Zeb Blais

professional ski and mountain guide. find a trip at https://www.alpinemountainworks.com

[zebblais]

What goes ⬆ must come ⬇. This is our @alpineskills team descending below Iceberg Lake on #MountWhitney a few days ago. #climbing #alpineskills #mtwhitney #sierranevada #DarnTough #strapinventureout @julbousa (at Mount Whitney)

[zebblais]

Racing the sun to the top of #MountWhitney. We lost the race, but since sun light travels at 371 million miles per hour we didn't get down on ourselves. This shot is from close to 14,000' on the Mountaineers Couloir above aptly named Iceberg Lake. It's also a great ⛷🏂🎿 route in the spring time. @alpineskills #sierranevada #mountaineering #DarnTough #strapinventureout @julbousa (at Mount Whitney)

[zebblais]

Sailing seas of granite on #MountWhitney with @alpineskills and @mz.laine. Perfect weather and great crew of climbers on the highest peak in the lower 48 this weekend! If you've never climbed Whitney, it's an eclectic climb with stream crossings, rock climbing, cramponing, altitude and insane views of the #Sierra - come climb with me! ;) 🗻 #California #sierranevada #highpoint @darntoughvermont #strapinventureout @julbousa

[zebblais]

This could be anywhere- but it's actually the summit of #MtElbrus! We topped out yesterday morning in warm conditions with stunning views of the inside of this cloud. Couldn't see far, but can't complain 😆 🗻 Hard fought summit for our team, but we made the highest point in Europe. We're back in Azau, after an incredible celebration dinner at the @freeride_hotel we're rested up and ready for #Moscow! @alpenglowexpeditions #7summits #Russia #Elbrus #MaxRusski #DarnTough #strapinventureout (at Mount Elbrus)

[zebblais]

Acclimatizing with the @alpenglowexpeditions team. The goal always looks so far, but it's coming within reach. Today we made it to Pastakov rocks at 4700m, braving the wild Russian snow cat track 😁. 🗻 This mountain has so many hilarious scenes- Russians bathing in glacial melt streams, men posing shirtless for selfies, snowmobiles zooming around with scantily clad girls, skiers surfing the slushy cat track. It's like Mad Max meets spring break. One can't help but enjoy it! #MaxRusski #Elbrus #7summits #Russia #DarnTough #strapinventureout #julboUSA (at Эльбрус)

[zebblais]

When nature calls 💩 #MaxRusski #Russia #outhousesofthe7summits #7summits #Elbrus (at Эльбрус 4400м)

[zebblais]

Russia is surprising. My expectations have been smashed every step of this journey. St Petersburg was way funkier than anticipated. People partying 24 hours a day is a typical Tuesday occurrence (OK... Maybe only 22... Bars do close from 6am to 8am). On my first, jet-lagged day in the country I took a 4am stroll to walk off the insomnia. I was stumbling around sleepily, everyone else was stumbling around still ordering 🍸🍹🍻! We've moved past the city for now, and are enjoying the stunning scenes of the Terskol Valley. Today we acclimatized on Cheget, taking some rickety but colorful chairlifts high on the mountain for some thin air. The scene is reminiscent of the Alps- breathtaking views, great local food and glacier covered peaks. More hiking tomorrow before we head into the big hills 🗻🗻🗻 @alpenglowexpeditions #mtelbrus #7summits #sevensummits #Russia (at Terskol, Kabardino-Balkariya, Russia)

[zebblais]

#sunrise on the #Emmons. This is always the best part of a climb. Ascending in the dark has an exciting quality to it, but the first rays of light bring some much needed hope and warmth. @rmiexpeditions #Rainier #mountRainier #climbmemories #DarnTough #strapinventureout @julbousa #terramartribe (at Mount Rainier National Park)

[zebblais]

Back on the R horn! Still awed by the beauty of this place. There is more snow than I've ever seen up here! Me and my @rmiexpeditions comrades are teaching an expedition skills seminar and are camped on the Inter Glacier. Today we're headed to camp Schurman before our summit bid. #MountRainier #climbmemories #Rainier #sunset #Cascades #DarnTough #strapinventureout (at Inter Glacier)

[zebblais]

One of the highlights of the @amga1979 Alpine Guide Course was our three day trip into Rock Creek. I can't say enough about our instructor team, Geoff Unger @extremealpine, Erik Leidecker @erikleidecker and SP Parker @sierra_mountaincenter. Lessons were learned, rocks were climbed, goals achieved. This program underscored how important professional development is in this dangerous world we call the Alpine. Here @matthew_sellick sends one of the harder and more awkward pitches of the program in his approach shoes. Well done my friend! #DarnTough #strapinventureout @julbousa @mountainhardwear (at Rock Creek, California)

[zebblais]

No need for #8000m boots here! We're 1,200' up on Venutian Blind, but that's still 16,000' lower than my last big climb 😆 Psyched on the #California sunshine and relatively warm weather. #CaliforniaDreaming #climbing #TempleCrag #CaptainNateFry (at Temple Crag)

[zebblais]

