2 friends and I have tickets to fly to Seattle Jan 17th. We're headed back to the east coast on the 25th. We had hoped to do one of the above routes. We understand the mountain is getting pounded now but we hope things settle down for us. Coming from the east coast all we can do is pick a week, buy tickets and hope. We've all had experience to 18-20,000 feet in the Andes, Alaska, or both, all have been to the summit (or close) of Rainier, but none of us have been to the Cascades in the winter. I've read the recent Winter Ascent thread - thanks for that info to all who posted there. Some specific questions if anyone has the answers....
Gib Ledges - I've gotten some good info searching the TRs. It looks like most try to go up and back from Muir in a day. The Gauthier book mentions a bivy spot at the Beehive.
1. Is it big enough for a three man tent?
2. If on descent you get to the top of Gib Rock and don't want to go down the chute (avy) or the ledges (rockfall) is Camp Comfort an option in winter? We'd have a Mountain Hardwear Trango 3. Too exposed?
Kautz Cleaver - This would involve a longer approach but staying on the ridge line most of the way seems like one of the safer (but longer) ways to the top in the winter. The guidebook mentions bivy sites at 9K on the Wapowety Cleaver and 10,200' on the Kautz Cleaver.
3. Again, are these "bivy sites" big enough for a 3 man tent?
4. From the slope angle in photos I've seen it looks like we'd be travelling unroped in exposed third/fourth class terrain. Is any of this route 5th class/need to be pitched out? At the top maybe?
Wilson Headwall - If the snowpack stabilizes this would be the hardest route we'd try.
5. Any beta on campsites/winter rates of progress would be appreciated.
Reading lots of posts about winter attempts I'm realizing if not this year...next year...or the next...
Thanks! Bill Dudley
