2001 Mount Rainier Summit Climb

A summit attempt of Mt Rainier is a challenging undertaking, and we hope that the following information will be useful as you prepare for your climb. We look forward to having you along on the trip for an adventure on an unforgettable mountain.

Cascade Alpine Guides will provide transportation from SeaTac Airport to Crystal Mountain Resort, and the following morning to Mt. Rainier. If you're coming from Seattle, you can arrange to pick up the shuttle at SeaTac Airport, or arrange your own transport to Crystal Mountain. Cascade Alpine Guides will also provide transportation back to SeaTac Airport at the end of the trip.

The group will meet at the Crystal Mountain Resort parking lot at 3:00 PM. This is the start of the trip. Please have everything you will be bringing on the climb completely packed and ready to go in your backpack. We will be going through the gear list to make sure everyone has the required gear and clothing. We will introduce the group so that we can start to work together as a team. We will demonstrate how to put up the tents, how we divide the food, separate group gear and other details that make for a successful trip.

From Seattle, follow Interstate 5 south to Exit 142A to Auburn, and then follow Highway 164 to Enumclaw. From Enumclaw, take US 410 east for 33 miles to the Crystal Mountain Road turnoff. The trip takes about an hour and half from Seattle.

Although we take time to review climbing techniques on the first day, this is not a basic instructional seminar. You need certain basic skills prior to participate in a Mount Rainier ascent, including:

• Multi-day backpacking experience, preferably in snow
• Snow climbing (ascending and descending) on steep snow slopes.
• Ice axe use, including the four basic self arrest techniques
• Crampon use
• Roped team glacier travel.

Crevasse rescue skills are not required, but are highly recommended.

If you need training in any of these skills, or it's been a long time since you've reviewed your training, Cascade Alpine Guides offers a variety of training seminars to help you reach these skills requirements before your ascent. If you're interested, please contact us as soon as possible to schedule a course. Cascade Alpine Guides can also refer you to qualified guide services in your area.

For your personal gear requirements, please refer to the enclosed equipment list.

As opposed to renting gear, we strongly recommend that you are intimate with all your equipment well before the climb, and take the time to get used to using it in a wide variety of situations and conditions.

Cascade Alpine Guides will provide group technical mountaineering gear, high-quality mountaineering tents and all of the stoves and group cooking gear during the trip. Every member of the climbing party will carry an equal portion of the team gear - tents, cook stoves, cooking pots, fuel, food and climbing gear will be divided among the climbing party at Crystal Mountain. Your share of the group gear will be approximately 10-20 pounds.

It is important that you pack carefully, bringing only those items that are on the equipment list. At the gear check, your guide may ask you to leave behind items that are considered unnecessary.

Cascade Alpine Guides will provide breakfasts and dinners during the 4-day climb, along with all the stoves and group cooking equipment. Morning meals usually consist of hot drinks and cereals, fruit and breakfast breads. A variety of soups, hot drinks and different pasta or rice combinations will form the basis of most evening meals. Please inform us in advance if you have special dietary requirements.

You will be responsible for lunch and snack items. We will not be using stoves during the day, so these items should be easy to prepare. Since we’ll be on the move 4-8 hours each day, it is important that you bring a variety of carbohydrates, sugars, fats and protein to provide you with plenty of energy. Clif Bar has generously donated two bars per person per day. We'll have a variety of flavors to choose from.

• Energy bars such as Clif Bars etc. Take at least two for each day
• Bagels; plain or with cheese, meats, peanut butter, or other spreads
• Beef jerky, salami, teriyaki sticks etc.
• Fig Newtons, granola bars, breakfast bars
• Dried fruit, nuts, trail mix, gorp
• Hard candies and candy bars. Include some chocolate for a summit celebration

• Powdered drink mixes such as Gatorade or other energy and/or

electrolyte replacement drink formulas. Drink mixes will add some variety

to the vast amounts of water you’ll need to drink during the climb.

We will make every effort to minimize the effect of our camping and climbing on Mt. Rainier and will adhere to a strict "leave no trace" ethic. Because of the impact that climbers can have on the mountain ecosystem and the problems associated with sanitation in a glaciated environment, we will pack out all trash for deposit outside of the park. We will also use ‘blue bags’ for disposal of human waste. These will be issued and explained further at Crystal Mountain.

Safety is our overriding concern, followed by having a fun and educational experience, and getting to the summit, in that order.

While we hope to get everyone to the summit, we can't guarantee everyone will top out on every trip. Cascade Alpine Guides is staffed by highly experienced mountaineers who will use their professional judgment to make decisions about whether to make a summit attempt on any given day dependent on weather and any other relevant factors. The guides will also evaluate the fitness of the group at High Camp to determine whether or not each member will go on to make a summit attempt.

Due to the prevailing weather conditions around Mt Rainier, it is sometimes necessary to cancel a scheduled climb for safety reasons.

Once we begin the climb, refunds of the trip fee are not available. In the event that we are not able to reach Camp Shurman, a credit of 50% of the trip fee can be applied to any other program offered by Cascade Alpine Guides.

Refunds or credits are not available to climbers who are unable to complete the climb, do not participate in the summit attempt, or are held back by guides at High Camp.

Course cancellations are made at the discretion of Cascade Alpine Guides and are discussed in our General Information and Policies. Please review this information for details about cancellation and refund/credit policies.

Day 1 - Our route will begin low on the mountain, following the path carved by the now receding glaciers. The views as we hike upward alongside the meltwater torrent of the White River are nothing short of spectacular, with the path surrounded by old growth conifer forests, flowering mountain meadows and the ever rising bulk of Mount Rainier itself. After a moderate 3-mile climb, we'll set up a timberline camp in Glacier Basin, overlooking the Inter and Emmons Glaciers. This is a great area to review snow-climbing skills and to prepare for a strenuous day of climbing to high camp. Camping low (5,900 feet) this first night gives you a chance to get a good night of sleep and to acclimatize slowly. This will help prevent altitude sickness and gives you the best shot at the summit later on.

Day 2 - After breaking camp early on the second day, we will begin the slow, steady climb up the Inter and Emmons Glaciers to 9,600 feet and our base camp at Camp Shurman. From Camp Shurman, the summit appears tantalizingly close, but it is still nearly five thousand vertical feet away. At basecamp, your guides will prepare a hearty dinner and melt snow for water. After going over preparations for the climb, we'll retire to the tents early to try to get some rest before the final push.

Day 3 - In the early morning hours of the third day, conditions permitting, the climbing party will head for the summit. Moving by the light of the moon and by headlamp, we'll make our way up through the crevassed snow and ice of the Emmons glacier. Sunrise on the Emmons is an experience not soon forgotten, and with a little luck and a lot of hard work, we will stand on the summit of Mount Rainier by mid-morning. After enjoying the views and the great feeling of a successful climb, we'll head back down to base camp for a well-deserved rest.

Day 4 - There is no hurry on this day. After some breakfast and a little time relaxing in camp enjoying the view, we'll make the hike back down the glacier, returning to the trailhead in the afternoon. Day 4 can also provide us with a second summit day, if it is not possible to climb on day 3. Due to the rigors of climbing from high camp to the summit, and returning to the trailhead in one day, this option will be used only if the guides are convinced that climbers are physically able.