Hiatus and 2009 overview

Hiatus and 2009 overview (yeah, its been that long!)

Well, 2009 was a crazy year and thought that I would write a quick post to catch everyone up.
2009 started with a Eddie Bauer sponsored trip to Argentina to climb Aconcagua while gear testing and gathering media imagery. It was great to get out and travel to Argentina as its been quite awhile since I was last there. Unfortunately a friend and fellow RMI guide died after getting trapped on the summit in a huge storm while guiding several climbers on a non RMI trip. This was a very tragic and incredible loss for all of us and especially for Fede’s family. We were en route to base camp when we heard the news and the feeling of helplessness was almost unbearable. I would kindly recommend you to check out his Wife’s website about the accident and the foundation that was created in Federico’s Campanini’s honor.
www.elfede.org

I returned to Colorado and began ice guiding around and inside the Ouray Ice Park and prepared for a Eddie Bauer sponsored climb on Mt. Everest only to find myself removed from the roster 4 weeks before departure. Lame and unfortunate, but in the end I guess it just wasn’t my time.

I travelled to Canada and skied the Wapta Traverse with friend and RMI co-guide Tyler Reid and felt my spirits lift. We skied and laughed our asses off which was over due for me after a hard winter of loss.

After blitzing thru the U.S. Border, I flew to Alaska to guide the route Ham & Eggs on the Mooses Tooth. My client and I found excellent conditions, high pressure and because of this, decided to break up the climb into two days. After slaying the first 14 pitches of alpine ice, we set up camp on the summit ridge, had a great dinner and went to sleep under the Alaskan twilight. The next morning we woke up, climbed the corniced summit ridge and made the summit. We then rappelled back to the root canal camp in time for lunch and hot toddies.

As summer set in, I relocated to Washington State, where I work for RMI and Mountain Madness on Mt. Rainier and in the North Cascades. Things went well and I believe all had a good summer of mountaineering and alpine climbing. My highlights were guiding the West Ridge of Forbidden Peak, cragging at Washington Pass and rigging ladders over crazy crevasses on Mt. Rainier.

As the Rainier season ended I returned back to Ridgway, Colorado and enjoyed the fall sunshine as I settled back in at home and awaited another winter in the San Juans.