Mount Rainier: 7/30 3-Day Climb

Our 7/30 climb just checked in mid-snow school from Camp Muir.  The climbers are learning how to walk in crampons, self-arrest, and ropes of travel on glaciated terrain.   It's a gorgeous day on the mountain and everyone is doing well!

7/29 10-Day Mountaineering Course

The 10-Day Mountaineering course just checked in from Baker.  Everyone is doing great!   Today they are working on skills and enjoying the beautiful weather.

July 28-31st Emmons Climb Summits!

Congratulations to our Emmons team on their successful summit today. Everyone is back down at Camp Schurman safely after a long and fun summit day. The route conditions continue to change frequently with our mid-summer weather but it's still working for our teams to get to the summit. The group will be resting at Camp Schurman tonight before descending back to the White River trail head tomorrow.

7/26 6-Day Mountaineering Course Summits Shuksan!

We just got some good news from our 6-Day Mountaineering course.  Everyone summited!  Right now they are rapping down and headed for camp.  Nice work!

7/29 Adams Climb Summits!

Our 7/29 Adams climb enjoyed a beautiful summit early this morning!    The team is currently packing up and heading off the mountain.   

Mount Rainier: 7/28 Climb Summits!

Brent Langlinais reporting from Ingraham flats, Muir route, Mount Rainier. Success! Our team departed high camp at 11pm under clear skies. We climbed by moonlight for 5 1/2 hours to reach the crater rim and stood on the tippy top for sunrise. We are now back at high camp and just wanted to check in we pack up and hike to the trailhead this afternoon. Thanks for following our climb. 

~Brent

7/26 6-Day Mountaineering Course

Our 6-Day Mountaineering course just called from low camp on Shuksan.  It's a gorgeous day in the North Cascades and morale is sky high!   Today the crew worked on crevasse rescue and map and compass skills.   We are sending in a couple of additional guides in preparation for their summit attempt tomorrow.   Stay tuned!

Mount Rainier: July 28th Climb

Brent Langlinais here, pleased to report that all is well from Ingraham Flats Glacier camp. It's been a gorgeous day out and we are planning to depart for the summit of Mt. Rainier in the wee hours of the morning. Stay tuned!

July 28-31 Emmons Crew at Camp

The 7/28 Emmons crew enjoying dinner at camp 1 (on the Inter glacier moraine)

10-day Course Checks in Briefly

The transmission was cut short, but a quick update that all is well with our 10-day course on Mt. Rainier. We'll post more information as it comes in...stay tuned!

July 26- 28th Rainier climb Summits!

We got a brief call from the team. They had safely descended to Camp Muir after a successful summit early this morning. The group was starting to make their way down to Paradise. All is well.

10-day Course, 6-day Course, and Mt. Baker Climb all Check In

Lots of updates from the field today!

July 20th 10-day Course: Called from low camp on Mt. Rainier with plans to move to high camp today in preparation for a summit attempt via the Kautz route tomorrow. The team is doing well and looking forward to clearing skies for their climb in the a.m.

July 25th Mt. Baker Climb: Summit success! Despite the wet weather, the team was able to summit Mt. Baker via the Squak glacier. The team had a fun climb and safely descended to camp and eventually down to the trailhead this afternoon. Congratulations to the group.

July 26th 6-day Course: All is well from the "ping-pong ball". The wet weather system moving through the region yesterday made for a wet Day 1, but today conditions improved and the team was busy working on knots and introductory snow & glacier travel skills. With improving weather in the forecast, the team is looking forward to the training and climbing ahead!

Muir Climb July 24-26: summit success!

Hit the weather window dead center and stood on top yesterday at 6:15am. A long descent took us back into clouds and precipitation, but that was nothing after our sterling summit. 

Sunrise 

Views from the upper mountain

Descending the upper Ingraham Glacier

Photos: Devin Bishop 

7/25 Baker Climb: Happy But a Little Wet

Our Baker climb just checked in from a slightly drizzly Sandy Camp on Mount Baker.   Spirit are high despite the gloomy skies.   However, the forecast is set to improve as the day goes on.   If all goes according to plan, they will make their summit attempt very early tomorrow morning.   Good luck team!

Muir Climb July 24-26: Day two

We endured some nasty weather this morning at Muir while conducting snow school, but the team all made it to high camp this afternoon to see the weather break. Everyone is packing and going to bed for an early morning summit attempt. 

Breakfast at Muir

Prepping high camp as the weather clears

Photos: Devin Bishop 

Muir Climb July 24-26: day one

Strong effort by all found us at Camp Muir today in record time. Everyone is fed and resting now. 

