summit day will be early tomorrow morning so we’ll keep you posted…

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Tye Chapman
Operations Manager

Mt. Rainier ‘Summer’ Climbs Underway!

With 10 of 12 on top yesterday Lead Guide Eben Reckord & Co. logged our first “Summer” summit of the season. Nice work everybody!

Climbs will continue all summer long with 3-day climbs coming through IMG HQ every other day!

Weather has been uncharacteristically warm on Mt. Rainier these past few days which made for some great climbing weather over the holiday weekend. Fingers crossed it holds for the next… 4 months!

Currently our climbers up at Camp Muir report some windy conditions so we’ll see how that develops through the day and over the night…

It’s climbing season!!

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Tye Chapman
Operations Manager

Heli-lift To Camp Muir Today

May 21, 2009
Each year Mt. Rainier National Park coordinates a helicopter lift to the various camps on Mt. Rainier each year… We work with them to get a couple loads lifted to Camp Muir.

This year we sent up several hundred pounds of propane which is used to cook meals and melt water at Camp Muir. We also sent some new ‘5th Season’ Eureka Tents which will be used at “The Flats” on our 3-day climbs.

Pretty cool stuff!Â

A big thanks to the Mt. Rainier National Park for continuing to allow us to send loads up to Camp Muir!

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Tye Chapman
Operations Manager

Everest Summit Bids Underway…

Teams on the move… for full coverage click the photo below…

Guide Training – Day 2

May 18, 2009
So the guides wrapped up their second day of training on Mt. Rainier last week by practicing some Kautz systems.

They enjoyed the training (in less than ideal conditions) on some route specific tools and techniques and learned a few different, and possibly more efficient, ways of doing things. Some time was also spent on problem solving a few different situations that the guides might find themselves in – some great conversation spun from this!

A big thank you to John Race, Olivia Cussen and Jeff Ward for their work on this year’s guide training…

Up Next: The NPS Helicopter Flight to Muir (weather dependent),Â and the Wilderness First Responder Course (refresher) this weekend… Our 3.5 day summit climbs start this week too – so I guess it is officially climbing season!!

On a separate note: if you haven’t been keeping up with our Everest Climb it’s time to start checking in daily… The summit teams are making their way up the mountain!

That’s all for now…

Tye Chapman
Operations Manager

Guide Training – Day 1

May 13, 2009

The busy weeks continues today with Day 1 of IMG Guide Training. This year the training is being lead by IFMGA guides Jeff Ward, Olivia Cussen and John Race.

Over 20 of our guides are here today to learn and participate in some weather analysis, route planning & gps work as well as take an in depth look at some systems and techniques that apply to our Kautz climbs.

After some classroom work today the guides will split into groups and head into the park (Rainier) tomorrow to practice these systems.

As part of our continuing education program we provide several training opportunities for our guides each year: Ouray, CO (Ice), Ashford, WA (Alpine) and Leavenworth, WA (Rock or Alpine).

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Tye Chapman
Operations Manager

Sherpas Are The Backbone Of Any Himalayan Climb

May 11, 2009

The Sherpa community forms the soul and backbone of Everest climbing. The rest of us are mere guests in their native land and fortunate to have their priceless help when we come to climb this mountain. Whenever a Sherpa is lost on Everest, a large community is devastated. The pain goes far beyond grief for a lost friend or family member, for many, the reality of severe economic hardship looms large.

The international climbing community can only offer our sincere thanks and sympathy to that Sherpa community and give our direct support to the families involved.

As in the past, IMG will organize a relief fund to be directed to support for the family of Lhapka Nuru Sherpa, lost in the recent avalanche on Everest, through our affiliated non-profit organization, AFFIMER (American Foundation for International Mountaineering Exploration and Research.)

