Avalanche on Rainier?

[SnowRunner]

My friend was supposed to climb Rainier at the end of this month. He told me there was an avalanche that killed two climbers around the end of May 2010. However, I can't find any news articles/ reports that this ever happened. Does anyone know of such an incident, or did my friend make up a story because his climb got cancelled? Thanks

[summitchaserCJB]

I'm not completely sure but unless it happened very recently I doubt it happened.

[Abucks17]

I didn't hear anything about an avalanche up on Mt. Rainier. I will be starting a climb up the Kautz route this wed. I did find this on the NWAC website of a slab slide on goat mountian.

http://www.nwac.us/photos/view/257/

[summitchaserCJB]

Abucks- What do you think about the forecast. We're supposed to head up the Emmons on Thursday. I'm hoping to follow a boot path cause I don't want to break trail in 1-3 feet of snow!

.SYNOPSIS...STEADY PRECIPITATION WILL GIVE WAY TO SHOWERS TODAY AS A

WEAK COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. THERE WILL BE A RELATIVE

BREAK IN THE WEATHER TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. THEN AN UNSEASONABLY WET

PACIFIC FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL BRING SIGNIFICANT RAIN AND SNOW TO MOUNT

RAINIER NATIONAL PARK TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

CLIMBERS CAN EXPECT ONE AND A HALF TO THREE FEET OF SNOWFALL AT THE

HIGHER ELEVATIONS...ALONG WITH STRONG WINDS. SHOWERY WEATHER WILL

FOLLOW ON THURSDAY...WITH DRIER WEATHER LIKELY FRIDAY AND THIS

WEEKEND.

[Dane]

From a different thread but appropriate here. Really bad weather cycle right now guys. Rainier will always be there.

 

"But besides the obvious most recent incident on water fall ice, not to be aware that we are experiencing an exceptionally unique weather cycle right now is being blind. Dangeriously blind imo. I have seen many deaths in the alpine over the years. Most were preceeded by similar exceptionally wet spring weather patterns not nearly as dramatic as the one we are in now. The Enchantments, any Hood route, any route on Rainier, the Canadian Rockies, the ice climbs like Deltaform comes to mind, are all places that have seen deadly tragedies in the last few years......after a wet spring."

 

The most dangerious time is during and the 24/48 hrs right after a storm. High winds make it all that more complicated as the mtns. unload.

 

I've done the Kautz and the Emmons and wouldn't be on Rainier with that forcast. A couple of weeks from now it will likely be the casual summer conditions everyone raves about.

 

Ya'll be careful out there.

[genepires]

"Rainier will always be there."

 

Not true. Someday it will blow up or erode to a small pile of choss. Someday the glaciers will be all gone too. Maybe next week!

 

But seriously, Dane is right. Conditions blow right now. Go do something "fun" instead.

[MJaso]

I was on vacation all last week and scraped plan A) Mount Stuart, B) Rainier, & C) Hood because the weather reports just sucked major ass. IMO it wasn't worth it, and as long as we don't all die from an asteroid in the next few weeks before my next vacation i'll be alright.

[Abucks17]

Yeah I've been keeping up on the conditions. I have 4 friends who are flying in on wednesday morning. They are pretty set on climbing rainier but i agree with you Dane that rainier will always be there and conditions blow, with that said i'm going to do my best to find something else to climb. If we end up climbing our plan wasn't to summit until saturday or sunday, friends are coming from ohio, so going to take it slow on the way up.

 

Summitchaser--I saw that forecast and i wouldn't expect to be following a bootpack, i'm not even sure how many people have been up for the past few days.

 

 

[Abucks17]

Did anyone see the webcam looking at the mountian today? This morning there was a group of climbers heading up, and then 4 hours later it looked like the same group coming down.

[Couloir]

My friend was supposed to climb Rainier at the end of this month. He told me there was an avalanche that killed two climbers around the end of May 2010. However, I can't find any news articles/ reports that this ever happened. Does anyone know of such an incident, or did my friend make up a story because his climb got cancelled? Thanks

 

Two climbers were killed in the Ruth Gorge over the last couple of days. Is that what he was referring to?

[Abucks17]

Was he going with a guided group that cancelled trips?

[jmace]

not to be aware that we are experiencing an exceptionally unique weather cycle right now is being blind.

 

I didnt think anyhwere in the PNW was having anything unique for this spring ?

[Dane]

You been out in the slop lately? I'm a few minutes from Snoqualmie pass and have had serious rain almost every day for a couple of weeks now. It has been snowing on the summits there!

