Hello climbers,
Summer mountaineering in the Cascades remains exceptional. Mild temperatures, clear skies, and light winds look like they continue to be the trend throughout the mountains. Overnight freezing levels remain low enough to preserve glacier integrity and maintain excellent route conditions across the range. Given the high atmospheric stability and ideal temperatures, this stands out as one of the most favorable alpine windows of the summer.
Mt Rainier (Tahoma)
All three routes over the last week have remained in fantastic climbing shape. A slight reroute to the Muir route for a our 3 day program was put in last week. This reroute traverses from the top of the cleaver out to the Emmons shoulder. Guides have remarked that the new variation is making the climb slightly less steep and has some areas with running protection. The Kautz is starting to offer a bit more ice climbing on the steeper pitches as more of the snow melts away from winter. And finally, the Emmons route is continuing to see more traffic approaching mid season and is cruising up and well developed climbing path for the time being.
Mt Baker (Koma Kulshan)
Conditions on Mount Baker are holding steady this week. The Easton Glacier remains a direct climb, but keep your eyes open as crevasses are opening up and becoming more pronounced as the summer heat does its work. Route finding is still highly intuitive, and teams are making excellent time up the glacier. No major updates from the North Side, as the Coleman-Deming and the North Ridge are still climbing well!
Across the Cascades
Great weather and climbing conditions continue to be the trend throughout the rest of the Cascades. Recently, guides have been up Adams, Glacier, and Olympus and found prime summer route conditions. Trips to North Cascades National Park in Boston Basin found the lower bivies melted out but noted that trails tended to be a little more overgrown than normal. And the extra hiking is now over as Cascade River Road is currently open all the way to Cascade Pass Trailhead. Finally, the North Ridge of Stuart is in for summer. A few guided groups ascended the classic route last week raving about dry granite and quickly melting snow on the approach and descent.
See you in the mountains!
