Huayhuash Trekkers Cross Siula Pass

August 12, 2025

IMG Huayhuash trekkers at the 3 Lakes viewpoint near Siula Pass (Tyler Nachand)

Tyler checked in via Iridium satellite phone overnight to report that everyone is doing well and enjoying the great meals being prepared by cook Jacinto. Today the team will cross Siula Pass (15,750 ft) which is one of the higher passes on the trek. From up on the pass they get a great view of the Three Lakes Valley and the spectacular peaks of the Cordillera Huayhuash, before dropping down to the next camp at about 14,000 ft. All is well in Peru!

Huayhuash Trekkers Are On Their Way!

August 11, 2025

The team at Lago Churup (Tyler Nachand)

Over the weekend our Peru Huayhuash trekkers wrapped up their acclimatization, and have now started the trek. On Friday the team tagged the 15,000 ft Lago (Lake) Churup, for their final day of acclimatization. Then, on Saturday, the team drove to the trailhead at 13,600 ft Cuartelwayin for their first night of camping, ready to begin their 8-day circumnavigation of the Cordillera Huayhuash. On Sunday the team hit the trail, first climbing to the spectacular Paso CCaccananpunta (yes, spelled correctly!), at 15,400′. Then, the team descended 3 hours towards Lagoon Mitucocha; where they set up camp at 13,940′.

En route to camp near Laguna Mitucocha (John Hodder)

Over the next 8 days the team will cross eight passes over 15,000 feet. In addition to IMG guide Tyler, they are accompanied by our Peruvian Guide Michel, our cook, and several mule drivers. Everyone is doing well and the weather has been excellent.

Another Great Day of Acclimatization in Peru!

August 8, 2025

Great views of the Cordillera Blanca (Tyler Nachand)

The Huayhuash trek is high and strenuous, so we plan several days of acclimatization hiking in the Huaraz area before traveling to the start of the trek. IMG guide Tyler Nachand reports that the team had another very nice hike yesterday up to the Laguna Radian, with beautiful views of the Cordillera Blanca. The high point was 13,6000 feet, before descending back down to Huaraz for another night at 10,000. The team went out to a local restaurant for dinner and everyone is doing well!

Tyler and the team at Laguna Radian

Huayhuash Trekkers Acclimatize In Huaraz

August 7, 2025

Huayhuash Trekkers get a great view of where they are headed (Tyler Nachand)

IMG guide Tyler Nachand reports that the Peru team were happy to make it to the mountains! The town of Huaraz (10,000 ft) will be their base camp for the next several days as they do some acclimatization hiking to prepare for the trek. Today they hiked up to the Laguna Wilcacocha above town to stretch their legs.

Laguna Wilcacocha is a nice acclimatization hike (Tyler Nachand)

The team had lunch at a small cabin owned by our Peruvian guide Maximo and got some great views of the Cordillera Huayhuash from the viewpoint.

All’s well in Peru!

IMG Cordillera Huayhuash Team Kicks off Trek in Peru!

August 6, 2025

The IMG Cordillera Huayhuash team poses for a group photo before the drive to Huaraz.

IMG Lead Guide Tyler Nachand and our Huayhuash Team of trekkers arrived to Peru yesterday to kick off our 2025 Cordillera Huayhuash Trek! After the long drive to Huaraz (10,000 ft) with a stop for lunch along the way, the team checked in to the hotel in time for dinner and a well-deserved rest. Following a hearty breakfast this morning, the team took a drive into the Cordillera Negra mountains to get in an acclimatization hike through the village of Santa Cruz up to Lake Wilcacocha (12,200 ft). Then back to the hotel in Huaraz to organize gear for tomorrow’s hike and wrap up the day with a nice dinner. All is well!

Summits Across Washington!

July 10, 2025

The view from the top of the Kautz Glacier on Mt. Rainier with climbers ascending.

The summer climbing season in Washington has really kicked into gear! Over the last several weeks teams have not only had many summits on multiple routes on Rainier, we’ve also much success elsewhere in Washington.

Our climbers have been bagging summit after summit, up the Muir Route, the Emmons Glacier, and even after ice climbing up the Kautz Glacier! On Mt. Baker, after a very (VERY) wet start to the season, we’ve had many climbers tagging the top and coming down with great photos and memories! The same goes for Mt. Olympus, where our climbers had a fantastic trip over Independence Day and reached the top in style.

The peak of the season will continue into next month, so keep an eye out for more updates (and maybe a spot of your own!) on Washington’s stunning mountains!

A Wet Weekend in Washington

June 23, 2025

Climbers on Rainier after a recent snow. Photo Max Bond

If you’re in Western Washington right now you’ll know that this last weekend saw some serious precipitation! What was pouring rain on the lowlands was heavy snows on the mountains, and it did make passage pretty challenging for our teams on Rainier climbs and our first Mt. Baker climb of the season.

However, the extra snow on the mountain is a wonderful thing! It helps keep the mountain cooler for longer in the season, not only by itself being cold, but by reflecting thermal energy from the sun back into the atmosphere. As the snow begins to melt, the snow surface darkens with rocks, dirt, or other detritus from the atmosphere. The darker the snow surface, the more thermal energy the landscape absorbs, thereby increasing the heat in the environment and the rate at which the remaining snow melts.

After weathering the storm this weekend, our most recent Disappointment Cleaver team has just returned to Ashford today, with a summit for the whole team!

Climbing Washington’s Greatest Peaks

June 18th, 2025

Climbers traverse the upper mountain on Rainier at sunrise. Photo: Clement Gurrey

Now that all our climbers are back from Alaska and the intensity of a Denali/McKinley climb, we turn our attention to the peaks here at home in Washington!

Teams on Rainier have had summit after summit for the last few weeks, and climbers have been enjoying stunning sunrises from the upper mountain.

We’re also beginning our Mt Baker, Olympics, and North Cascades season! Our first Mt. Baker climb, lead by Tyler Nachand, heads out in a couple days, and we look forward to updates from up North, and then a little further in the future, from the Olympics!

IMGD Team 5 Summits!

June 15, 2025

IMGD x Madison Mountaineering Team 5 Summits! (Jackson Hallza)

Exciting news! Last night Garrett Madison, leading IMGD Team 5, reported a successful and gorgeous summit of North America’s tallest peak. Congrats to this crew for make quick work of the mountain and capitalizing on a pristine summit window.

IMGD Teams 3 & 4 both touched down in Talkeetna and are en route to Anchorage as we speak. We’d like to extend another big congrats to those teams as well for reaching the summit on Thursday!

That’s all the news from Alaska for now.

Team 3 and 4 Stand On Top!

June 12, 2025 –

IMG Denali Team 3 and Team 4 led by Peter Dale and Timm Phillips stood on top of Denali | McKinley today at 745PM PST. The teams report clear skies, low winds, and relatively warm temps, a welcome change in conditions after a stormy Spring.

IMG Denali Team 5 led by Garrett Madison is resting at 14 Camp and hoping to summit in the coming days.

All is well on Denali!

Garret Madison, Jackson Hallza, and client at 14' Camp

IMG Denali Team 5 at 14 Camp