Paulthenurse Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 I am hoping to head out this coming winter/spring and climb some of your peaks. I have experience climbing in NE, several winter ascents of Washington, and the Presidentials, plus extensive experience hiking and camping in the winter. What I DON'T have is ANY experience at altitude, the highest I've ever been is Mt Washington. (Considering I live about 5 feet above the high tide mark that sure feels like a lot of altitude!) I'm figuring if I plan on taking a full day to stagger up to Camp Muir and plan on spending a few days there, hanging around, taking short hikes, practicing glacier techniques, etc. I'll be alright. Is my thinking solid or do I need to refine it? My other thought was flying into Portland and climbing Mt Hood first, then driving up to Seattle. I can devote about 10 days to this proposed trip, is this enough time? Thanks in advance, Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Off_White Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 I would tend to dissuade you from trying Rainier in the winter with your experience level. Elevation is not that big an issue, most of us out here live close to sea level. You could easily spend ten days here and never get a clear day in the winter. Just going to Muir is pretty doable, though epics have resulted from that too, mostly due to whiteout complications. Hood is a very reasonable winter destination though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryland_moore Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Wait until Spring and solo South Side of Hood, then find a partner and head up to Muir to do the Ingraham Direct, depending on weather. Winter is too chancy for Rainier and you could spend your whole time out here in a whiteout. Or ,you could get lucky. Good winter route would be Gibraltar Ledges or Ingraham Direct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoran Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 You guys from MA are used to harsh winter. I think you have 50-50 chances for success on Rainier. Don't worry about altitude if you have plenty of time to spend in Camp Muir. Problem is that microclimate on Rainier is very unpredictable and whiteouts, low temperatures or high winds are very common. I agre with ryland's route suggestion. Go for winter solution because is more exciting and many of us thinkig about that. It could be "real" climb. Good luck with weather. Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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