The SMI/BCM Team led by Kurt and April, has made it successfully to Base Camp and have been doing some acclimatization hikes the past two days. They are all doing well and are very excited to begin the actual climb tomorrow. They will be headed up to Camp 1 and will remain there for the day early in the morning. The weather has been stormy and windy. That has not deterred them what so ever. Onward they go. They all send their love to all the families and friends back here in CONUS.
Category: SMI News
Our New Web Site is Live!!
Greetings from Bishop, CA! We hope this finds everybody well and enjoying the fall season. After a busy summer and fall we have been hard at work planning for 2014. We have also launched a new web site for your viewing pleasure. We invite you to have a look and come with us on a trip!
As of this writing SMI guides April Mayhew and Kurt Wedberg are off to Argentina for an Aconcagua expedition. Back home in the Sierra the weather is getting cold and we’ve seen some of our first significant snowfall. We’re gearing up for winter time activities including ice climbing, backcountry skiing, and avalanche courses.
Here is a brief listing of some of our upcoming offerings for 2014. We hope to see you on a trip with us in 2014!
Aconcagua: Trip #1: November 29 – December 17, 2013, Trip #2: December 27 – January 17. We still have a couple openings on both of our upcoming expeditions to the highest mountain in South America.
Mt. Kenya: February 1-10, 2014. A technical rock climb up the second highest mountain in Africa. The climbing ranges from low 5th class up to 5.7. It’s in a beautiful, remote, and wild setting overlooking the beautiful East Africa jungles.
Kilimanjaro and Safari: February 11-25, 2014. A 7-day climb of the highest mountain in Africa combined with a game viewing safari where we see some of the most spectacular wildlife on our planet!
Mt. Whitney: Winter/spring 4-day climbs and summer 3-day climbs of the highest mountain in the contiguous United States.
Ice Climbing Courses: Ice is forming now in Lee Vining Canyon and June Lake. Come up and discover the exhilaration of climbing ice in these premier destinations.
Avalanche Classes: Learn essential skills to evaluate snow conditions in backcountry travel. We also include rescue training using transceivers and probes.
SMI Founder Kurt Wedberg Featured in Wall Street Journal
This article appeared in the online and print versions on the Wall Street Journal on July 19, 2013. It is about a climb SMI founder Kurt Wedberg led up the Mountaineer’s Route on Mt. Whitney August 20-22, 2013.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324879504578600143557527894.html
A complete photo gallery of the climb can be found here:
SMI KILI TEAM JUNE 2013 A COMPLETE & SAFE SUCCESS!
The SMI Kilimanjaro Team of June 2013 lead by SMI’s April Mayhew have ALL summited KILI.
April herself will be adding a direct entry very soon with more fascinating photos of the adventure.
The Summit of Kilimanjaro
The Summit goal in sight!
Carstensz Pyramid Summit Success!
Team SMI 2013 have all achieved the summit of Carstensz Pyramid at 9:15am their time. Kurt notified me via Sat Phone moments afterwards.
GREAT JOB to all FOUR MEMBERS….. Fred, James, Carolyn Simmons and Kurt Wedberg,
Kurt on the Summit of Carstensz Pyramid
Carstensz Summit Day!
The SMI Team is off at 3:15 AM this morning for the Summit of Carstensz Pyramid. Not raining and the cloud cover at the moment is not a factor. Kurt indicates via Sat Phone that all members are feeling strong and in great spirits after their four day jungle trek.
Will report as soon as I get the latest word.
The Grand Objective
Carstensz Pyramid Expedition 2013
The Team has made it to Camp Six at the base of the Pyramid. Weather is cooperating nicely. The Team Members are all psyched, in great spirits and ready for the 1AM wake-up and summit attempt tomorrow.
CAMP FIVE
CAMP SIX
Carstensz Pyramid Expedition June 2013
They are off into the jungles of Indonesia.
After a couple days delay in Jakarta and Bali due to lost baggage, the SMI Team of Fred, James, Carolyn Simmons led by Kurt Wedberg, are now into their third day of trekking the soggy jungles of Indonesia onto their base camp below Carstensz Pyramid. So far the weather has been variable with sessions of continuous rain lending to evening dry spells. Rubber boots are the norm for this portion of the expedition. Once situated at Base Camp, the Team will change into their Alpine climbing profiles for their summit attempt of one of the worlds Seven Summits.
