I climbed Ptarmigan Ridge about 10 years ago and two things "diminished" the experience for me: I forgot my sleeping bag (and my pad blew off the ridge and floated down to the Carbon from our high camp) and that slog from the top of the route to Liberty Cap was brutal. Maybe I should go back and try again. Cool that the rock step was actually ice. My partner and I bailed off of Curtis ridge (third time now) the week before you were up there. The rock bands on that route were holding neither snow nor ice and the evidence of rockfall on the snowfields between was sobering. I'm sure Curtis would be an amazing climb if you got the conditions right, but I'm not sure if I've got another attempt in me. Liberty remains my go-to ridge on Rainier, but Sunset, hmmm