Winds and clouds building over the summit

The Muir stroll

Photos: Devin Bishop 

July 20th 10-day Course Summits Baker and now onto more Skills!

The 10-day course climbers went for the summit yesterday, and with some creative route-finding, were able to make the summit! Today the team is practicing more skills in preparation for their eventual summit attempt of Mt. Rainier via the Kautz glacier route. Their is some rain today, but the group is still in good spirits and getting a lot done.

July 18th Intermediate Course Climbing Climbing Climbing!

These folks are making the most of their time! They are still in Boston Basin after having climbed Sahale and Sharkfin Tower, and now some are working on skills today while others climb some more! It's been a really fun week for everyone on the course. They'll wrap up tomorrow and head back to Seattle.

7/20 10-Day Course Headed up Mt. Baker

Our 10-Day Mountaineering Course just called in from their summit push on Mount Baker.  The team is feeling strong and everyone is doing well.   They are at around 9,300ft and headed up into the clouds.   Stay tuned for updates!

July 23 Baker Heading Up!

They are currently on the trail and enjoying the fine weather for their first day of the trip. All is well with the group. Stay tuned for more updates!

7/18 8-Day Intermediate Course Enjoys Boston Basin!

Our 8-Day Intermediate Course just checked in from lovely Boston Basin where they are getting after scaling some fun objectives. Yesterday, the team had a great time climbing Sahale.  Today they plan on scaling the SE Ridge of Sharkfin Tower.  If the weather stays clear, they can expect to get fantastic views of Buckner, Boston, Sahale, and Johannesberg.

June 23 three day Muir

Hanging out above the clouds at camp Muir.

7/16 Rainier 8-day Course Headed Home

Members of the team made a summit attempt yesterday morning but turned around part way into summit day. They made a valiant effort but it just wasn't in the cards. Everyone descended safely and rested up at Camp Schurman. After a very full week of skills training, practice, and mountain climbing, the group was ready to descend. Today they head back to Seattle and will wrap up the course.

7/20 10-Day Course Checks in from Baker!

Our 10-Day Mountaineering course just called from beautiful Mount Baker!  Today the team worked on belaying, rappelling, and building snow and ice anchors.   With this essential groundwork out of the way, the group is set up to start working on crevasse rescue tomorrow.

7/16 Rainier 8-day Course going for the Summit

Two additional Alpine Ascents guides hiked in and joined the group at Camp Schurman yesterday in preparation for the team's summit bid in the early hours this morning. The weather looks good and we will post another update when we hear from the team once they get back down to camp.

Internediate Cascades Course Having a Great Time!

The group spent the first three days climbing in the Washington Pass area. They warmed up with crag climbing at Fun Rock and then moved up into the alpine to get away from the heat and climb some of the classics.

After three days at the Pass and a fun evening in the faux-Western town of Winthrop, the group packed up and drove to another classic climbing area in the North Cascades- Boston Basin. They spent yesterday afternoon on the approach to the Basin and were set up for the night at the lower Boston Basin camp last night. The location sets them up for climbing any number of the amazing peaks in the area. Everyone is doing great and having a really fun time on the course so far.

July 20th 10-day course doing well

The 10-day course checked in from camp today. They are working on knots this morning and taking a look at their climbing equipment and then plan to do their first snow school this afternoon. There is nice cloud cover giving a welcome break to the heat we've been experiencing in the area this summer. All is well.

8-day Rainier Course Doing Great

The 8-day Rainier course packed up camp and made a move today. They headed back up and over St. Elmo's Pass on their way up to Camp Schurman. Tomorrow will be a skills day- learning and practicing crevasse rescue- before making a summit attempt tomorrow night/ Wednesday morning.

Fred Hutch Shuksan climbers down and Happy!

The July 18-20th Fred Hutch Mt. Shuksan climbers all descended safely today and are psyched about their climb. They all decided on a celebratory meal at the Skagit Brewery and then will be heading home.

Congratulations to all the climbers and their fundraising efforts for the Fred Hutch Climb to Fight Breast Cancer. Since 1997, climbers have raised over $7.5 million to fund research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center while climbing great mountains around the world. For more information, check out- About the Climb to Fight Breast Cancer.

7/18 Fred Hutch Rainier Climb at High Camp

The Fred Hutchinson charity climb made it to high camp on Rainier.  Everyone is doing great and psyched to climb tonight.  The team plans to leave for the summit at midnight.

7/16 8-Day Course Backtracks!