#NorthsideSummitPush : return to the life zone. The struggle isn't just to get out of the "death zone", it's to get back to the life zone. After reaching the top, we want to get to thick air, warm temps and as far from the jet stream as we can. We rested at Camp 3 for an hour, rehydrating and refueling before packing our bags and returning to descent. Once again, a huge thanks to our #Phortse #Sherpa team, who dropped camp and carried our infrastructure down. #superhuman The weather didn't cooperate. As we packed, winds and clouds whipped up and light snow began. We made a speedy exit, knowing we had 6,000' of descent left before we would hit #everestabc. We arm-wrapped the fixed lines, belaying ourselves below camp, past the body of an Australian climber who had died the week before. Condolences to his friends and family. Camp 2, pictured, looked like a post-apocalyptic warzone with thick cloud rolling over tents shredded days earlier by gale force winds. Clearing the lines of rime as we went, the snow ramp between C2 and the #NorthCol seemed never ending. We paused to melt snow and drink before making the final push down the fixed lines. 18 hours after we started, we were home. Safe at ABC. Thick air. Real food. Coca cola. Beer. @alpenglowexpeditions #AdventureDoneRight #MountEverest #Everest #Everest2017 #EverestNoFilter #Northside #DarnTough #JulboUSA #terramartribe #strapinventureout (at Mount Everest)

[zebblais]

#NorthsideSummitPush: the descent. When you hit the top, you're halfway there. This statement has a heavier feel to it when you're close to the cruising altitude of a 787. The pressure to get to where the air is thick and camps aren't exposed to the severe winds of the jet stream is constant and urgent. There is no time for dilly dallying. The business at hand is descent. Here we are almost back to Camp 3 (8300m/27,000'), just getting to the bottom of the Exit Cracks. The weather was still good at this point, just convective moisture building. A few hours later winds and snow elevated and the descent became fairly intense while we climbed down past Camp 2. #Changtse, the peak that forms the other side of the #NorthCol, is popping out of the clouds. @alpenglowexpeditions #AdventureDoneRight #MountEverest #Everest #Everest2017 #EverestNoFilter #Northside #DarnTough #JulboUSA #terramartribe #strapinventureout (at Mount Everest)

[zebblais]

#NorthsideSummitPush: day 3, Camp 3, 8300m. The work capacity of our #Sherpa team bogles my mind. This is my 3rd #8000m expedition and I'm still amazed by the tireless efforts of our team. Wind, snow, wrecked tents are just minor bumps in the road. Just another day at the office for these guys! After carrying gear to camp, building platforms (some built before hand), setting tents, gathering clean snow for melting they take a bit of rest and prepare their personal gear for the #summit. Here, Panuru, Palden (@namgye) and Phurba are ascending past other teams and destroyed tents above camp to our oxygen cache to grab the bottles we'll need for our #summit attempt. On our final push we'll use 3 bottles, while Sherpa only use two (if that). Even at half the flow, they are as fast as we are 💪! Thanks team! @alpenglowexpeditions #AdventureDoneRight #NorthSide #Everest #Everest2017 #NortheastRidge #MountEverest #DarnTough @julbousa (at Mount Everest)

[zebblais]

#NorthsideSummitPush: Day 3, Camp 2 to high camp 8,300m. The third day of our #summit push dawned blue and calm. A plume of snow and a curl of moisture still sat on the peak, but it looked benign. We packed and left Camp 2. Soon after departure we were zipping our down suits tight and trading sunglasses for goggles. Moderate winds and light snow raked us from the southwest until we arrived at camp 3. We radioed our #Sherpa team, who had climbed ahead of us to set camp, to make sure they were able to get tents up in the wind. This is a very difficult camp to set because it's steep and difficult to make tent platforms. Our capable team had tents up and we were relieved to be able to duck into shelter when we arrived. The no oxygen #EverestnoFilter team, @coryrichards and @adrianballinger, were even more elated to see camp. After making some hot soup, the winds died and clouds dissipated. I popped out of the tent and shot this video. You can see the remains of tents destroyed days earlier. Camp 3 at 27,000' !! @alpenglowexpeditions #AdventureDoneRight #Everest #Everest2017 #mountEverest #Northside #DarnTough (at Mount Everest)

[zebblais]

#NorthsideSummitPush: day 2, part 2 arriving at 7700m, Camp 2 ( so many 2's...). Plumes of blowing snow and convective clouds billowed off the #summit and #NortheastRidge as we arrived at Camp 2. Otherwise visibility was nearly unlimited and we could see from the summit to ChoOyu until mid afternoon moisture occluded the view with cloud. Camp 2 is much less comfortable than Camp 1. Tent platforms are pedestals of piled rock that take arduous effort to erect. At this point, most are permanent structures #Sherpa teams built years ago, and they're big enough for a tent if you're lucky. When we arrived at camp, skeletons of tents that were destroyed days earlier in a storm littered the ridge. We walked past the wreckage to tents our Sherpa had popped up hours earlier, thankful to have such a strong and hardworking team. We melted snow, made soup and drinks to rehydrate and rested. We emerged only for more snow and to watch the #Alpenglow hit the mountains at dusk. Same routine the next day! Or so we thought... @alpenglowexpeditions #AdventureDoneRight #Everest #Everest2017 #MountEverest #Northside #Tibet #JulboUSA @terramarsports #strapinventureout (at Mount Everest)

[zebblais]

#NorthsideSummitPush: Day 2- North Col to Camp 2. @brooks.entwistle leaving the #NorthCol hundreds of meters below. Even though the journey to Camp 2 can start warm and sunny, we wear down suites up the 500m snow ramp. The weather here can snap from suffocatingly warm to windy and frigid in the clip of a carabiner. In this section of the climb we regulate our temperature by peeling off the jacket part of the suit and opening the leg zips. Above the snow ramp there is around 200m of 3rd class rock to get to camp 2. With high flow Os we make the climb in about 3 hours. This leaves plenty of time to rest and rehydrate at camp before our next move. @alpenglowexpeditions #Adventuresome Right #Everest #Everest2017 #mountEverest #Northside #DarnTough #strapinventureout (at Mount Everest)