Here we go! Our first Rainier Muir climbing team entered the field today marking the start of our season! Mt Rainier currently sits at around 80% of its snowpack with approximately 9′ of snow at Paradise. April has been a mix of sunny weather and high pressure along with some stormy periods. The updated weather models show many strong Pacific NW storms impacting mountains in the Cascades over the next 24-48hrs. Washington Pass highway has opened earlier than usual and climbers and skiers have been able to enjoy early access to the Washington Pass area. We currently have a ski trip in the field around Silver Star Peak this weekend.
Tahoma (Mount Rainier)
We had a team of guides on the mountain earlier this week aiming to climb and help establish the route up the Ingraham Direct to the summit. The team was unable to climb to the summit due to weather and avalanche hazard. Our guides will be up on the mountain checking out the route and ready to establish when conditions allow. Rainier National Park is planning to open the White River road around Memorial Day weekend. For more information on the road openings for MT Rainier NPS please reference the website: https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/road-status.htm. Travel to Camp Muir follows the winter route and there is ample snow from the parking lot to Camp Muir.
North Cascades
Last week we ran guide trainings and guided trips taking place on and around Mt Baker (Komo Kulshan). Guides report excellent climbing conditions on the Coleman Glacier- the glacier is filled in at this time. The road on the north side of Mount Baker is open up to about 1mile from the trailhead. On the south side, we are able to drive up to 3 miles from the trailhead. There is still ample snow around tree-line with over 3m of snow at 5,000ft and no running water at this time.
We look forward to joining you on a rope team or seeing you on the mountain!
Happy Climbing!
