Washington Season Concluded

We have now finished our Washington climbing season. We had a great season with many climbs of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Baker, & numerous peaks throughout the North Cascades, as well as many great mountaineering schools. We look forward to another great season in 2012!

more summits amid changing conditions

Our Rainier climb made the summit this week, as the changing weather has created some new challenges on our climbing route such as new snow, icy layers, & increased clouds & precipitation. We hope to finish our last 2 climbs of the year with success, the forecast looks okay the next few days, we'll keep our fingers crossed!

Cooler conditions bring ice layer to Rainier

The warm & wet precipitation above 10,000' this weekend coupled with the cool down & freezing temperatures has created a icy layer on much of Rainier above the 10,000' level. Due to these ice conditions our last Muir climb deemed the route conditions too icy for a safe summit attempt, & decided to turn around on their summit bid at 12,300'. However, with the warm weather we are having today we expect this ice layer to warm up & for conditions to permit a summit by our group tomorrow.

9/11 Summit of Mount Rainier

The American Flag on the Summit of Mount Rainier on September 11, 2011. Team departed 9/9 and carried the flag to the summit as a tribute. Photo sent in by one of our climbers, Mark.

Photo taken by Seth Timpano

Changing weather in the NW, route work completed

There is a low pressure system on the way, so we will be expecting some precipitation beginning later this week & for the weekend. It will likely be cloudy for our next 2 Rainier climbs as they ascend up to Camp Muir.

We've had a few guides doing route work to maintain our climbing route on the upper mountain, attached is a recent photo of them in action. Our route is still in quite good condition for this time of year.

Rainier climbs keep summitting!

It's cloudy in Seattle as the "marine layer" of clouds keep the sun at bay, but our Rainier climb just called in from Camp Muir and said that they are above the clouds & have clear skies! They also reported great route conditions. The weather should remain much the same through the weekend.

Rainier climbs continue to summit in September

Our climbs on Mt. Rainier have had great success with the awesome weather & good route conditions. More good weather forecasted through the week!

Washington weather best of the season!

The last week of weather in Washington has been sunny & warm, this is perhaps the best weather of our whole summer season. Our Rainier climbs have continued to summit, with the route conditions remaining in good condition, and the forecast is for continued high pressure throughout the weekend.

More Rainier summits!

Our climbs of the Muir route on Rainier have been successful with great weather and awesome route conditions! We hope September will also yeild great weather for another month of fantastic views from the top.

Rainier Muir Climb summits & reports good conditions!

Our Rainier climb made the top yesterday, & had great weather. They reported amazing views of the Puget Sound region as well as the North Cascades! Congrats team!

The weather looks reasonable this week, as temperatures begin to cool & we see more marine layer clouds over the region, this is typical of late season weather.

Weather holding steady for Rainier & North Cascades!

The weather in the Pacific North West has been incredible for the month of August! We've had great climbs & mountaineering schools throughout the month. This week concludes our 13 day, 6 day, & private mountaineering school programs for the summer, while our 3 day Rainier climb on the Muir route will continue through September. We still have some space for privates in the North Cascades through September, if this awesome weather holds out it will be a fantastic time to climb!

Fred Hutch climbers summit on August 20!

Here is a great photo of our recent Rainier climb where climbers who raise funds for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center stood at the summit of Mt. Rainier, a beautiful day indeed!

Rainier climbs continue to summit!

Our Rainier climbs have continued to make the top recently. We have had a minor low pressure system yesterday & today which brought some clouds, wind & rain, but it looks like weather will improve tonight for tomorrow's summit attempt. We will keep our fingers crossed for good weather into September.

Sunset Climb

The lastest 3 Day Muir just completed a beautiful sunset climb! All was well!

Rainier climb summits!

Our 3 day Muir climb summitted yesterday & reported excellent route conditions. Weather should hold over the weekend for more Rainier summits!

Alpine Ascents Guide Stuart Robertson makes 100th summit of Rainier!

Stuart Robertson, Alpine Ascents International Guide, reached the summit of Mt. Rainier via the Emmons route making it his 100th summit of Rainier! Way to go Stuart! This concluded our final Emmons climb of the year on Mt. Rainier, a great season all around.

