Mount Rainier / Cascades

Summer keeps on rolling and climbing in the Cascades is still going strong. Forecasts for the next week look promising. There will be a slight dip in the freezing levels over the weekend which should help keep things nice and cool higher up in the mountains. There’s also a slight change of picking up some precipitation associated with some afternoon thunderstorms- but we don’t anticipate a big impact to our climbing plans. Moving into the early part of next week, climbers should expect mostly sunny skies and normal seasonal temperatures. In the upper mountains, smoke has continued to hold off, and hasn’t impacted climbing operations at upper elevations.

Mount Rainier (Tahoma)
The standard climbing route on Rainier has continued to stay in very good shape. With solid snowpack on the Muir Snowfield, travel has been pleasant and straightforward leading up to Camp Muir. Above Muir, cracks are opening up on the Cowlitz Glacier, but travel remains direct to Cathedral Gap. As snow continues to melt, expect more dirt and rock walking on the approach to Ingraham Flats. A ladder crossing awaits climbers directly above high camp, and a handline was recently installed to help climbers move across the ladder span. Access to the Cleaver is sped up by another handline install in the loose scree. This helps climbers move more efficiently through the area. Above the cleaver, a direct, well-established route is still taking climbers to the summit.

Mount Baker (Koma Kulshan)
Not much has changed on Mount Baker, which is a good thing, as guides continue to report how well the Easton Glacier is climbing at this time of year. The climbing up the Easton Glacier is still relatively straightforward, and minimal crevasses have opened up on the standard route. A crack around 9,400’ is gradually widening, but is still possible to step over. A good snowpack on the Roman Headwall is keeping the steepest part of the climb in smooth travel conditions, and there is a well-established climbing path. A few groups have also gone up the Squak Glacier recently and also experienced great climbing conditions!

Across the Cascades
The trend of good climbing continues throughout most of the Cascades. Recent climbers on the Shuksan ascended the Fisher Chimneys route and reported very good, solid glacier travel. On the other side of Shuksan, the Sulphide Glacier hasn’t changed much in the last week. A few open cracks on the glacier are easily crossable on the way to the summit pyramid.

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.

Hello climbers,

It’s been warm over the past week, but that is all hopefully about to change. A weather system will push inland over the weekend, bringing cooler temperatures and additional chances of showers to the mountains. Cooler temperatures will then persist through the first half of next week, making ideal climbing conditions again. Even though there has been some lowland smoke blowing in, the mountains have stayed generally clear so far.

Mount Rainier (Tahoma)

The standard climbing routes on Mount Rainier are showing classic late-July transitions, with snow melting rapidly on some aspects. However, routes remain in remarkably good condition. On the Disappointment Cleaver route things are still in stellar shape: after clearing the cleaver, expect a well worn climbing path and mellower terrain from the Emmons Shoulder all the way up to Columbia Crest. On the Emmons, climbing remains highly direct and in good condition. Teams are moving efficiently through the Corridor before traversing over toward the Winthrop Shoulder on the way to summit. Finally, the Kautz is holding in great condition for late July. There is good coverage on the approach to the Wilson Bench and the ice pitches are finally starting to steepen up a bit. This week’s 10-day course reported stellar conditions!

Mount Baker (Koma Kulshan)

It’s been warm the last few days on Baker but not much has changed when it comes to the route. A few more crevasses have opened up on the Easton Glacier, and teams are having no problems redirecting the route as needed to the summit. The north side routes are still climbable with no significant changes over the last week as well. Finally, the road is still washed out adding a couple hours to the approach to all the North Side routes.

Across the Cascades

Even though it was warm, climbers still got out and had perfect mid-summer climbing conditions throughout the rest of the Cascades. A team reported back that the Fisher Chimneys on Shuksan was climbing straightforward and found things haven’t melted out yet in the steeper snow portions of the climb. Glacier peak was relatively snow free almost all the way to White Chuck Camp. Guides commented that the track to the summit is the most direct and well-established trail they had ever seen. The glacier is in good shape still and there was just a bit of snow left on the summit ridge. Lastly, we had group climbing peaks all around the Eldorado zone. The approach trail is still kind of rough, but once up high they enjoyed stellar alpine climbing in one of the prettiest zones in the entire Cascades.

See you in the mountains!