RMI Expeditions, also known as Rainier Mountaineering Inc. (RMI), is a mountain guide company based in
Ashford Ashford may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Ashford, New South Wales
*Ashford, South Australia
*Electoral district of Ashford, South Australia
Ireland
*Ashford, County Wicklow
*Ashford Castle, County Galway
United Kingdom
* Ashford, Kent, a town
** ...
,
Washington founded in 1969 by Jerry Lynch and
Lou Whittaker. It leads mountaineering, ski mountaineering, and ice climbing trips on
Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier (), indigenously known as Tahoma, Tacoma, Tacobet, or təqʷubəʔ, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With a s ...
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.
Accreditation
RMI is accredited by the
American Mountain Guides Association
The American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) is the United States' "sole representative to the 21-member International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA), the international governing body responsible for guiding standards and ed ...
(AMGA). AMGA accreditation certifies that client education in essential mountaineering skills is a primary focus of the mountain guide company.
Guided mountain climbing
RMI Expeditions leads mountaineering trips on
Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier (), indigenously known as Tahoma, Tacoma, Tacobet, or təqʷubəʔ, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With a s ...
, 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.
Expedition guides
RMI guides include Peter Whittaker,
Dave Hahn,
Melissa Arnot, and
Ed Viesturs.
Awards
In 2014, RMI was named “Best Outfitter” by ''
Outside Magazine'' in their 2014 Travel Awards.
Charity work
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.
In 2009, RMI guides Ed Viesturs and Peter Whittaker led a charity climb on Mt. Rainier with NFL Commissioner
Roger Goodell
Roger Stokoe Goodell (born February 19, 1959) is an American businessman who is currently the commissioner of the National Football League (NFL). On August 8, 2006, Goodell was chosen to succeed retiring commissioner Paul Tagliabue. He was chosen ...
, former
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
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.
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.
First Ascent
In 2009,
Eddie Bauer and a group of RMI guides worked together to design a line of technical outdoor clothing called "First Ascent".
[Sohn, Tim. “Aconcagua: Everyman's Everest.” ''Men's Journal'' May 2009. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/aconcagua-everyman-s-everest-20130403]
References
{{Reflist
Mountain guides
Companies based in Pierce County, Washington