Greetings follow climbers!
Summer has finally arrived! PNW long time locals know that our summer doesn’t start until July 4th…. and that’s exactly what we saw in 2024. High pressure has moved over the region and allowed for sunny skies all along the Cascade Crest. This weekend is forecasted to be the warmest days of the 2024 season, so we recommend that climbers and hikers make sure they drink plenty of water and consider using electrolyte mixes to stay hydrated. Even with the warm temps forecasted, guides reported yesterday (July 3rd) that it still feels cold on the summit of Rainier with the wind.
Koma Kulshan (Mount Baker) & North Cascades
Koma Kulshan is in excellent condition and teams continue to summit daily on both the Northside and Southside. With the recent snow melt, guides are recommending approach shoes on Mt Baker to access camps as the first few hours of hiking is spent on dirt. Our climbs on Baker have switched over to using single boots for this peak along with all other peaks in the North Cascades including Olympus, Glacier Peak and Mt Adams. Teams have been climbing in Washington Pass and report that the majority of snow has melted and there is phenomenal alpine rock conditions in the Liberty Bell group. With summer in full swing and the seasonal snow melting, our teams will be starting to guide deeper into the North Cascades with upcoming trips on Mt Ruth and Mt Shuksan.
Tahoma (Mount Rainier)
Not much has changed on the route to Camp Muir this week. The route remains snowy, but with the warming temperatures climbers are switching over to single boots rather than double boots – summer is back! The path up to the Muir snowfield is following the summer trail through Pebble Creek. Above Camp Muir the route is in good condition and teams are reaching the summit daily when weather allows. The Disappointment Cleaver is slowly melting out and climbers will find around 50% of the Cleaver to be snow covered. Above the Cleaver, the route is direct and has 1 ladder crossing at 13,100 ft. Once above the ladder the route makes a few switchbacks as it heads up to Columbia Crest. On the north side of Mt Rainier the trail to Glacier Basin is melting quickly and guides are recommending climbers use approach shoes to access the Emmons route on day 1. The Emmons is in good condition overall, and earlier this week our team reached the summit via the Emmons route. On the Kautz, we currently have a team at high camp that will be attempting to summit today.
Guides mentioned even with the warm temperatures it was still cold on the summit as it has been windy, so don’t be fooled by the forecast.
Thank you for following up our blog, and happy climbing!
We provide a weekly conditions report. Stay tuned for next week’s update!