the_Oracle

Sounds like you need a vacation, Rip... Enjoy your relaxing stay on Washington's Mt. Rainier. Bill E. Goat Head of Washington's Travel Relations Board You ain't kiddin'... I just had my first child 4 months ago as well! (:

Alas, I am #3. I have been rock climbing in the East for 7 years. But, I have NEVER been on a glacier. For the past 2 months, I have been practicing climbing a rope via prusiks. And, I setup C and Z pulleys everyday inside my house. Just like everything else in my life (i.e. rock climbing, motorcycle racing, training beginning riders as an MSF instructor, training clients to burn fat as an NSPA/CPT, running marathons, running my own computer consulting company with 12+ employees and a yearly revenue of 3 million, Oracle database administration, amateur photography, etc...) I am doing home study, practice, and research. I believe that with a level head you can accomplish anything. I know there are those of you here who don't believe it is possible to climb a mountain without real-life experience... But, I assure you there are plenty who do. And, I plan to be one of them. In the event that weather or some other unforseen event stops me, then I will return until I complete this goal. Of course, if I fail the first time, then I will have acquired some real-life experience... I assume you give newbies a hard time because you are sincerly concerned about there wellbeing and not to make yourself feel better. In this case, than I thank you for your honest opinion and I assure you that I will do everything possible to keep myself and more importantly my climbing partners safe. Wish me luck (oh, that's right, I don't believe in luck). So, wish me well. (: -Rip

True. However, we are all familiar with many snow and ice anchors and the C and Z pulley (just-in-case). Even just for the weight of a pack, I normally use a C pulley system to draw a "full" backpack up. But with multiple people, you could (as you mention) just pull the dead weight up 1:1. We would always setup anchors after a fall for safeties sake (no matter how many are on our team). I prefer using the Z for a rescue, because you can really hurt someone doing a 1:1 lift when they reach the lip. I have found that the "slower" Z pulley gives your tugging group (if you will) time to realize you are crushing your partner against the edge. (:

Do I detect a note of sarcasm in your text? I suppose all criticism is good... I just prefer reading constructive... Flame away, Rip

My personal climbing page is: www.virtualinks.com It shows TR's on the East coast (haven't put much TR in for the last 2 years, because I was busy racing motorcycles)... I am leaving this weekend for Washington state to climb Mt. Rainier. Hopefully, I will have something nice to add to my TR section! Also, I built a climbing cave in my basement and it is detailed at this page. Climb on, Rip

Hi all, I am climbing with a group of climbers making a bid for the summit on June 23rd via the DC route. We will not be using a guide. Except for our leader, no one has been on a glacier before. Our group (6 members) breaks down like this: #1. Our team leader has climbed Rainier several times. He lives in the Tacoma area. #2. Been to Rainier for hiking and camping, has been on the Muir snowfield, but never been to or past Camp Muir. He has hiked Si and other similar hills. He lives in Tacoma. #3. An avid rock climber (from the East coast) with lots of gear (rope/anchors/etc.) experience but no mountaineering experience. Book knowledge is the extent of his glacier travel. #4. A fit guy who wants to climb the mountain (Similar to #3). He is from Arizona. #5. An avid hiker/climber how has climbed something like 30+ of the Colorado 14ners. He is going to Peru for some additional hiking/climbing later this year. He is from Arizona. #6. Another avid mountaineer (similar to #5). He is from Arizona. Everyone is in good shape (some more than others, but all are fit). I am not posting to see if we qualify for a try at this, we are going to make our attempt. Here is our dilemma: Do we climb DC or ID??? We had planned on climbing the DC route, but one of the members (#6) had this to say today, "The Disappointment Cleaver route has not been climbed in quite a while according to the rangers. Everyone is using the Ingraham Glacier Direct Route. There has been quite a lot of snow lately and the crevasses are covered with rather unconsolidated snow in places. If the DC route does not see much traffic between now and then, I think we should change plans and follow the herd." I mentioned that it is NORMAL for ID to be more popular early in the season (because it is more direct and less prone to avalanches before Summer). But, DC becomes more popular after the first week or two of June because the ID melts out some and crevasse navigation can be tough. However, #2 mentions that this is not the "typical" year, because snow fall has been down through the Winter and the climbs may/will be different than normal. I am all for whatever the team decides, but I just wanted to point out that the DC is rarely traveled ANY year before June (according to Gauthier's book). Since we will be 4 weeks into June on our climb, I am guessing DC will see lots more traffic by then. Any idea on what route(s) the guided groups are using? Does anyone have any ideas, insight, comments or questions that could help us determining the best course of action? Climb on, Rip