Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Mount Rainer Trip Report

To many old whitney portal friends,

Haven't been posting much this year but climbing a lot.

Finally summited Rainer and wanted to share my trip report. Rainer trip report

Also went back to summit Shasta via the north side two weeks later. Quite a different experience from Avalanche Gulch. (tr will be posted soon)

Heading to Ecuador in December will be sure to post trip report.

Awesome climbing experiences to all!

Nice trip report. Great photos.I take it you did 3 days. Muir to DC to the snow fields then the summit?
I was there in late June and did this route. The snow had been falling for the prior 2 weeks and the upper elevations were top heavy with snow.
Once we arrived a Washington "heat wave" hit and snow began melting rapidly causing numerous avalanches all day long.
Needless to say it was un-nerving and taught me a lot about respecting nature and the mountain itself. This is a serious mountain and obtaining the summit was a life changing experience.

Great photos, Lori. A buddy and I are planning on doing Rainier next summer (late July) with IMG. Good to see some of the terrain up close and personal now to get an idea.

One thing...the link in your original post didn't work for me but I went back to the root of your site and found my way into it. This link worked better for me.

Cool photos and great trip report. I should have done a trip report for when I summited via Ingraham Glacier this last April. April was very cold and we got to the top of the Ingraham glacier with a completely blue sky and literally in 2 minutes a front came from the west that we couldn't see because the mountain was in the way. Total white out but we pressed on because we were already at 14,100 ft. Made it back safe. First time summiting Rainier, Alpine style. One scary thing we (I) encountered was having a crevasse open up about 3-4 feet wide about 3 feet in front of me. Nothing but a deep, dark hole that would have swallowed me up. Not sure if I will ever do this mountain Alpine style again.

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks everyone for the comments--

Having a crevasse open in front of me would have been a scary experience indeed. I understand Camybe in Ecuador is heavily crevassed beyond what I experienced on Rainer. Should be another adventure for sure.

I have a lot of respect for the mountains and just look to having a wonderful time and getting back down safe. The summit is just the icing on the top (so to speak)

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

what's Alpine style?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpine_style

Basically what I am talking about in my case is climbing Rainier without rope. Axe and crampon were my lifeline.

Congratulations Lori!

jhonda,
you have an interesting interpretation of "alpine style"

"Alpine style" does not imply climbing without a rope.

Climbing a heavily crevassed mountain like Raineer without a rope is a good way to get your name on the evening news. That's usually not good, since news stories about climbing usually use words like "missing," "dead," and "recovery."

interesting interpretation.

i remember climbing Rainier in April a couple of years ago after two days of heavy snow. my partner and i were the only two high on the mountains. there was another RMI team at Camp Muir.

we were mesmerized by the calm and beauty after the storm so we had to climb. we were sinking knee keep with every steps. pretty much all the smaller crevasses were covered with a thin layer of powder snow. i remember testing the slightest curvature on the slope for crevasses thinking that if i fall in it would be extremely difficult to get out. i eventually fell in a crevasse at 13k' but luckily it was a small one and I was able to break my fall by sticking my arms out. long story short i was scared out of my mind and you have got to be very brave or crazy or both to climb Rainier in the winter without a rope. i guess people do it but it is like playing Russian Roulette.

sorry Lori if i hijack your thread.

This is one of the risks of getting safety related information from unqualified incompetent web sources. The wiki reference mentions only the denigration of "fixed ropes" but does not make clear that alpine style still includes the use of ropes where the terrain warrants.

Dale B. Dalrymple
http://dbdimages.com

Okay enough about "Alpine Style", "Ropes or no Ropes", "Death" and "Missing".

Lori, your trip report and photos were great !!!!!!!

Congrats on summiting !!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Hey Lori

Congrats again on an awesome climb of Rainier. The link above didn't work... Could you provide another? Would love to read the full TR and see all of your pix. I am in awe of where you have taken your level of climbing/mountaineering skills this past year. Phenomenal!

Regarding 'alpine style', the key words on the wiki site are 'fixed ropes'. If you click on 'fixed ropes' on the wiki site, it gives an explanation. Alpine climbers have always used ropes (when the mountain/conditions warrant it). Helps ensure that one ultimately gets back down the mountain. Plain and simple.

Nice trip report Lori. Congratulations on your climb. Rainier is such a great mountain. I climbed it with Kurt Wedberg back in 2005. For anyone thinking about climbing Rainier I'd say do it! It is much different from climbing the Sierra but it is a really neat environment to be in with all the glaciers and crevasses. Here's a link to the pictures Kurt took on our trip: Mt. Rainier July 2005

Thanks Alan for changing Lori's link. I couldn't get at the trip report with the original link that was posted.

jhonda your terminology is incorrect. That may be why you're getting some comments. If you climbed Rainier without being roped up you and your partners climbed it "unroped" or if you were by yourself you could say you "soloed" it.

I think my terminology is correct actually. I climbed Mt. Rainier in a self-sufficient manner, no fixed-ropes or rope on any part of the climb (including the almost vertical face we climbed that should have required rope), we carried all of our own gear (food and all). For those 3 days we were on the mountain, my friend and I (climbing party of two) were the only people at Camp Muir that were not attached to a Guide service and the only ones on that part of the mountain in a self-sufficient manner. I can't speak for the other Camps. Essentially, I believe my friend and I cover not only the definition of "Wikipedia" but a fair portion of the mountaineering community's interpretation of climbing "Alpine-style."

I would not call myself an Alpinist however as that to me defines a person who is technically proficient in all facets of mountaineering and climbing while combining the definition of "Alpine-style" climbing. Most of us climb mountains in some way or another, "Alpine-style." And my interpretation of "climbing" would be having to depend on crampons, ice axe(in a winter environment), climbing shoes, chalk (in a summer environment) or doing something other than only walking/hiking to reach your desired point whether it be a boulder, rock face, hill or mountain(But then again crampons are needed for places one would normally walk had there not been any ice or snow). We all hike some small or large portion of any mountain we attempt but there are parts of a mountain, like Mt. Rainier (if you choose to), that we actually climb using climbing techniques with or without the aid of rope and other people.

I know this is topic can be debated and will be debated forever and I kindly remind you that this is just an interpretation and by all means not the universal definition for everyone.

Cheers and have fun in the mountains!

JH

Well, doesn't it kind of depend on what the definition of "is" is ?
Talk amongst yourselves!

Great looking trip Lori, congrats on a fine summit!!!

To all--thank you for the congrats. This was really an amazing accomplishment for me after the year prior.

Rainer was unlike any mountain I had been on --it simply looked dangerous. The landscape was so strange in appearance that you knew you were dealing with something serious. As many know I climbed Orizaba in November. Although it was 4000 plus higher it did not provide the same level of intensity. Like I said I was hooked and can't wait for my next trip.

So basically what I am saying it that all mountains deserve respect and Rainer especially so whatever style--I would suggest carefully considering the risk and making choices based on what you can live with (so to speak)

Anyway sorry the post did not work. Hopefully this one will Rainer trip report

If not please go to www.loriwilliams.me and click on adventures.

I just read your TR and saw the pics. Looks like you got good enough conditions this time. When I went last year I got incredibly lucky with the weather and conditions. Glad you guys were successful and made it back safe. Thanks for sharing.