  Our 8-Day Course tried to head out towards Camp Schurman via the Winthrop but the glacier was looking pretty broken and dry.  They decided to backtrack and instead work on rappelling and belaying for the rest of the day.  The team is crushing the mountaineering course curriculum!   They just have to finish navigation and crevasse rescue.  Tomorrow, they will head to Camp Schurman by going up and over St. Elmo's Pass.   Good luck team!

7/18 Fred Hutch Shuksan Climb Summits!

Our 7/18 Shuksan team just called in from the summit!   It's pretty warm out there today but the snow wasn't too bad considering.   They ascended via the Southeast Ridge and it was fantastic!  Stay tuned for photo evidence after the team returns to camp.

7/17 Baker Climb Summits!

Our fabulous 7/17 climbed to the tippy top of Mount Baker this weekend!   They had nothing short of perfect weather and a good time was had by all.

Shuksan Hutch climb: summit success!

Super fun day today! Weather started out a bit iffy, but by the time we hit the summit it was all sunshine! Some of the team even got to climb to the summit via the southeast ridge - a spectacular bonus. In addition to the usual celebration on top, there even was a  surprise birthday cake for Denise! 

Shenanigans!

Southeast ridge team getting their climb on. 

More shenanigans!

Photos: Devin Bishop

7/16 8-Day Mountaineering Course goes to snow school!

July 17 Shuksan Hutch climb: day one

Very enjoyable hike in to high camp below the Sulphide Glacier today. Great crew of climbers all very psyched to be on this beautiful mountain! Views on the approach were exquisite and dinner was a bunch of laughs. Good times!

Mount Baker from Shannon Ridge

Water doesn't get any fresher!

Views aren't bad either. 

Mount Shuksan

Dinner shenanigans 

Photos: Devin Bishop

7/16 8-Day Mountaineering Course

Our 8-Day Mountaineering Course just checked in from their camp on the Winthrop Glacier.  Everyone made it in good style and now they are kicking back and relaxing.  Tomorrow they will work on snow school.   Lead Guide Victor McNeil remarked that he's never seen the glacier so dry before.  Without snow cover, the terrain has a completely different look.

7/14 Kautz Climb Summits!

Our 7/14 Kautz climb was victorious!   Not only did they summit the route, but they got to try out a deluxe new approach via Comet Falls. Imagine meadows chocked full of wildflowers and a massive waterfall.  The guides and climbers were raving about the amazing views!   The climb itself was a about three pitches of ice, two easy and one hard.  A great time was had by all.

7/12 6-Day Mountaineering Course Summits Again!

Our intrepid 6-Day Mountaineering course just called in from the summit of Icy Peak in the North Cascades.  The crew had a grand time on the rock scramble to the top, likening the climb to a "Mini-Shuksan".   It was definitely a long day but everyone stoked and will sleep really well tonight.

July 14-16 Rainier Climb Summits

Another successful summit for our Rainier 3-day climbers on the DC route! The group is safely down and excited for a celebratory meal. Congrats to the team!

7/14 Kautz Summit Climb at High Camp!

Our Kautz crew just checked in from high camp at around 10,800'.   Everyone is doing great.  They are looking forward to a delicious cous cous dinner and a nap.  They plan on heading for the summit at 12:30AM.  Good luck!

7/12 6-Day Cascades Mountaineering Course

The team checked in from the 2nd day of 6 days learning the ropes of mountaineering in the North Cascades!  Today they moved camp to the lovely Ruth Glacier and practiced crevasse rescue.   Tomorrow they will attempt to summit Icy Peak.  Good luck team!

July 14-16 Rainier Climb Working on Snow School

It's a beautiful day up at Camp Muir and all is well with our DC climbers. They are working on snow school now before roping up and heading off to Ingraham Flats.

July 12-17th 6-day Course Summits Ruth Mountain!

The 6-day course called to check in. After dealing with some rain yesterday they are happy to be back in the sunshine. Today they did snow school and practiced glacier travel skills, including summitting Ruth Mountain! They are planning to do crevasse rescue and move camp tomorrow. All is well with the group.

July 12-14 Rainier climb summits!

The DC climbers just called to check in from the parking lot. They successfully summitted Rainier in the early hours this morning. The team has all safely descended the mountain and are ready to have a celebratory meal before heading back to Seattle.

July 12- 15 Emmons climbers summit!

After two days of wet weather the skies cleared and temps dropped last night, leading to perfect weather for summitting today! The team had nice firm snow conditions all the way to the summit, and were safely back down at Camp Schurman by late morning. They will spend the remainder of the day resting up before heading down the mountain tomorrow. Congrats to the team!

