Who wants to climb Rainier with me

[Tyler151]

I have been stood up twice by some guys telling me that they will go and climb Rainier with me, so I have decided to go and do it myself. Although the aid of someone who has climbed it before would be great. If anyone is intrested please contact me.

[HRoark]

When? What route?

[Tyler151]

when is the best time? Which ever route, I just want to climb.

[cracked]

[To_The_Top]

Tyler, if you are talking about a winter Rainier then you might want to shed some light on your background, including a game plan.

If you are talking about this summer, then you might want to ask later.

I'm moving this to climbing partners.

TTT

[catbirdseat]

I got to believe that since he is from Tennessee almost certainly he means summer. So if so, I recommend coming out here in the second week of July and do the Emmons or DC route. Hang out in camp and you'll find a party that is short because someone got sick. Tie in and off you go.

[thelawgoddess]

when is the best time? Which ever route, I just want to climb.

maybe you should do a little research and think about what your skills and abilities are. mount rainier can be fairly serious business.

[Bug]

when is the best time? Which ever route, I just want to climb.

maybe you should do a little research and think about what your skills and abilities are. mount rainier can be fairly serious business.

I've been up Rainier several times and would be happy to do one of the easier routes with you. I've done a couple "internet climbs" with people I didn't know. More than 50% end up staying below 11000 because they just aren't in good enough shape. If this is true of you, I will know after the first day to base camp and I will climb without you. I am not a mountain racer by any means but if we can't make a thousand feet an hour we should be close at least. I run about five mile every day for a month before a climb. That run includes a couple big hills. It is also important to hump a heavy pack up a steep hill a few times. The glacier skills can be taught at base camp. Read a few books though. There are a lot of good glacier skills books out there. Just make sure you have the concepts of self arrest, prussicking and the z-pulley extraction system down in theory. Practice prussicking in a tree if you can. Set up a z system on flat ground and pull a box or a lame dog.

Do all this and post on this site. PM me when you are ready. It's not that big a deal if you are in shape. We can get another one or two off this site.

I like June because the bridges are still intact. Disappointment Cleaver Route is too crowded.

Emmons Glacier route is OK but still e few too many people.

I would like to try the South Tahoma Glacier route. It looks real nice but would be best done as a carry over. Maybe camp on the summit?

Cheers!

Edited February 12, 2004 by Bug

[HRoark]

when is the best time? Which ever route, I just want to climb.

maybe you should do a little research and think about what your skills and abilities are. mount rainier can be fairly serious business.

I've been up Rainier several times and would be happy to do one of the easier routes with you. I've done a couple "internet climbs" with people I didn't know. More than 50% end up staying below 11000 because they just aren't in good enough shape. If this is true of you, I will know after the first day to base camp and I will climb without you. I am not a mountain racer by any means but if we can't make a thousand feet an hour we should be close at least. I run about five mile every day for a month before a climb. That run includes a couple big hills. It is also important to hump a heavy pack up a steep hill a few times. The glacier skills can be taught at base camp. Read a few books though. There are a lot of good glacier skills books out there. Just make sure you have the concepts of self arrest, prussicking and the z-pulley extraction system down in theory. Practice prussicking in a tree if you can. Set up a z system on flat ground and pull a box or a lame dog.

Do all this and post on this site. PM me when you are ready. It's not that big a deal if you are in shape. We can get another one or two off this site.

Cheers!

 

I'd be up for this, Bug. Good training for other objectives this year. Also, dude, you may want to consider early or mid-June for the Emmons; many of the crevasses will still be covered/closed and navigation could be easier.

 

Roark

[Rick_Sharpless]

Tyler:

 

What bug said. Depending on route and conditions the technical problems may not be that significant but it is a BIG hill and coming from flatlands to 5000' to 10000' and over the top is a serious aerobic challenge. You will enjoy it way more (as will your partners) if you are in the best aerobic shape you have ever been. Been there twice - one summit (first time). Best analogy I can come up with is it's like doing two mountain cycling centuries or two marathons on back-to-back days. Enjoy. Depending on how my summer shapes up I might join you.

[catbirdseat]

I would agree that in June the route would be in better shape, but that if you are flying in from out of town, the weather could crap out on you. If you choose June, make it early June, not late June. You can count on the weather being bad from mid June through the first week of July. From the second week of July, you can count on the weather being good, or if it is not, its only a matter of waiting a day or two before it is.

[Bug]

It's a plan then.

[HRoark]

It's a plan then.

[Tyler151]

Bug,

I am in great shape I spend 3 weekends a month on the AT or in Western NC hiking and backpacking. I also spend a great deal of time climbing. I have a very good understanding of self arrest, prussicking and the z-pulley extraction system. I have used all 3 of these at sometime or another. June sounds good to me. I am up for the easiest or the toughest routes. Its a plan!

