Abbreviation | RMI |
---|---|
Founded | 1969 |
Founders | Jerry Lynch, Lou Whittaker |
Type | Mountain guide |
Headquarters | 30027 SR 706 East Ashford, Washington, U.S. |
Region served | Worldwide |
Services | Guided mountain climbing |
Membership | American Mountain Guides Association |
Owner | Peter Whittaker |
Subsidiaries | Whittaker Mountaineering |
Website | www |
RMI Expeditions, also known as Rainier Mountaineering Inc. (RMI), is a mountain guide company based in Ashford, Washington founded in 1969 by Jerry Lynch and Lou Whittaker. It leads mountaineering, ski mountaineering, and ice climbing trips on Mount Rainier and the Seven Summits.
RMI is owned and operated by Peter Whittaker, the son of Lou Whittaker and the nephew of Jim Whittaker, who was the first American mountaineer to successfully reach the summit of Mount Everest. Peter Whittaker has been at the head of RMI since the late 1990s. [1] [2]
RMI is accredited by the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA). AMGA accreditation certifies that client education in essential mountaineering skills is a primary focus of the mountain guide company. [3]
RMI Expeditions leads mountaineering trips on Mount Rainier, the Seven Summits – Mount Everest, Aconcagua, Mount McKinley, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Elbrus, Vinson Massif, and Carstensz Pyramid. The company also guides in the North Cascades, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru. [4] [5]
RMI guides include Peter Whittaker, Dave Hahn, Melissa Arnot, and Ed Viesturs.
In 2014, RMI was named “Best Outfitter” by Outside Magazine in their 2014 Travel Awards. [6]
Since 1988, RMI has supported the American Lung Association of the Mountain Pacific through the Climb for Clean Air fundraiser. During the annual charity climb, RMI guides lead fundraiser participants on a guided trip to the summit of Mount Rainier. Between 1988 and 2014, RMI has raised $4.4 million for the ALA. [7] In 2009, RMI guides Ed Viesturs and Peter Whittaker led a charity climb on Mt. Rainier with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, former Seattle Seahawks Coach Jim Mora, and former Seattle Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke. The mountaineering trip raised $400,000 for United Way of King County in Washington State. [8]
Also in 2009, RMI founded the Responsible Climbing Initiative. This arm of the company supports environmental organizations through monetary donations.
RMI is a partner of the Leave No Trace program of the Center for Outdoor Ethics. Leave No Trace partners raise awareness of outdoor ethics. [9]
In 2009, Eddie Bauer and a group of RMI guides worked together to design a line of technical outdoor clothing called "First Ascent". [10] [11]
The Seven Summits are the highest mountains on each of the seven traditional continents. On 30 April 1985, Richard Bass became the first climber to reach the summit of all seven.
Scott Eugene Fischer was an American mountaineer and mountain guide. He was renowned for ascending the world's highest mountains without supplemental oxygen. Fischer and Wally Berg were the first Americans to summit Lhotse, the world's fourth highest peak. Fischer, Charley Mace, and Ed Viesturs summitted K2 without supplemental oxygen. Fischer first climbed Mount Everest in 1994 and later died during the 1996 blizzard on Everest while descending from the peak.
Louis Winslow Whittaker was an American mountaineer, mountain guide, and businessman. He and his twin brother, Jim Whittaker, also a renowned mountaineer and guide, were born and raised in Seattle.
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Samina Khayal Baig is a Pakistani mountaineer who climbed Mount Everest in 2013, all Seven Summits by 2014, and K2 in 2022. She is the first Pakistani woman to climb Everest, K2 and the Seven Summits. She climbed Mt. Everest at the age of 21.
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