Mike_Gauthier

i've found numerous balloons all over rainier, little t and in other areas of the backcountry/park... fact is, i still find more broken wands, flagging, gu, jolly rancher, power bar and other types of "astronaut food" wrappers... not sure what is worse... i just pick the stuff up and carry on...

nice report. thanks for sharing. i'm looking forward to the photos if you can get them up! staying on the summit totally rocks during this time of year! it pays to wait for clear weather and warm temps. if possible, spend 2 nights on top, especially if you want to fully explore the caves AND relax.

forgot mention dan. if they catch YOU w/o a permit, they're going to chain you up in the muir hut with alpinek every saturday.

hey dan, matt's right... get a permit, you come to rainier all the time anyway don't you? if you're lucky, the NPS sometimes turns solo permits around in 24-48 hours... you could probably have had one by the weekend if you'd have contacted the rangers directly when you started this post. there is a link to the solo climb request form here: http://www.nps.gov/mora/climb/solo.htm

good question, but i'm hestiant to respond in this forum as i don't really know the best/accurate answer. in fact, it's probably better for all if i don't respond such debates on this web site... some can't distingush between "mike the climber and author" and "mike the NPS ranger." it's not that i don't want to help, but i'd best watch out. what if want to run for office some day?? if you want an official answer, write your NPS folks at: Mount Rainier National Park Tahoma Woods, Star Route Ashford, WA 98397 you can also find an email link on the park website (don't know that address offhand.) www.nps.gov/mora. generally speaking, they will respond to emailed questions there too. good luck, post your answer, i'm curious to see what you get. mike

there have been many sightings of a smiling, crazed "older gentleman" gleefully slipping down the upper snowfield on a sled... but i can neither confirm or deny these observations...

nice route description mtn mouse... this is from our mutual friend, "ted the unabomber" and his lastest trip to rainier... btw mtn mouse, he's scortching some "dead red" on grill right now, before he slogs up to muir to "clean the scene" tomorrow. ted left sequim today, taking his abnormally indirect route through onalaska. avoided the most logical path, and normal grocery stores. while enroute, he picked up a supply of "pork butts" (3 lbs, for real) for dinner and 1 gallon of cheap vanilla ice cream (of course.) stopped by "the tool" in morton based on PC (seems predictable given ted's vehicle etal). limped that old bomb up to longmire with plenty of garbage in the back of the truck. the ravens had a field day, and now my yard looks like hell. no rescue insurance to cover the after effects and clean up... oh well, thankfully the "baby-sitter" is well stocked and the martini's are pouring.

nice job chadwick... hey rodchester, you're off a bit. chad climbed the mountain 4 times in ONE day. that is, 4 times from camp muir to the summit and back in under 24 hours. he did that a few weeks before his round trip speed ascent. island1 is correct, chad's word is solid. he wouldn't make this up, especially after all the scrutiny over other recently claimed speed ascents. having other reputable climbers verfiy this trip will only add to his credibility. glad to see that he showed up with real people as timers/witnesses. as for other speed ascents on mac... i don't think that chad doing his speed climb takes anything away from what they have done on mckinley in the past. in my opinion, it only compliments and acknowledges their feats. i'd like to think that they'd be stoked for him. also, it's my understanding of chad that he greatly respects and admires what they've done. again chad, hats off. good luck in asia and can't wait to see you on rainier! mike

Nice, thanks for posting. I've also heard that the snowboarding and skiing are good...

thanks, it wasn't downloading...

...

was forwarded this today. thought some of you might like the read... see attached pdf, maybe someone can insert the "text" here... actually, read the SECOND link that bronco put up below, this attachment doesn't work. for some reason, i wasn't able to make this download work?????? i'll send the pdf to someone else if they PM me with an email address... maybe they can make it work... mike

I hear that it's in great shape; tis the season! The Inter Glacier is also excellent for turns... Post a report if you go!

