Winter Ascent

[michaelnagle]

I just noticed that airfares are reasonable and I have a bunch of time off this winter. Any thoughts on if it would be a waste of time to fly out in late March for an ascent of the Ingraham Direct?

[DPS]

Most likely the weather is going to be too poor to climb, but then again it could be great.

 

If you do make the trip, make alternate plans in case the weather on Rainier is bad. Weather is often better on the east side of the crest and there are some notoble winter climbs on Dragontail, Colchuck, and Mt Stuart.

[Mtguide]

Late March might not be the most stable weather, with springtime approaching. It can be a particularly deceptive and dangerous season on Rainier and the other Pac NW volcanoes. My vote would generally be for earlier, actually starting right about now on your weather watch of the NOAA forecasts. The major caveat is that we are in an extreme avalanche situation at the moment. So you'll also need to check the NWAC (Northwest Avalanche Center) forecasts for updates.

 

It doesn't happen as regularly as it used to, but we still tend to have a one week to even two week break in the progression of winter storms anytime from about Jan 10 or so, till mid-Feb. For many years, this has been the period that winter climbers watch for in the forecasts. The weather will enter a very stable, and very cold pattern on the peaks, and it's often relatively calm. In these conditions, deep and relatively stable snowpacks have buried the crevasses, making the glaciers and icefalls far less complicated.

 

In early Feb. of 1967, we were able to take advantage of just such a mid-winter break to do the first winter ascent of the Nisqually Icefall. It was a very fast and pretty straightforward ascent, with only a few technical pitches on the upper headwalls of several of the largest crevasses. The weather was absolutely clear, very cold, about 5 above, and calm for the climb and descent, but under clear skies, the wind picked up to about 50-60 mph once we were back at the base of the icefall(we descended the ascent route) and continued to increase. We arrived back at Camp Muir to find our brand new REI McKinley tent virtually exploded and torn to shreds. We grabbed what gear we could find and beat a hasty retreat down the Muir icefield.

 

With a mountain like Rainier, you can't let your work or school schedule dictate when you'll make your attempt, unless you enjoy flirting with disaster. You have to watch for the weather window in the forecasts, and begin your climb as the weather begins improving, to give yourself the largest possible opening to make your climb. Once the forecast indicates improvement, go then, even as the stormy weather is diminishing but still present. I'm not advocating ignoring avalanche conditons, however; you may have to wait until fresh snowpack settles and consolidates, but you can at least get up to the mountain, and make it up to Camp Muir, and get yourself in postion to go. Above all, do not try to race or beat the weather if the forecasts indicate a deteriorating pattern. Things very often move in off the ocean many hours or even days sooner than predicted; you want to have huge respect for that mountain. Rainier is not to be trifled with, nor is any peak for that matter.

 

You may have heard of the Mt.Hood tragedy of 2006, when three climbers died, basically because they underestimated the mountain and the weather. Previous experience on Denali, and the fact that the North face of Hood is just a day climb, may have given them a false sense of confidence regarding what it would take to get up and back down safely within a very short weather window. And while Hood is only half the height, and many, many times less the incredible mass of Denali, it is nonetheless the equal of any mountain on the planet in the violence and ferocity of its' weather when conditions are right. So you want to give Rainier, at three times the mass, and another 3000' of elev., the utmost respect, and plan and prepare for every eventuality. Take an ultralight weather radio, know how to navigate in a blizzard whiteout, and be in top shape. Finally, don't ever be afraid to turn back if the weather starts to break down. The mountain will always be there another day, and you need to be alive to climb it.

[michaelnagle]

Thanks for the input. I've seen on the TV that you guys are having quite a winter.

[DPS]

Mtnguide's advice to watch the weather and go when you get a decent forecast is probably the best strategy. If you don't have that much flexibility I would recommend planning your trip around President's Day weekend, a time period when we often enjoy a high pressure system that brings stable weather.

 

Perhaps come out for the week before and the week after President's Day. And come with the idea of flexibility and the willingness to go where the weather is best be it the Enchantments, Stuart Range, Mt Hood, or B.C.,Canada,

 

Bring skis and ice gear to give yourself some options if the high peaks have bad weather.

[TimL]

Go do some ice climbing in the Canadian Rockies. March is a good time to be up there.

[billbob]

If you have a limited window for fun and want to seriously increase the chance of success for a summit, you might want to use a Certified Mountain Guide, licensed and trained to take you both up and down the mountain. IMHO, sometimes getting back down is the more formidable challenge.