On the summit this morning!

Rainier 3 Day Training

Our team of 8 climbers gets prepared for tonight's climb of Mt. Rainiers Dissapointment Cleaver route.

July 12 Emmons Climb Checks in from Camp Schurman

Here's a photo of the group setting up camp. We dodged most of the rain yesterday and camped a little above 8000'. Made it to camp Schurman this morning and we're settling in for some afternoon naps before tonight's climb!

July 10-12 Muir climb success!

All climbers made it to the top this morning and are safely on their way back to Seattle after dinner at the Wildberry in Ashford. 

7/10 3-Day Muir Climb Checks in from High Camp!

Our 7/10 3-Day Muir climb just checked in from High Camp on Mount Rainier.   Everyone is happy and excited to go for the summit later on tonight!   The team plans on rolling out around before 12AM.  Good luck!

Rainier Muir Climb: Day Two

Everyone is safe at high camp. Weather is cooler - a nice change. The team is being briefed on the summit bid for tonight. 

Photo: Devin Bishop

7/3 8-Day Mountaineering Course

Our 8-Day Mountaineering Course wrapped up their successful sojourn on Mount Rainier this morning.  After one final lesson about navigation by map and compass, the team headed back to the creature comforts of Seattle!

7/9 Baker Climb Summits!

Our 7/9 Baker climb summited this morning!   They enjoyed beautiful weather and even better views.

7/8 3-Day Muir Climb Summited!

Our 7/8 3-Day climb summited Rainier in beautiful weather early this morning.  They were back at High Camp bright and early by 9:00AM.

7/3 8-Day Mountaineering Course Summits Rainier via the Emmons!

Our 8-Day Mountaineering course just checked in from the summit of Mount Rainier.  It's a gorgeous morning up on Rainier, albeit a little hazy.   They made it to the summit in 6 hours.   Tomorrow, they will work on map and compass skills before heading back to Seattle.  Congratulations team!

July 6-8 Rainier Climb Summits!

The team summitted this morning and was back down to Camp Muir by late morning. They started ascending with some cloud cover over the summit, but in the end had a great climb! Up high it's easy to see a haze over the Cascades due to the forest fires and low winds around the state. Congratulations to the team!

The 13-day Course has Been Busy

Snow School on Little Tahoma

The guides called to check in with an update today and it sounds like they have been busy! After the first 5 days of the course on Little Tahoma were complete, the group spent the holiday weekend in the Bavarian town of Leavenworth, WA chasing the shade. With temps close to 100 F over the weekend,  the group made good use of the early hours of the day to get climbing on the great climbing crags around Icicle Canyon. When it got too hot to climb, they stayed busy eating ice cream and swimming until the temps became more bearable again.

Rapping "The Tooth"

Leavenworth- "Classic Crack"

After the weekend of practicing rock climbing the group headed into the Ingalls Peak area. They put their skills to good use on a classic alpine rock climb up Ingalls Peak this morning, and everyone had a great time. They are back at camp and enjoying the rest.

South Face of Ingalls Peak

They will be packing up and heading out for a couple more days of climbing as they make their way back towards Seattle, wrapping up the course on Thursday.Thanks to guide Peter Moore for the great photos of their adventures!

10-day Course Summits the Kautz!

Congratulations to the 10-day team for summitting Rainier via the Kautz glacier in the early hours this morning! The team got an early start and were back down safely to high camp by mid-day. They will spend the afternoon resting, re-hydrating and eating food. Tomorrow morning the group will pack up and head down to Paradise.

8-day Rainier Course moving up the Winthrop

The team called to check in and all is well. They are packing up camp today and moving further up the Winthrop glacier, putting their rope team travel and glacier navigation skills to good use. The group will camp on the Winthrop tonight before moving up to Camp Schurman tomorrow. This afternoon they plan to do some crevasse rescue practice as well.

10-day Course resting at High Camp before Summit Attempt

Our 10-day course participants and guides are poised at high camp in preparation for a summit attempt in the early hours tomorrow morning. They made it up to camp by mid-day and are spending the afternoon resting up. Two guides went up to scout the route and report that it looks good and they are psyched to be heading up tomorrow!

July 4-6 Rainier climb Summits!

The DC climb over the July 4th weekend summitted in the wee hours of the morning today to beat the high temps found all around the area. They topped out at 3:45am and were back down eating burgers in Ashford my mid-day. Sometimes the best option for summitting means getting it done in the dark, with the enjoyable views happening on the descent. Well done team!

