Rainier as seen from start of trail on the way to Camp Muir, and
Bergshrund above Ingraham Flats
Find yourself climbing partners. Unless you have a lot of
technical alpine experience doing solo climbs on glaciated peaks you
should climb with at least one other person (a total of 3 climbers is
more recommended than two, as it gives you more resources in the event
someone falls into a crevasse or if another problem occurs).
Typically climbing partners are people you have climbed with in the past
and know pretty well and who you can trust on a mountain. I've found
that it can be sometimes problematic climbing with someone you don't
know and who you don't have any prior climbing experience with. If you
climb Rainier with people you know from previous climbs hopefully you
will have already identified each others climbing strengths and
weaknesses.
Consider walking around with your heavy backpack for at least an hour or
two several days before your departure. This is good as chances are your
hips will be sore after carrying the backpack and if you have a few days
before your departure, it will give your hips a chance to heal.
This author soaked his feet in ice water each night for 7 days before
the departure date. Some say this helps prepare your feet for cold
weather however there may not be much validity to this.
If you want to climb Mt. Rainier solo you have to fill out the following
reservation form and mail it to the Park Superintendent/Solo Climbing
Department:
www.nps.gov/mora/climb/solo.htm Note: You *must* have written
permission from the park Superintendent before climbing Rainier solo.
The form will ask you to write in your previous experience on glaciated
peaks.
In preparing for Mt. Rainier if you intend to climb the mountain without
a professional guide, you need to ensure that you are in good physical
shape. You must have previous climbing experience on glaciers, being
roped up, dealing with crevasse rescue, know how to use your
mountaineering & climbing equipment and be able to read the weather, and
glaciers. Now of course, the Disappointment Cleaver route on Rainier is
a route that technically you could climb if you had crampons and an ice
ax and the proper clothing and some outdoor experience. The very first
climbers or Rainier certainly did not have the gear and experience that
mountaineers have today, however what I'm trying to say, is it would be
quite stupid to attempt a climb of Rainier if you do not have previous
experience with similar glacier and alpine terrain. There are too many
factors that determine success on a climb of Rainier. Because this
mountain sits so close to the Pacific Ocean, storms can roll in
unexpectedly *any* time of the year without warning."
Other factors such as hidden crevasses, unstable snow bridges, ice, rock
and serac falls, altitude, level of your conditioning, your level of
experience, wind, and cold can all make this climb a very challenging
one. Before your climb review current Rainier weather and historical
weather conditions here:
www.nps.gov/mora/current/weather.htm
In addition you can check out the Webcam at Paradise here:
www.parkreservations.com/rainier/webcam.htm
If you have not earned your experience from previous glacier and
altitude climbs then consider taking a guided course and summit climb
from one of the following companies certified to offer climbs on Mt.
Rainier. The most well known of these for climbing Rainier is of course
Whittaker Mountaineering
www.rmiguides.com/rainier/introduction.html or PHONE: (888) 892-5462
The other guides offering trips and glacier classes on Rainier are:
Dave's climb of Mt. Rainier was done using the classic
Muir Camp/Disappointment Cleaver route in late June of 2006. The weather
during the climb except for the summit day was almost perfect - warm
days and clear nights and not much wind. Unfortunately the wind started
in the evening of our summit climb and continued until we were well
below Muir Camp.
If you are planning on climbing during holiday weekends or other busy
times, consider reserving your summit pass ahead of time. The National
Park Service has a reservation form here:
www.nps.gov/mora/recreation/rsvpform1.htm which you will need to
fill out and fax or mail back to the address or fax number listed on the
form. Typically you will receive your summit passes within 10-14 days.
The start of a typical climb up to Muir Camp begins at the Henry M.
Jackson Visitor center where you need to check in with one of the
rangers and fill out a "climbing pass" card. The highlights of this card
are the number of people in your group, the dates you will be on the
mountain, your high camps and the equipment that you will be using for
the climb. You must keep the receipt part of this card and check back in
with the rangers when you finish your climb; at that point you give them
the receipt to show that you arrived back safe and sound.
Note that the circular Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center will be torn down
sometime after 2008 due to its age and high cost of maintaining it year
round. The amount of diesel that is used in the wintertime just to keep
the roof free of snow is amazing. A new Paradise Visitor center is
slated to be finished by Spring 2008. Until this visitor center is
finished, parking is a bit tight in the Paradise area as a large part of
the parking lot is closed due to the construction. Morning and non
weekend days are your best bet for finding parking. A parking lot with
limited number of spaces is below the Jackson Visitor center and is
available for parking your car if you plan on a multiple day summit
climb. If this paragraph has not been updated by mid 2008, please email
dave@pon.net
with an update.
Read on to find out about Equipment and climbing gear needed for
climbing to the top of Mt. Rainier. |
