May 23, 2012

IMG Guide Mike Hamill

How long have you been guiding?
I’ve been guiding for 12 years. After climbing rock and ice throughout New England and New York during college, I applied for a summer job guiding on Rainier shortly after graduating. One thing led to another and I began guiding year round leading both domestic and international expeditions. I’ve been fortunate to have many great opportunities to guide on the mountains of the Seven Summits over the past decade for International Mountain Guides and Alaska Mountaineering School.

How many times have you climbed each of the 7/8 summits?
I have climbed all of the original (Bass list) Seven Summits at least 4 times; some as many as 19 (Aconcagua) times.

Why did you write Climbing The Seven Summits?
When I began climbing on the Seven Summits I struggled to find accurate information on several of the climbs, and there was no one resource that compared and contrasted all of the climbs easily. A lot of clients and independent climbers mentioned they had the same problem. I felt that with my experience on these mountains I could create a guide book that filled this niche and promoted safe and environmentally responsible climbing, creating a better experience for all as these climbs become more popular.

What was the most challenging part of putting it together?
The most challenging part of putting a book like this together for me was spending so much time in front of a computer! Being a mountain guide I’m fortunate to be able to combine my passion for being in the mountains with work and even on my days off I’m happiest outside, so it was difficult choosing to pass up days climbing, skiing and fishing to write and edit. In the end, it was a great experience and education for me and I am glad to have had the opportunity to pursue a different type of goal. As Phil Ershler remarked after writing “Together on Top” with his wife Susan, it is more difficult to write a book about the Seven Summits than to climb them, and I would agree.

IMG, in particular the owners here at IMG, played a big role in your guiding career. How did this come about?
That couldn’t be more true; IMG guides, specifically the owners, have played a big role in my guiding career and influenced me immensely. First of all, without the opportunity to guide the Seven Summits I wouldn’t have been able to write this book! Furthermore, I have always had great respect for the owners as climbers, guides, and most importantly as first class people, and this is the reason I sought work with International Mountain Guides in the first place and continue to do so. I am inspired by what the owners have accomplished outside their business such as Eric Simonson’s well-known expeditions and books regarding the search for Mallory and Irvine, and Phil’s Book “Together on top”, among many other accomplishments. The IMG owners foster an environment of professionalism, hard work and achievement and lead by example and I have tried to emulate this.

Do you get excited about Everest each time you return? Why?
I have been asked this question many times about Everest and other peaks I guide on a regular basis. Climbing these mountains is never routine no matter how many times you have been up them. For no mountain is this more true than for Mt. Everest. On each expedition, factors such as the weather, the team, the political situation, objective hazards, among others, change and force you to continually adjust your “plan” and make every expedition unique. The mountains are very humbling and deserve great respect, especially Everest. Also, I really enjoy seeing friends from all over the world who converge each year on Everest and meeting new people and learning from their experiences.

Which of the 7/8 is your favorite? Why?
This is another question I get asked frequently. My favorite climb of the Seven Summits is probably Vinson Massif. It’s unlike any of the others because of it’s remoteness. It’s a committing feeling to be as isolated as we are while climbing Vinson, and also very freeing at the same time. There is no place like it on Earth. Antarctica is a very beautiful continent. Beyond the climb, the Russian Illysian cargo flight to and from the ice, and the time spent in Southern Chile make the experience very unique and enjoyable.

What’s next on the agenda?
I am currently on Everest in Nepal. After this climb I head to Alaska for a Denali expedition, which is also one of my favorite yearly pilgrimages. Then, off to Russia for an Elbrus expedition and some time spent guiding on Mt. Rainier. This fall I will be guiding Cho Oyu and Vinson Massif. I will also be at the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City this summer and the Banff Book Festival this fall so stop by and see me.

[Update: Mike is on his way back to Kathmandu after leading another successful Hybrid Everest Program.]

