Rainier Conditions - Upper Mountain Snowpack?

[Harm]

I was wondering if anybody had any first.. second or thirdhand for that matter, info on the upper mountain snowpack in the last week or so. Looks like the weather forecast has some new snowfall potential this week.

 

I was considering taking a group up Success Cleaver on the 11th and carrying over to DC and I'm starting to consider waiting for further snowpack consolidation. A couple of friends of mine were going to attempt DC after the massive memorial day snow dump and wisely turned around at Muir to have a beer in the parking lot instead due to some nasty/thick/easily triggered slabs formed on a hard ice layer in some pit tests they dug.

 

I'd appreciate any info anybody has. Thanks.

[Dulton]

The most recent TRs are probably going to be it for your beta. There hasn't really been any weather windows that have allowed anyone to climb, unless you want to climb in conditions that you described.

 

Question: Why are you carrying over to DC?

[Harm]

Re: Carrying over to DC.

 

The group wanted to entertain the possibility of camping on the Summit, weather and time permitting and also truncate some time off of the descent by staging a car at Paradise. I guess we could entertain downclimbing the Kautz as well but not knowing the condition of the ramp near the ice cliff, I would be more hesitant to down climb it not having that beta from the way up.

 

Additionally, from the few people I've talked to about Success Cleaver I've been told that down climbing it can be a little hairy with all the exposure on some of the high traverses in questionable footing. DC would probably be the best choice (save Ingraham direct which I've heard is essentially done for the season) and most straight forward for the group composition in my opinion.

[fear]

If you're going to stage a car anyway, why not the Emmons descent? Easy, and should be well wanded with a track soon. Be kinda neat to climb over the whole thing...

 

-Fear

[Dulton]

Camping on the summit is sweet! Sounds like a fun trip man. The only problem in descending the DC is the crowd factor which you wouldn't find on the Success or the Kautz. The crowd factor can also make for a preety hairy descent especially when the RMI crowds go bowling for peeps with rocks on the DC.

 

Edit: This year we had an unusually high amount of high elevation snow pack and unseasonably cold temps and low freezing levels recently would probably keep that snowpack pretty solid. There has been a little bit of new snow up there recently and it will need a couple days of solid weather to consolidate.

Edited June 8, 2004 by Dulton

[Harm]

Dulton,

 

I hear what you are saying Re: RMI crowds on DC. I had a "wonderful" encouter with some of their groups about two years ago (I think) when the Emmons route traversed far far left somewhere near 13,000 or so to join the DC route to the crater rim. It was a mass of humanity, one particular crack that needed to be navigated around in an s-shape was quite a particular cluster.

 

The original plan was to be camping on the summit overnight such that we could pick our descent time, i.e. time our descent such that the RMI groups were on their way up and well clear of the top of the cleaver. Maybe that is wishful thinking, I have not been on DC lately to truly appreciate the crowds I guess.

 

I had been toying with staging a car at White River as Fear suggested and that might be a way to go for route conditions, crowds and being able to claim we climbed up and over the mountain. I was toying with the idea but had failed to convince myself that I wanted to do that long walk out to White River again, I think I've burnt myself out on that trail/approach having done that route too many times in the past couple seasons.

 

Anyway, I think we are going to put the trip off a week or so, I have not heard much good information regarding the snowpack consolidation but have heard several bad experiences. We have time to wait.. so I think we will give it a week or so and try and get up Success before it melts out and perhaps get some nice weather days to boot.

[nerdom]

I'll second the camping on the summit sweetness! Stayed a night up there after doing the Fuhrer Finger 2 summers ago. Awesome (overused word, but totally appropriate in this case) experience. Descended the DC w/o too much difficulty re: RMI hordes.