7/3 8-day Course Checks In

The team is still camped just over St. Elmo's Pass on the Winthrop glacier. Everyone is doing well and they have been working on learning about and building snow anchors this morning. This afternoon they plan to work on belaying/rappelling, after a much needed bacon-eating break! The team still has crevasse rescue practice in store before moving up to Camp Schurman in preparation for a summit attempt later in the week.

7/3 8-Day Mountaineering Course

Our 7/3 8-Day Mountaineering Course just checked in from St. Elmo's Pass on Mt. Rainier.  It's a bit warm but an absolutely gorgeous day.  Snow school is in session!  The group is learning how to move safely and efficiently on glaciated terrain.  Stay tuned for more updates and hopefully a photograph or two as the team moves higher and into cell reception.

6/29 10-Day Mountaineering Course: Regroups in Seattle

Our 10-Day Mountaineering course rolled back into Seattle this afternoon to get geared up before they head to Rainier tomorrow morning to tackle the Kautz.  Even though I'm sure they used copious amounts of sunscreen, the climbers were looking pretty swarthy.   The sun even de-laminated a window on one of the tents.  Crazy!  With sunshine and soaring temps like this, it's hard to believe this is the Pacific Northwest.

Despite the heat, the team is super excited to embark on the next step of their mountaineering course. They picked up technical ice tools, beacons, and big puffy jackets to supplement the gear they took with them to Boston Basin.  They even get to celebrate 4th of July in Seattle before they head out.   Well timed team, well timed.  Good luck!

7/2 3-Day Muir Climb Summits!

After getting an early start out of high camp to beat the heat, our team summited Rainier this morning at 4:30AM.  Congratulations!

7/2 Rainier Muir climb: Day 2

After a morning of skills, we arrived at high camp round noon. Spent a few hours resting and had dinner round 3pm. Plan is to get up early for our summit attempt and beat the heat. Good night!

6/29 10-Day Course Summits Sahale!

Our 10-Day Course just checked in from the summit of Sahale in the North Cascades!  Everyone is doing great.  They are taking their time on the top because it's the coolest spot around.  It is pretty darn toasty everywhere in the Pacific Northwest this week and sometimes it takes climbing a mountain to beat the heat.  They also plan on working on map and compass skills this evening.

The team plans on getting an early start back to Seattle in the morning.  They will get additional gear, shower, and rest-up for an attempt on the Kautz on Mount Rainier.

7/2 Rainier Muir Climb: Day One

Everyone is safe and sound and well fed tonight at Camp Muir. The heat of the day was a minor annoyance and everyone made a strong effort. Resting is now in progress. :-)

Sunset on Mt. Adams from Muir

Photo: Devin Bishop

6/29 10-Day Mountaineering Course

Our 10-Day Mountaineering Course just checked in from beautiful Boston Basin in the North Cascades.  Today they are hard at work on crevasse rescue.   In preparation for their upcoming Kautz attempt on Mount Rainier, they practiced multi-pitch climbing on steep snow, lowering, and rappelling.  Everyone is doing great and they are super excited to get on Rainier!

6/27 13-Day Mountaineering Course

Our 6/27 13-Day Mountaineering course just called from the rock climbing portion of the course!  The team is trying their best to stay cool in Leavenworth, WA which is currently a toasty 100 degrees.   They got in a great climbing session this morning and then hopped in icy Icicle Creek to beat the heat.  Stay tuned for more updates!

June 30- July 2 Rainier Climb Summits!

The DC climbers successfully summitted Mt. Rainier at sunrise this morning. The very sunny and warm conditions on the mountain mean that our teams are getting up quite early (or late, really) and getting moving before midnight in order to maximize their time climbing in cooler conditions before sunrise. The team is all safely back down at Camp Muir now and will be making their way to Paradise shortly. Congrats!

6/25 8-Day Mountaineering Course Summits Rainier!

All the members on our 8/25 8-Day Mountaineering Course summited Rainier via the Emmons Glacier route early this morning.  Congratulations team!

6/29 10-Day Course

The 10-Day course just called from Boston Basin in the North Cascades.  They are enjoying stunning weather and amazing views.  Today the team is working on building safe anchors, belaying, and rappelling.  After it cools off a bit (it's pretty darn warm for the PNW right now), they will go for a hike on the glacier.

6/27 13-Day Mountaineering Course

Our 6/27 13-Day Course just called from the field.   The team just came back from Little Tahoma where they climbed Whitman Peak.  The team learned a ton, had a great time, and was spoiled with perfect weather.  They are currently rappelling off of The Tooth, an ultra-classic Seattle area rock climb.   Next on the agenda will be rock climbing in Leavenworth.