Good way to learn?

[Buckshot]

Eventually I want to climb the Washington Volcanoes and Hood.

I have been up Adams twice on the easy route but I need some kind of instruction to get to where I can go up Rainier and the rest safely. Stuart and Daniel are also on the list.

I sport climb and have backpacked over 20 years.

I'm looking into the AAI Alpinism I or Baker Summit climb trips to get more experience and training. Am I better off to go with these groups or look around here for someone to partner up with who is patient and willing to teach a little?

I cannot go with one of the big Western WA groups (mountaineers, Boealps, etc) b/c I live in Eastern WA kinda near Wenatchee.

[tvashtarkatena]

The one skill that's usually too time consuming to learn from partners (unless they've got a few extra days on their hands) is glacier travel/crevasse rescue. Take a course if you can afford it. Similarly, an avalanche course (not so much an issue for summer/fall, but def for winter/spring) is good to have under your belt, depending on your interests.

 

Ice climbing can be learned by going out with the right partners and reading up.

Edited January 11, 2012 by tvashtarkatena

[Pete_H]

You could just go to Rainier and follow the mass of humanity up.

[pcg]

The one skill that's usually too time consuming to learn from partners (unless they've got a few extra days on their hands) is glacier travel/crevasse rescue. Take a course if you can afford it. Similarly, an avalanche course (not so much an issue for summer/fall, but def for winter/spring) is good to have under your belt, depending on your interests.

+1

Even if you live in eastern WA you might see if the Mountaineers offer clinics specifically in crevasse rescue or avalanche safety. For example, the Mazamas in OR offer crevasse rescue clinics ($75 I think) that consist of a three hour class and then a full day in the field. So you would be driving somewhere for one night and a Saturday.

Most Avalanche One classes are three full days and are both classroom and in the field so you will have to travel anyway.

[Laughingman]

Might be worth taking a course From the mountaineers or so on. I learned crevasse rescue on a NOLS trip I took when I first got into climbing. I feel the program made my more marketable to other climbers as a partner because I had lot of moderate glacier travel experience ( we got to lead rather independently at times). I also had a descent set of outdoor skills that came out of it.

Edited January 11, 2012 by Laughingman

[Buckshot]

 

I appreciate all the advice. A crevasse course is deffinately do-able, I was just saying that driving to Seattle or wherever two nights a week for four months was off the table.

 

You could just go to Rainier and follow the mass of humanity up.

I had considered this but it seems kind of unwise. Would it be a smarter option with an experienced partner after I have done the crevasse class, or is the DC cattle trail SO easy that it doesn't really require any special skill?

[Dave7]

The DC is a cattle trail, but I would still do a class. I know there was at least one or two people who fell in crevasses on the DC and needed the help of passing guide services to get out.

[tvashtarkatena]

Of you're gonna do one of Rainier's moderates, do the Emmons. More scenic, no gridlock (hours of waiting) on the cleaver. You can camp at Sherman (crowded) or just before Steamboat Prow above it (not crowded).

 

The DC sucks in peak season.

[Pete_H]

The DC is a cattle trail, but I would still do a class. I know there was at least one or two people who fell in crevasses on the DC and needed the help of passing guide services to get out.

 

True, but I think you'd be OK on a solo training hike or two up to Muir.

[Buckshot]

I deffinately plan on doing a training hike to Muir, among other places. The idea of not needing to haul a tent is REALLY appealing to me though so I am leaning against the Emmons route. Stil though, if it is THAT much better... I'll have to talk it over with whoever I end up going with.

Now that everyone seems to be suggesting it, I am looking into crevasse/glacier travel classes. They seem affordable to me.

Thanks again for the info.

[tvashtarkatena]

Staying in the Muir hut is like spending the night in a cave full of bears suffering from sleep apnia and irritable bowel syndrome. It blows.

 

If you do the DC and don't want to carry a tent, build a cave.

[Buckshot]

Emmons is sounding better and better.

[tvashtarkatena]

You won't be able to easily build a cave at Sherman, like you would at Muir, so it might be a good idea to take a tent on that side. It's really beautiful, though. Little Tahoma is spectacular. The glissade or ski down the Inter glacier rocks early/mid season.

[Pete_H]

You don't really need a tent on Rainier in the summer if there's a good forecast.

[obwan]

Buckshot - you are on the right track; and ALL of the advice mentioned by tvashtarkatena ( I can't even pronounce that one), and others, is spot on. A tent does come in handy to get out of the sun, and refuge from the high winds that The Mountain can produce; (the wind seems to kick my butt the most, and sunscreen will save your climb/effort). I always recommend Mike Gauthier's book " Mount Rainier- A Climbing Guide" for the best information about what really goes on up there from a climbing ranger's viewpoint. I wish I had this book 20 years ago.

Good Luck!

 

[tvashtarkatena]

Yeah...In clear weather the wind is often brutal. Bring some shelter unless you want crunchy, uncooked meals and no melt water. And ear plugs for the flapping, snoring, and farting.

Edited January 13, 2012 by tvashtarkatena