Those who wish to help Lhapka’s family in this time of great need can make tax deductible donations to the fund as follows:

Write checks payable to: AFFIMER – ‘Lhapka Fund’ and mail directly to:

AFFIMER, P.O. Box 155,
Ashford, WA 98304 USA

AFFIMER is organized under the Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation Law for charitable purposes and is operated exclusively for charitable, educational and scientific purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. AFFIMER is dedicated to promoting the exploration of mountains for the purpose of increasing geographic, cultural, and scientific understanding of the global alpine environment. Founded in 1990 by a group of alpine mountain climbers and researchers from across the United States, AFFIMER is governed by a volunteer board of directors and receives its funding from private contributions and donations from the public.

Full Expedition Coverage

Eric Simonson addressing the IMG Sherpa Team

Q: What can I do to help prevent altitude sickness? Are there any medications I can take?

A: Mild altitude illness, also known as Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), is not uncommon among people climbing Mt. Rainier. Typical symptoms tend to include headache, loss of appetite, nausea, shortness of breath, fatigue, restless sleep, and an increased heart rate and increased respiratory rate.

There are many things you can do to help prevent altitude illness. Hydrating during the climb is the most important and effective, but other effective techniques also include “pressure breathing,” using medications such as Diamox, and taking acclimatization hikes prior to your climb. Ibuprofen or aspirin can help with the headache and other symptoms of altitude illness.

Proper hydration while on an alpine climb can help you avoid cold injuries as well as prevent altitude illness. The more hydrated you are, the better you will feel at altitude and the faster you will acclimatize (adapt to higher altitude), because you will be able to assimilate more oxygen into your blood stream and deliver it throughout the body more efficiently. It is important to keep track of your fluid intake to make sure that you’re getting enough. We generally recommend that a person drink between 4 and 6 liters per day while climbing or training on Mt. Rainier. The general rule of thumb is that if your urine is clear and copious, then you are drinking enough. Electrolyte drink mixes will help replenish electrolytes lost from sweating and exertion. It is important, however, to remember to eat as well as drink during the day, both to maintain your energy levels and prevent hyponatremia. Drinking too much water without replacing electrolytes can make you hyponatremic (the flushing away of important electrolytes in the bloodstream due to excess water), which can be a life-threatening illness.

In addition to staying well hydrated, consider avoiding substances that act as diuretics or depressants. Refrain from alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, antihistamines, sleeping pills and other depressant drugs for a few days prior to and during your climb.

Another means of preventing altitude illness is pressure breathing, or purposeful hyperventilation. The more you force yourself to breath deeply and force out the old stale air in your lungs, the more you will rid your body of carbon dioxide and allow your body to take on more oxygen. This, combined with proper hydration will allow your body to transport more oxygen molecules around the body. This breathing technique is very effective and is employed by most successful high altitude mountaineers. IMG guides will teach you about pressure breathing during your climb.

Generally, just being fit will help you feel better at altitude. Being fit will also help you manage any symptoms of altitude illness without simultaneously struggling with the journey up the mountain. When possible, go for acclimatization hikes prior to the climb. Hike a local peak with some altitude (8,000 feet or higher) or consider coming out to Ashford a day or two before your climb with IMG and do a day hike up to Camp Muir (10,000ft) to log some time at altitude and start your body on the process of acclimatization.

Some medications have been shown to help prevent altitude illness. IMG does not recommend any specific medications. People tend to do fine with the moderate altitude of Mt. Rainier without any medications, especially if they are on one of our longer (3, 4, 5, and 6 day) programs. If considering medications for altitude illness, you should consult with your physician. Diamox (acetazolamide) can help prevent altitude illness and many climbers use it on high altitude expeditions around the world. It is usually not necessary on Mt. Rainier and is reserved for more extreme altitudes such as those found in the Himalayas and in South America. You need a prescription from a doctor to obtain Diamox so a consultation with an MD is necessary, and that is a good time to ask questions regarding its benefits and drawbacks, as there are several side effects that can affect one’s climb. If you do decide to take Diamox, we suggest starting with a small dose (125mg morning and evening) to minimize unpleasant symptoms (tingling, itching, excessive urination).

In the end, simply maintaining good hydration is the single most important thing you can do for yourself to avoid altitude illness.

For more information about AMS and altitude illnesses, please visit: www.princeton.edu/~oa/safety/altitude.html

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