May 23, 2012

Climbing the Seven Summits:
A Comprehensive Guide to the Continents’ Highest Peaks
By Mike Hamill, Foreword by Phil Ershler

Available soon on Amazon.com

A lot of people have climbed with IMG Guide Mike Hamill over the years, so naturally most people see him as a guide, climber and mountaineer, but he’s got one more title to add to his growing list, author. Mike has spent the last couple years compiling notes, photos, tips, and gps waypoints;  the result is a stunning 320pg. full-color book published by The Mountaineers Books.

“The amount of research, attention to detail and effort required to write this book is tough for even me to imagine.  And that’s in addition to the years of training, climbing and guiding that gave Mike the experience, knowledge and skill to write informatively and intelligently about the Seven Summits, all of which put Mike in a category all his own.  It’s been a pleasure to share experiences on many of the Seven with Mike and to know that we are in for a treat when Mike’s leading an expedition. ” -Phil Ershler, IMG Partner.

“Since our first trip together in 2003 (to the North Col) I have watched Mike travel the world and develop into a terrific high altitude mountain guide.  It is great to see someone continue to push their limits, and writing a book certainly fits that category. This is just one more step on the journey for Mike!” -Eric Simonson, IMG Partner.

“Mike is my kind of lead guide. He guides the world’s highest peaks year after year with skill and determination and somehow always manages to place his teams in the best possible situation come summit day. Underneath his calm and easygoing demeanor is a wealth of knowledge related to high mountains. Mike shares some of what he has learned in this new book, and I for one, am looking forward to reading it cover to cover.” -George Dunn, IMG Partner.

“Mike Hamill’s consummate coverage of the Seven Summits is far more studied and detailed than anything I could have ever written. I feel deeply indebted to him for enabling me to vividly recall, roughly three decades later, each climb and to relive the insightful incidents and many magical moments which Frank Wells and I experienced and shared. Mike’s extraordinary guide will definitely encourage more left-brained, objective realists than usual to participate in the Seven Summits—along with the many right-brained, dreamer adventurers who are naturally attracted to taking such giant leaps into the unknown.” —Dick Bass, first person to climb the Seven Summits.

March 6, 2012

This image came across my desk a couple weeks ago and I couldn’t help but chuckle as I thought of all the women on our guide staff. Tough ladies who know how to sew… and by sew I mean repairing tents in the field, fixing tears in backpacks and stitching up the occasional crampon puncture.

And while putting on a clean dress isn’t likely a daily routine – having a chalk-bag near by likely is.

Tye Chapman

December 21, 2011

25 Great Years...Thank You!

The years come and go so quickly anymore that we rarely get a chance to sit back and reflect on our past. And now, here we are with 25 years of it!

When we look back on the first days of IMG, we’re quick to notice that for the most part the mountains have stayed the same; it’s the business that surrounds them that has changed. A phone call and a handshake used to be  the norm, now it’s FedEx, release forms and digital statements. We laugh at, and appreciate, all the envelopes we stuffed & mailed and chuckle at the volume of faxes sent and received from one hotel or another to keep things flowing. And it’s hard not to smile when thinking of the stash of cash we were once forced to travel with to pay our in-country support staff or the occasional bribe to get things done.

Nowadays we have our fancy website, instant emails flying from one country to the next, guides buzzing from one mountain to the other, pdfs, blogs, facebook, credit cards, invoices, sat phones, cell phones, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, GPS, not to mention twitter and iphones. But the long and short of it is this: climbing is still climbing and without putting one foot in front of the other there’s no reason to blog, chat, or make calls. Sure the gear has come a long way but in the end it still boils down to doing your physical homework and being mentally prepared for whatever climb you’re up against.

We’ve had the opportunity to get to know a lot of climbers over the years and take pride in all the memories in which we’ve played a part. Be it one of the summits from Mt. Rainier last summer or guiding Dick Bass up one of the Seven Summits – they all play their part in IMG’s growing history.

We’ll promise to keep up with this whole inter web thing but will continue to concentrate on what matters most: safety, summits and fun. The rest tends to take care of itself.

Happy Holidays & here’s to another 25 years!

George, Eric, Phil & Paul