New to Climbing in PNW - Lots of questions

[Mark Edmonds]

Hey everybody! 

I'm new to the forum and have never summited any peaks in PNW.  Most of my climbing has been in Colorado under dry summer conditions.  While I've done over a hundred mountains, I've never done any climbing in steep snow/ice.  I'm going to be in PNW climbing for most of the month of May and was hoping to get some local advice about how it might differ from my normal climbing experience.  Any help on the following would be greatly appreciated:

1.  Do I need mountaineering boots for climbs like Mt. Hood / Rainer?  Can I get away with something more comfortable that can support crampons?  Any suggestions?

2.  If I do need mountaineering boots, are there any options that would also support back country skiing?  Would like to buy one set of boots that do both than two expensive sets of boots.

3.  Would I likely be alright doing Mt. Hood solo and just following the crowds up?  

4.  Same question as #3 but Mt. Rainier?

5.  Is there anything that would prevent me from just picking a random day and attempting a summit other than weather (i.e. permits needed in advance)?

6.  Are there any other sites you recommend I review before getting started?

Thanks for any and all help!  Looking forward to exploring your neck of the woods.

[Bronco]

13 minutes ago, Mark Edmonds said:

Hey everybody! 

I'm new to the forum and have never summited any peaks in PNW.  Most of my climbing has been in Colorado under dry summer conditions.  While I've done over a hundred mountains, I've never done any climbing in steep snow/ice.  I'm going to be in PNW climbing for most of the month of May (May is tough for weather and conditions in the PNW mountains and very tough on the volcanos) and was hoping to get some local advice about how it might differ from my normal climbing experience.  Any help on the following would be greatly appreciated:

1.  Do I need mountaineering boots for climbs like Mt. Hood / Rainer?  Can I get away with something more comfortable that can support crampons?  Any suggestions? Yes, get mountaineering boots that fit your particular feet.  Go break them in on Mt. St. Helens and Mount Adams.  Those are lower consequence and good training for Hood and Rainier.

2.  If I do need mountaineering boots, are there any options that would also support back country skiing?  Would like to buy one set of boots that do both than two expensive sets of boots. Lots of people have climbed the volcanos in skimo boots.  It's not really recommended for a newbie but it's certainly doable.  

3.  Would I likely be alright doing Mt. Hood solo and just following the crowds up?  It's poor style to depend on others for assistance so there's that.  People "follow the crowds" all the time and tend to make it home more often than not but having a partner is more fun and mitigates some of the risk involved in mountaineering.  Lots of accidents on Hood every year on the standard routes.

4.  Same question as #3 but Mt. Rainier? You need a climbing permit to travel above 10,000' on Rainier.  Unlikely the rangers will approve a solo permit for a volcano newbie.  What research have you done on climbing Mt. Rainier?

5.  Is there anything that would prevent me from just picking a random day and attempting a summit other than weather (i.e. permits needed in advance)? See answer above.

6.  Are there any other sites you recommend I review before getting started? https://www.rmiguides.com/mt-rainier   https://bmc.skagitalpineclub.com 

etc, etc, etc.

Thanks for any and all help!  Looking forward to exploring your neck of the woods.

 

[olyclimber]

With Rainier via any route you'll likely have to contend with crevasses. If you don't have any experience doing crevasse rescue then you'll want to take a course or find someone to practice rescue with, and become competent.  

[olyclimber]

I recommend our sponsor! 

 

https://www.alpineinstitute.com/catalog/glacier-skills-and-crevasse-rescue/

[Mark Edmonds]

Great info!   Thanks everybody!

[JasonG]

My opinion is that the volcanoes aren't the place for unguided out-of-towners to learn about steep snow travel and ice axe/crampon use. 

And agreed that the weather in May is likely to be rough.  Between now and then you'll want to practice ice axe arrest and crampon technique on steep snow slope with a good run out.

And get some boots and break them in.  Something like this works pretty well for 3 season use in the Cascades (but make sure the La Sportiva last fits your foot.  There are other boots that will be better for wider feet):

https://www.lasportivausa.com/trango-tech-leather-gtx.html