Trip Reports
Lead guide Jacob Schmitz called in an update for the Elbrus Expedition team–the first audio update of the trip! The team was still staying at Cheget Ski Area as of July 25. They had a couple of great acclimatization hikes up to around 10,300′. Yesterday, the weather kept the team down from the trails; they…
The Elbrus team went for a beautiful acclimatization hike at the Cheget Ski Area, up to around 10,000′, admiring lots of summer wildflowers along the way. The team had a bit of trouble making their way to the ski resort, as a large mudslide caused a road delay for several hours yesterday, after a couple…
Unfortunately the team has had a hard time getting satellite phone service to call in audio updates from the field. Hopefully in the coming days they will be able to get some reception from the mountain! Lead guide Fischer Hazen sent in a couple of updates on the team’s progress via InReach: “Couldn’t get service…
Welcome to Russia, July 21 Elbrus Team! A guided climb of Elbrus or Mengi Tau (Mountain of a Thousand Mountains) is a great way for climbers of all levels to experience high altitude mountaineering in a culturally rich setting. At 18,841′ Mount Elbrus is a heavily glaciated twin-coned volcano that dominates the Caucuses Range.…
July 22 Kilimanjaro Trek Our July 22 Kilimanjaro crew has arrived in Tanzania and begun their trek up the Lemosho Route, bound for the Western Breach. The rainforest is beautiful and there is a tangible sense of wilderness once the team reach higher elevations on this route–less crowded than standard routes up the mountain with…
It’s midnight in the Alaska Range: Seracs are a blue-purple hue and the surrounding mountains begin to glow with what will be a multi-hour sunset. Everything is quiet. The usual buzz of flightseeing planes has disappeared and the rumble of rockfall and avalanches has subsided for a few hours. This peace is only temporary;…
Lead Guide Jesse Wright called in from the thick, lush air of Talkeetna! The team descended from High Camp after summiting and made their way back to Base Camp, traveling through the night to avoid the heat of the day that has been a factor on the Kahiltna Glacier this July. Arriving at Base Camp,…
Here we are, back in sunny Anchorage sipping beer, eating good food and relaxing with our feet up. It hard to believe that we were standing on top of Denali 72 hours ago. The contrast is incredible, green grass and air so thick you can chew it vs. ice, snow and granite as far as…
Paul Kitchin called in from Base Camp at 7,200′ on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. The team made a 12 hour descent through the night, capitalizing on colder, nighttime temperatures to avoid what has been a very hot July on the lower glacier. The team battled a number of challenges during the expedition,…
To the friends and family of the June 11th Denali expedition: I am writing our final dispatch from my home in Anchorage, Alaska. Our climbing team is off the mountain and safe. I wanted to send a big thank you to all who supported the climbers while they were away from home. The June 11th…