NICE!! Thanks for posting.

i took a closer look at the nisqually icefall.... i wouldn't recommend that route anymore this season... great boarding on the snowfield today... tons of snow up there, seems like winter. mike

definitely hit the ID this time of year. it's probably safer and more direct. for the benefit of everyone, it's been snowing here in longmire for the past 3 days!!! though little is accumulating, the fact that it's remaining cold and snowing is somewhat odd for may. with that said, the upper mountain is also remaining cold, and i think the summer climbing conditions are going to be GREAT this season. there has been a fair amount of late winter and spring snowfall to fill in the gaps from winter. nisqually gl, nisq. icefall, nisq ice cliff, kautz gl, kautz cleaver, kautz headwall and the gib route all look good from the paradise parking lot... sorry i don't have more detailed information to share. perhaps others will as more folks start climbing. also, DEFINITELY CONSIDER THE CURRENT AVALANCHE SITUATION. the ONLY way to really do this is to go look for yourself, there is NO forcasting for the upper mountain. as you can imagine, conditions change constantly for each and every route. i think the NWAC posted a special bulletin for the weekend. mike

Jason I have no idea of the stats, but I'll bet a smaller proportion of soloist need rescue than groups. The storm that caught me on Rainier did indeed precipitate a rescue ( and recovery) of a party of four but I summited and got down safe and sound. i don't know of any hard stats, but i'd go on record as saying that many soloist have needed help. SOME soloist are indeed highly skilled, others are merely folks without partners who really don't know what's up. many folks (probably quite a few on this web site) still think that climbing rainier is an easy walk... though it MAY be an easy walk up, it sucks to be alone and messed up on the upper mountain. anecdotally, i can recall at least five major accidents with soloists. that said, some of my best moments on the mountain have been solo. as for the bureaucracy, it can be painful. thanks for hanging in there with the NPS. i know that they try to help soloist out as best they can given the current laws. mike

your best option is probably the ingraham direct... little rock fall issues, little ice fall issues (this time of year) and though there may be some avalance issues, they are no more than anywhere else on the upper mountain. i climbed the ID route this winter and it was in EXCELLENT SHAPE. i can only assume that its getting better as the spring snows have increased and saved our summer climbing season. in fact folks, i would say that were setting up for an EXCELLENT climbing season on rainier... lots on snow up high, quick approaches... come visit the moutain, no verification necessary just to have a good time, mike

Ching, ching, ching...

solo permits are generally good for the year. the NPS can usually turn them around rather quickly if you give them a heads up. mike

regarding the helicopter. it's gone, gone, gone. we found no sign of it last fall... i'm sure it will turn up at the cabon terminus in the future... no, the area is not closed to climbing. and i wouldn't waste my time (or life) chasing booty from it either...

matt, i think we're on the same page... there are many climbers who visit the park and are plenty capable enough to down climb technical routes. but as i've seen over the years, not everyone attempting L-Ridge and P-Ridge are skilled enough to do this. to be blunt, many should be building their skills elsewhere before attempting such committing routes. i know these ridges can be “walk ups” for experienced climbers, but its amazing how fast a “walk up” turns into an epic if your tool box is short on skills, good judgment and solid techniques. yes, a carry over is harder, more time consuming and more likely to subject the climber to AMS, HAPE, HACE... on the other hand, you'd be more prepared if something were to go wrong... and as we know, it isn't always the weather that catches you. more than anything on rainier, i think that people often overestimate their physical capabilities when attempting the summit. asking about conditions is one thing, but when folks start asking for technical advice, logistical advice, etc, i begin to get nervous. maybe it's me, but if someone is asking these sorts of question, i can’t help but wonder if they should be attempting some other climbs/routes first. for many climbers around the country, Rainier is a convenient and noted "training" climb and great place to develop skills. this makes sense, but setting ones sites on L-Ridge, or P-Ridge could be dangerous off the couch; as we’ve all seen year, after year, after year. what am i saying, i wish more of the climbers attempting rainier would train more (physically and technically) before coming. they’d increase their success rate and enjoyment factor, and “maybe” i’d have less rescue work to do.

Matt, you seem to like downclimbing technical routes. I'm not convinced that this is good advice for most folks. I don't know of anyone who has downclimbed P-Ridge, though I'm sure it has been done. The more common practice however is to carry over and descend a more heavily traveled route. Hey Flatland, forget the snowcave idea. The weight you save in your pack will be lost in your efforts to dig a snowcave through cascade concrete. Rent a single wall tent (good tip btw, glad to hear they rent them). Personally, I prefer the Integral Design MK tents (my mother is Canadian so I'm heavily biased)... A single wall tent will serve you well. And consider that 2 bivy sacks will weigh almost as much as one single wall tent such as an "I tent." I'd prefer an "I" tent over a bivy sack anyday.

If you're interested, the NPS has posted the 2002 SAR reports on their web site. http://www.nps.gov/mora/climb/cl_rpt.htm Mike

A correction, those are RMI guides, not climbing rangers. Pretty nice times too.