DPS

One has to ask oneself, how many are too many pairs of knickers to own. In this day and age I fear the number is exactly one.

If I did not already own a pair of knickers, I would totally pop on these. So handsome.

I have the same problem with La Sportivas, so I have switched to Scarpas and have found a much better fit. Scarpa Mont Blanc is their current all mountain boot, on par with the LS Nepal.

Maybe Classic Crack ate the kid and spit out the harness. Usually it just spits out the climber.

And special forces guys are well known for having very dry feet.

What boots are you wearing? Double plastic? Heavily insulated single leather? If so, you may want to consider lighter, more breathable boots. Also, changing socks on the summit does not sound that unreasonable to me if your feet require it.

Nice report, I am shocked at the amount of glacial recession since I was there in July 2013. In a couple of years it will be climbable with approach shoes and no axe or crampons. Makes me sad.

My 8 year old really liked the Goat Rocks Wilderness and there are some kid friendly summits like Old Snowy.

SEWS definitely, Liberty Bell you may have to use some intermediate anchors.

Unless you are specifically planning on climbing steep ice routes (e.g. NF Spider), you can certainly make the traverse without screws or a second tool. I really think you should be ruthless when it comes to unnecessary weight.

+ 1. Aqua Mira uses Chlorine Dioxide, which is more effective against protozoans like Giardia sp. and Cryptosporidium parvum. ClO2 is also available in tablet form.

Ditch the snow shovel, wands, screws, second ice tool, and the weather radio. One Z-Ridge is fine on glaciers. I would bring one 16 oz cannister (lighter than 2 8 oz) and one 8 oz. Go light young man!

You have not climbed this route, have you? I will grant you the rock is interesting. Thanks for the invitation, but I am recovering from some health issues that is keeping me out of the mountains for the time being. Have fun.

Why not climb it as a three person team using double ropes? This is my favorite size group for most climbs - three people to share the weight of the rack, the double ropes, the stove, the tarp, etc. The leader belays both followers simultaneously using an auto locking belay device (BD ATC-Guide, Petzl Reverso).

I've heard of very few carry overs, the descent is not bad. We walked straight down, facing out. Late season may require a rappel or two off of bollards or threads, but that saves having to carry the entire kit up and over. But the descent from Camp Muir is easier than from Kautz, so there is that.

That would be Columbia Crest and Liberty Cap. And what about Point Success, it is higher than Liberty Cap? Did that not pop up during your research? You are likely going to have to find a partner, pretty much all guiding permits are going to be locked up. I recommend going in your August time frame, glacier conditions will likely be much more favorable than September.

I climbed the Kautz route over the Memorial Day weekend, 1999. I had an REI/SMC 60 cm axe. We walked up the route and walked down the route. That said, be aware that the Kautz becomes steeper and icier as the season progresses, so much so that one party felt after climbing it that they were unable to descend it, so they descended to Camp Muir. They were last seen offering to pay people to retrieve their camp. I think a 60cm, slightly tech axe (Petzl Summit, Grivel Evo Tech, etc.) is the most important tool to take on this route. As for a second tool, as we head into the middle of the summer, I would recommend a straight shafted 50 cm hammer. The second tool offers a lot of insurance for a justifiable weight increase. Throw in a few ice screws in addition to your pickets. Bring some 6 mm for v-threads in case you decide you need to rappel the route, or just plan to carry all your gear over and down the DC. Don't be that party that ends up at Camp Muir with their camping gear over on the Kautz.

This trip report sounds very similar to my experience some years ago around the same time. Compared routes of similar character (e.g. Mt. Stuart's Ice Cliff Glacier and Mt. Shuksan's Price Glacier, both of which I would describe as on the harder end) the Adams Glacier was significantly easier and very much a 'moderate' route by my standards. 'Easy' routes would be South Spur of Adams and Sulphide Glacier on Shuksan. Fisher Chimneys on Shuksan, one of my all time favorite routes, would also fall into the 'moderate' category.

Are there other Guide services you would recommend over RMI. In my conversations with them over the phone they had a lot of good advice it seemed. If you would recommend someone over them I would like suggestions. Thank you for the other advice as well! Of the three guide services with permits to guide on Rainier, Alpine Ascents International would be my first choice. If you simply want to tag the summit, any guide service can do that, but if you really want to learn to climb you should look into longer 'Alpine Leader' types of courses like those offered through American Alpine Institute.

Lowa Civettas were made in size 16, although I think they are no longer manufactured you may be able to find a pair on EBay. They would work for Rainier and with an over boot or insulated supergaitor for Denali as well.

Advice: Doing a guided climb is wise; your brother having been an Army Ranger provides about zero experience for climbing Mt. Rainier. There are many fine guide outfits that offer guided summit trips. I would not necessarily recommend RMI, but if you have your heart set on Kautz glacier they may be your only choice. Make sure you look into that and if you have a choice of guide outfits, go with a good one. Regarding your route selection, the Kautz gkacier is a fine route and will provide a more of the experience you seem to be looking for. If you are limited to August-September time frame, try to get a spot in early August. Earlier in the summer means glacier conditions will be better. Regarding fitness. The fitter you are the more fun you will have. Incorporate at least one 'depletion day' a week in your routine. Trail run, hike, bike ride for a long time, like 4 hour trail runs, 8 hour hikes, etc. Do as much elevation gain as you can. Lift weights, do high intensity cardio like hill repeats, do long slow distance runs. Regarding gear. Spend whatever it takes to get a good fitting pair of boots. Spend on a sleeping bag. Feathered Friends and Western Mountaineering are good choices. Avoid the big box brands. Marmot seems to have the best bags of the big box brands. Here are links to a couple of articles that may be of some interest. http://www.summitpost.org/so-you-want-to-climb-mt-rainier/507227 http://www.summitpost.org/alpinism-101-an-introduction/756518

America was great in 1984 because I was 15 and the Soviet Block boycotted the summer Olympics. McDonalds was running a promotion offering free food for every medal the US won. My friends and I ate a lot of free McDonalds food that summer.

25 years ago a partner of mine said 'when these kids who are raised in climbing gyms hit the mountains, they will completely blow up the standards'. I told him it would never happen. Marc is proof how wrong I was and how prescient my partner was.

Yes on both points. The rock is good, the climbing is interesting for its grade, the views are good, and it is a long slog.

Perhaps some climbs should only see a few ascents by those with the skills and boldness to do it. Where is the value of comfortizing a route so more people can do it? Are there not plenty of well bolted routes for those who do not want the risk of trad climbing?