 

All on a rain soaked snow base. The kind of conditions that you get climax slides.

 

Consistant snow at 3500' and above in late May in the Cascades certainly seems unusual to me. As does good ice and mixed on the lower north faces in late May, early June. A NOAA forcast for 3 feet of new snow and strong winds on Rainier in June after snowfall all this week?

 

All of which is why I made a point to mention it. Cascades are a little wetter and colder than normal for April, May and June this year imo. You don't normally get to climb water ice in late April on Snoqualimie pass.

 

Imagine all the wind loaded pockets on Rainier after a week like this. Willi Unsoeld comes to mind but he was caught on Cadaver Gap in March.

 

May 24 2010 at 7000' on Goat Rocks which was posted in the link above. Better to give the mtns a few weeks and do some fun rock climbing while you wait.

[Abucks17]

So does anyone have any suggestions on something "fun" to do other than Rainier. I know the weather is going to blow, but we got 6 days, i checked on Shasta and the weather there is looking almost as bad.

[summitchaserCJB]

I'd tell you but I don't want to make the route crowded.

[Dane]

We just had a friend "blown" off Shasta in a guided party. She related her guide's comments of, "Denali like" conditions for turning around. I choked back a laugh but none the less understand why they came down

 

DC and follow the cow path? Or rock, baby rock! Leavenworth, Vanatage, Smith Rocks, Red Rocks, the valley, JT are/might be resonable options again weatehr dependant. That (east side of the Cascades) is were I am heading until we get some drier weather.

 

 

[Water]

flying down saturday morning to LA it was clear from crater lake onward. Got some fun shots of shasta from 35k ft. ok, Im not a person who'd thrive in LA, but damn that was some fine fine sun, bluesky, and perfect ocean breezes. would have liked to stay more than a day with the nonbreaking tripe weather we've had up here.

 

 

[TyneRock]

I have a Rainier climb planned for June 12-13 (RMI) and have my fingers crossed for better weather.

 

Went for a training climb to Muir last Friday but given the conditions adjusted the goal to Pan Point. Lots of wind and drifting snow once we crested the hill there. An RMI group was coming down and said avalanche threats prevented a summit. Saw an RMI group marching up and felt awful for them. The conditions were miserable, and they must've known they'd get no farther than Muir.

 

The weather is supposed to be bad all this week. More than a little worried that my trip's in jeopardy, even though it's 12 days away.

[JBC]

Canceled a trip to do Kautz headwall next weekend. In addition to poor conditions on Rainier, poor conditions in the cascades have not allowed out party to do their conditioning/training climbs. Looks like a weekend of rock, or maybe a good weekend to work on the house.

[summitchaserCJB]

When were you doing the conditioning climbs? Generally it's accepted that anything sooner than 2 weeks before the climb doesn't strengthen you.

[pdk]

Generally it's accepted that anything sooner than 2 weeks before the climb doesn't strengthen you.

 

 

Generally accepted by whom?

 

So basically what you're you're saying it takes >2 weeks to show any improvement from any type of training, be it aerobic/strength/anerobic/etc. So if I lift weights today, I won't be any stronger until more than 2 weeks have passed?

 

Where's the scientific support for this?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[summitchaserCJB]

I suppose someone has their science cap on today. Can't blame you for that. But it is a scientifically supported fact, as far as I know. I'll do a little research and check back. I'm primarily addressing the endurance side of things. I've done quite a bit of endurance athletics and a tapper is usually a couple weeks long. Any training closer than a couple weeks, or at very least a week just wears you down rather than builds you up. Look around, you'll see the general consensus supports that. You'd be surprised how long it takes muscles to grow.

[summitchaserCJB]

tapering for a marathon

If climbing can be compared to a marathon, this is a valuable article. They say that it has been proven that it takes up to three weeks to taper, where your muscles restore their glycogen. I assume they check their sources.

[summitchaserCJB]

If someone is trying to climb, say, Rainier, off the couch-First thing I'd say is "good luck". Desperately trying to train a few days before a climb is futile.

[rob]

you know, training and conditioning can also be things like getting your legs used to wearing new boots, dialing in your packing job, getting used to new things. The few weeks leading up to a big climb, you are saying you shouldn't be doing any training or conditioning whatsoever because it would all be pointless?

 

Also, why even say anything? Nobody was asking for your expert nutrition and training advice, he was just commenting that the crappy weather has prevented him from going out on his training climbs and you butt in with your wanna-be-Mr-Big-Time-Mountaineer attitude and your unsolicited advice that makes you come off like a total douche.

 

$0.02