Here we go!
We’ve officially kicked off the summer climbing season with teams already in the field this week. Our first Rainier Muir climbing team made a summit attempt yesterday but was turned around at 12,800 feet due to weather. Mt Rainier currently sits at around 85% of its snowpack with approximately 123” of snow at Paradise. Yes, you read that right – that’s over 10ft of snow! April has been a mix of sunny weather and high pressure along with some stormy periods. The updated weather models show high pressure building today and tomorrow and then a quick moving front over the weekend with possible sunny weather returning the next week. Washington Pass highway has opened earlier than usual and climbers and skiers have been able to enjoy early access to the Washington Pass area.
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. Our guide teams are currently up on the mountain continuing to work on the route for the 2025 climbing season. With the ample snow coverage at Paradise the route to Camp Muir is following the ‘winter route’ up Pan Point and the Mt 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.
North Cascades
In the North Cascades, we have had a few trips up on Mt Baker and in the Cascades exploring over the recent weeks. Our guides report excellent climbing conditions on the Coleman Glacier, Easton Glacier, Shuksan, and in the North Cascades. The road on the north side of Mount Baker is open up to about 0.5 mile from the trailhead. On the south side, we are able to drive up to 2 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. With the road to Washington Pass open early this year, many climbers have been taking advantage of it and reports of excellent early season climbing have been coming in.
We look forward to joining you on a rope team or seeing you on the mountain!
Happy Climbing!