More Rainier summits!

Our Rainier climbs of the last few days have all had good success, with route & weather conditions holding steady. Our climb that summitted on Friday ended up topping out Friday evening, and watched the sunset from the top of Rainier. More good weather & conditions expected for this week.

This photo is of our recent Fred Hutch climb on the summit of Rainier. Pictured are climbers Alpine Ascents guide Lee Lazzara, climber Janet Chung & Alpine Ascents guide Peter Moore (at right). Congrats!

Rainier teams continue to summit with great weather!

Our recent Rainier climbs have all made the summit, reporting great weather & excellent route conditions for this time of the year. We hope the good weather will continue to hold throughout the weekend and into next week! The last few weeks have seen some of the finest conditions of the year for climbing North West glaciated peaks!!

Route Conditions & Weather great on Rainier!

The recent high pressure in the north west has made for great weather on our recent summit climbs. The Rainier Emmons, Kautz & Muir routes all saw summits last week as a result of great route conditions, perfect weather, and strong climbers! Our last Emmons climb will depart tomorrow for Rainier, while the Kautz is wrapped up for the season. Our Muir climbs will continue to launch every other day until late September. With the still high levels of snow on Rainier we hope for continued high pressure through August & September, allowing us more great views from the top of Washington's highest peak!

Good route conditions continue for Rainier!

Our Mount Rainier climb that summitted yesterday reported fantastic conditions on the Muir route. They noted that the route up the Disappointment Cleaver is in excellent condition, and they were able to pull some of the fixed lines from the route that had been in place since early season.

Snow conditions lower on the mountain are still very good, so we are not yet needing to use our trail shoes on the portion of the climb just out of the Paradise parking lot.

Rainier climbs summits & reports high winds

Our 3 day Muir climb summitted Rainier & reported high winds, other than the wind they said conditions were good. We hope the good weather will contine with the low pressure system moving into the region this week.

Success on Lib Ridge & Emmons routes!

The recent Alpine Ascents Rainier climbs of Liberty Ridge & the Emmons Glacier routes have been successful. 100% of our Liberty Ridge climbers made the summit with guides David Morton & Michael Horst. They reported good route conditions on the route. The Emmons route is also in good condition, and is a very direct route much of the way above Camp Shurman as a result of the large snow accumulation earlier in the year. The DC route (or Muir route) is changing fast and we currently have a guide doing route work as part of a joint team of guides from another guide service on Rainier. They hope to shovel sections of the route on the steeper parts of the DC ridge to make for safer climbing.

On another note, our Mt. Baker climbs have gone well with successful summits of the Easton Glacier. Conditions there are great & we hope for good weather to continue!

Nice Weather allows for many Rainier summits

The weather in Washington has been great over the last 2 days & is forcasted to contine, a high pressure system next week is very likely which would create fantastic weather for our climbing programs in the Pacific Northwest.

Here is a photo of an Alpine Ascents guide & climber standing atop Rainier's summit, Columbia Crest, at 14,411' last week on a nice day!

Rainier route still in good shape but changing fast

Our recent Rainier climbs on the Muir route have been successful, however the changing route conditions due to the warm & cold weather patterns have made for some additional challenges. Over the last week several snow bridges that allowed for passage over wide crevasses above 13,000' have collapsed. This made for more difficult route finding around these crevasses, but our climbs were still able to reach the summit. There was a significant rockfall/landslide off of the Nisqually Cleaver last Monday which was likely caused by the shifting temperatures as well. As the snow continues to melt on the Cleaver our route will become less direct & will make several switchbacks. We have had some great weather windows over the last few weeks & we will continue to hope for great weather in July!

Mt. Rainier conditions update

Currently conditions on Rainier are excellent. Our last 6 climbs on the Muir route have had near 100% climber success. Weather has been good, with clear skies above a regular marine layer of clouds that usually exists between the 5000’ & 10,000’ elevations. Once our groups ascend through and above this layer of clouds (sometimes getting rained or snowed on in the process) we are blessed with clear skies and excellent views from our camp on the first night just above 10,000’, