Hello climbers,
It’s hard to believe, but the first week of August is almost finished! Climbing conditions throughout the state haven’t changed much since last week. Smoke has moved in the last couple of days throughout the area, but thankfully hasn’t impacted trips or teams up high. We expect a lot of the smoke to be pushed out of the mountains before the weekend. Clear and sunny is the long term outlook for the following week. Climbers should expect normal freezing levels of around 14,000 ft with light to moderate winds from the west. It’s a great combination for mid-summer climbing.
Mount Rainier (Tahoma)
Overall, not much has changed on Rainier in the last week. The approach to the Muir Snowfield is full of wildflowers and is snow free past Pebble Creek. Climbers should expect a couple hours of hiking in trail runners before boots go on. The upper mountain continues to hold up well. There is one ladder crossing directly above the Ingraham Flats camp. The Disappointment Cleaver is almost completely snow free and can be climbed completely on trail and rock at this point. Above the cleaver the route is holding up very well for August. The climb still traverses towards the Emmons Shoulder on a well-developed climbing path. From there, it’s switchbacks up moving in a direct line toward the crater rim of the mountain.
Photos from a recent Emmons climb.
Mount Baker (Koma Kulshan)
The Easton route is still in wonderful shape for August. The route is still very direct heading towards the crater with only a few crevasses to end run along the way. The Roman Headwall continues to hold up well with a very well established trail taking climbers up a mellow path to the summit plateau. On the north side the road is still closed and climbers should expect a few hours of hiking to get to the Heliotrope Trailhead.
Across the Cascades
Climbing throughout the rest of the Cascades is continuing to hold up well. On Shuksan, the Sulphide Glacier is starting to show some easily avoidable cracks. The gulley on the summit pyramid is holding just a bit of snow that can be avoided and should melt out soon. Rock climbers have avoided the heat of eastern Washington by sticking around North Bend and cragging around Exit 38 to prep for multipitch climbing. Climbers reported great temperatures and climbing conditions this week on Poppy’s Peril and the Tooth.