Kurt is in contact with the SMI Office back here in Bishop via Sat Phone so we will be updating the blog as the expedition progresses with photos and verbal Sat Phone reports. Stay tuned for what will indeed be a momentous Team effort on this very obscure Seven Summit Peak.
The Plane that got the Team from civilization into the Jungle.
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The Jungle Landing Strip.
The Moni Tribe members that will assist/porter the Teams gear to Base Camp.
The Camp 2 of the Six Day Jungle Trek
SMI Mt. Whitney Climbs Raise $250,000+ for Big City Mountaineers
One of the highlights of a very busy spring season in the Sierra here at SMI was hosting six climbs on Mt. Whitney designed to raise money and awareness for Big City Mountaineers. Big City Mountaineers is a very well respected organization with the mission is to transform the lives of under-served urban youth through wilderness mentoring expeditions that instill critical life skills. They partner with community-based youth organizations and caring adult volunteers who act as mentors in the field to help young people realize their potential. Their curriculum improves integrity, self-esteem, responsibility, decision-making abilities and communication skills in close to 1000 youth annually. BCM has a proven track record of improving young peoples’ lives with:
• Increased likeliness to stay in school
• Reduction in violence
• Reduction in drug use
Since the inception of SMI we have had a goal of guiding at least two climbs each year that help out a cause. On most years we exceed this number by 3x or more. In planning this year’s climbs with Big City Mountaineer’s the editor in chief of Backpacker magazine Jon Dorn invited readers to come join a Mt. Whitney climb to raise money for Big City Mountaineers. Each participant was required to raise a minimum of $4000. They could either get sponsorship by friends and family or write a check. The response was overwhelming. What started as one climb ended up being six groups of energetic climbers eager to climb Mt. Whitney and raise money and awareness for BCM.
Participants were given a training program to undertake many months in advance in preparation for this 4-day trip to the highest point in the contiguous United States. Each person maintained a regular schedule of hiking up and down hills carrying a 40+ pound pack to simulate the weight they would be carrying on the mountain. They also did exercises to assure their legs and cardiovascular system was conditioned. During the climb SMI guides offered lots of techniques for acclimating to the high altitude and also spent time at camp teaching and reviewing mountaineering skills including using an ice axe, and climbing with crampons while roped in with other climbers. The first day of the climb had groups ascending from the trail head at Whitney Portal (8365’/2550m) to Lower Boy Scout Lake (10,350’/3155m). On day 2 the groups packed up and moved higher to at camp at 12,000’/3658m putting them in position for a summit bid the following morning. On day 3 the teams rose early for the summit push. They were treated to spectacular sunrises as the morning sun cast its orange glow on the East Face of Mt. Whitney and teams learned why the Sierra is nicknamed the Range of Light.
Climbing the Mountaineers Route requires climbers to ascend a snow filled chute ranging from 25-35 degrees steep to a “notch” at approximately 14,000’/4267m. From here the angle steepens and climbers use their hands in places to scramble up some rocky sections with the security of a rope. This section of the route tops out onto the summit plateau of Mt. Whitney and it’s a short distance to the highest point in the lower 48 states.
Groups took time to admire the spectacular view while taking pictures and snacking before retracing their path back to camp. On Day 4 they packed up and returned to the trail head and down to Lone Pine where celebrations of their climbs took place.
While climbing a spectacular and classic route in the Sierra participants helped raise over $260,000 to help underprivileged youth experience the magic of the wilderness while learning critical life skills. They’ve also spread a lot of good will that reaches farther than any of use will ever see. Thanks to everybody who took part in this historic event!
Photo galleries from these climbs can be viewed here: http://www.kurtwedbergphotography.com/Sierra-Trips/2013-Sierra-Trips
Successful Game Viewing Safari February 6-10, 2013!!
SMI guides Kurt Wedberg and April Mayhew are back in Moshi, Tanzania after leading another amazing game viewing safari in Tanzania. Joining them on safari was Dan Cherico, James Gault, Beth Keller, and Emily McIntyre along with Christine Loredo and Frank Martin who stayed for one day. Over five days the group visited Lake Manyara National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater, and the great Serengeti Plains. They also visited a Masai village and saw the Olduvai Gorge archaeological site. At the end of their five days they flew from the Serengeti back to Arusha, Tanzania where some continued on to Zanzibar Island while others flew home.
April and Kurt are now awaiting the arrival of their next group of 11 folks who will attempt to climb Kilimanjaro (5895m/19,340′) February 14-20. Stay tuned for highlights from this climb.
Below are some pictures from the animals the group saw on safari.