Alasdair Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 Any one here climbed that route. I am looking for any beta you might have. I am thinking it would be a good solo. How dificult is it to get a permit to climb solo on Rainier? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattp Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 I've gotten solo climbing permits twice. I had no problem either time, but I couldn't just get one on the way up there but had to wait a week or two. I assumed that this is because they want there to be a "cooling off" period so that people don't head up there on a whim, and it really was no real problem for me either time. I know a couple people who have soloed that route. It is chosen because it involves no glacier travel, and for that reason I suppose it may not be a bad choice. It is a long route on a crumbly ridge, though, and I haven't heard many good things about it. Indeed, both guys I know who soloed it descended by a different route because they didn't want to go back down that way once they had climbed up it (one descended via the Kautz and the other via a very weird route down Gibralter Rock). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman_Clyde Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 Do a search on this board, because I can remember reading someone's post that Success Cleaver was his favorite Rainier experience, mainly for its remoteness. He was alone on the route, and had a very different experience than the usual DC/Emmons cattle call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alasdair Posted April 14, 2003 Author Share Posted April 14, 2003 Sounds good I found the thread and it has the info I need. One more question. Probably for MikeG. Is it possible to get ranger permission to climb solo on an open weekend between the dates of XXXX to XXXXX? Basically I want to go when I know the weather will be good not get permission for a certain weekend and then have to push my luck with weather because that is the weekend I am committed to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman_Clyde Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 You have to apply for a solo permit in writing, but once you've got it I don't think you are committed to using it on a certain date. Maybe MattP can tell us for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b-rock Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 I think that is true, the application form does not ask you to name dates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattp Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 That was the case when I got mine. But since then I've had a conversation with a certain ranger who said he hoped to make the process easier, so it could be different now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.radon Posted April 15, 2003 Share Posted April 15, 2003 If you PM me I'll send you my trip report on our climb (party of 2). We accidentally climbed Pyramid Peak in the dense fog; a ranger stated he had done the same too. When on the cleaver route finding is basic. However, we did have to do one rappel to get on the right ledge, we could have backtracked but didn't want to waste the time. Lots of rock exposure in some places. We did it late in the year. You do have glacier travel in some spots. I didn't bring a helmet, pretty dumb, but the size of most rocks that came whizzing by a helmet would not have helped. Did a bivy at 13K on the cleaver. One of the most memerable nights on Rainier ever. Good view of the Kautz parties and people on the Paridise to Muir trail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike_Gauthier Posted April 21, 2003 Share Posted April 21, 2003 solo permits are generally good for the year. the NPS can usually turn them around rather quickly if you give them a heads up. mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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