[Tyler151]

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to reply.

[Rick_Sharpless]

Tyler,

 

If you want to meet in the nc mountains sometime and practice escaping a belay, climbing out, etc with real, live weight, or just go cragging, pm me. June may be out for me unless it's late but we can train - whatever.

[RobBob]

If you make it late June or later, there's a chance I might break away and do it with you chickenf'ers. Show these guys we can hang with 'em on the brisk pace. (Just so long as it's not Lib Ridge---I've had this recurring nightmare of being roped up with mattp, who suddenly tells me I have to downclimb the route )

 

Maybe after ragdoll stumbling back into the parking lot, we can make it to a pubclub too.

[JoshK]

Come up a few days early and go walk up the north ridge of adams. If you can get up and down that easily you should be fine in terms of the altitude and aerobic shape.

[Plinko]

The last time I did Rainier last August I hooked up with a guy from that big state down south. Prior to our climb, we'd never hiked together and had no idea about each other's physical ability. He claimed to be in excellent shape, and was supposedly working out every day with a loaded pack, blah blah... He flew into town and got on the mountain, it took him 8 hours from Paradise to Muir in ideal conditions...in his situation, he should have been there in about 3. Next morning, typical alpine start, we short-hauled his ass (literally dragging him up the mountain) all the way to 12,5 before we finally cut him loose. In hindsight, we shoulda left his sorry ass at Muir cuz it turned what should have been a 8 hour max summit trip into a 14 hour slug-fest. If you're climbing with strangers, be careful...it's easy to get into some hairy situations that way

[Bug]

So true. Care is needed and the willingness to say "I'm not going any further with you." This I have done. Everybody needs to be aware of that up front.

But on the other hand, I have met some great climbers this way and had some really good trips. Who knows, it might be me who gets left behind. Several years ago I took my brother and his friend up Rainier. We met at Paradise but on the way there that morning I grabbed a frozen burrito at a quick stop and nuked it. When I got on the road and started eating it, it was still frozen in the middle. Since I was hungry as a spring snake, I ate it anyway. I was exploding for the rest of the day nad had some trouble getting to Muir. My brother and his friend thought I was a total looser but the next morning I was recovered and we beat -'s time by 37 seconds.

[lummox]

that morning I grabbed a frozen burrito at a quick stop and nuked it. When I got on the road and started eating it, it was still frozen in the middle. Since I was hungry as a spring snake, I ate it anyway. I was exploding for the rest of the day

i know from my own rigorous experimentation that if you consume a minimart burrito with a pint of chocolate milk you can asphyxiate yourself and anybody else within a 10 foot radius. there outta be a warning label.

[DonnV]

I would like to try the South Tahoma Glacier route. It looks real nice but would be best done as a carry over. Maybe camp on the summit?

I've done this route and highly recommend it, but don't underestimate it as someone's first Rainier climb. Not extremely steep or exposed, but certainly enough so to get a beginner's attention. Unless you camp very low, it really has to be a carry over, so keep emphasizing the training advice. And the year we did it, in late June, we had a very tricky schrund crossing to get onto the headwall. All that said, really a nice climb, but a definite jump up from the Emmons or DC, and probably not one I would do with a relatively inexperienced partner on their first time up. I'd think about heading over to the Tahoma Glacier. By the way, if you do the South Tahoma, a descent down Success Glacier Couloir works well to dump you back down where you started.

[Bug]

Sounds like good advice. We would definately have to talk it over carefully once we got together. Everyone would have to be fired up about doing the hike in and the carry over. We would also be fairly committed to getting everybody over, or everybody turns back, once we got out onto the glacier. But it would be my first choice for what I would "like" to do. Any route will be fun if nobody turns into a flaming asshole. And for those, there are crevasses.

[Stephen_Ramsey]

I would agree that in June the route would be in better shape, but that if you are flying in from out of town, the weather could crap out on you. If you choose June, make it early June, not late June. You can count on the weather being bad from mid June through the first week of July. From the second week of July, you can count on the weather being good, or if it is not, its only a matter of waiting a day or two before it is.

Catbird,

 

Not disputing your advice, but it should be emphasized that early June is no sure-thing either. I've been stormed off Rainier three times in early June, in 1999, 2000, and 2002.

Maybe I just have bad luck however.

 

Cheers,

Steve

[catbirdseat]

I concur, but I've begun to notice seasonal patterns, for example, early May often has really nice climbing weather, whereas mid to late May usually sucks. March almost always is too windy. April often has at least one good weather window, etc.