Greetings follow climbers!
We are hitting the second week of August and summer is in full swing over in the Pacific Northwest. High pressure has dominated the Cascades this past week, and we can expect more of the same forecasted through the weekend. If you’re looking to find these conditions first hand, one of the best places to find weather for Mt Rainier is the University of Washington Rainier recreational climbing forecast. The vast majority of seasonal snow below 6000ft has melted and climbers are using approach/trail shoes to access mountaineering routes in the Cascades and on Rainier at this time. With the dry summer conditions, several wildfires are burning throughout the state. The air quality in the Cascades has been in the “green” as the westerly flow prevents the smoke from settling in the region. At this time the wildfires have closed access to Cascade River Road, which impacts all climbs that access Boston Basin and Forbidden Peak. A section of Highway 20 is also currently closed, but climbers continue to access Washington Pass climbing via an alternate driving route up the eastern side of the state.
Koma Kulshan (Mount Baker) & North Cascades
Not much has changed on Koma Kulshan (Mt Baker) this week. Guide teams are reporting solid climbing conditions and our teams are summiting daily. We’ve wrapped up our final North Ridge of Baker climb for the season, and we’re already looking to getting back on the route next year. We also good standard climbing conditions on Glacier Peak, Shuksan, and other parts of the North Cascades this week.
Tahoma (Mount Rainier)
On Tahoma, the Emmons and Kautz routes are done for the climbing season and we look forward to returning to those routes in 2025. If you’ve got your eye on one of those routes, please make sure you follow our newsletter as we will be announcing our 2025 dates in September. If you aren’t currently on our mailing list, you can add yourself at the bottom of this page! On the Camp Muir route up the mountain, we’ve seen minimal change on the approach to Camp Muir. Climbers are wearing approach shoes and travelling on dry trail. The route above Muir has seen some changes in the past week adapting to conditions on the glacier. The new route climbs the Disappointment Cleaver and then winds up a series of steep steps and a ladder crossing to 13,200. Our team summited this route yesterday and we expect it to stay in condition for the time being. We have guides up on the mountain working on the route performing “route work” to help maintain the route for guided climbers.
Lastly, with the warmer temperatures, guides at the gear check have been adjusting the required equipment list to match the current conditions. Please understand that the gear list is a tool for packing based on all weather conditions and upon arrival at the gear check, the guide might adjust based on the short-term forecast.
Happy climbing!
We provide a weekly conditions report. Stay tuned for future updates.
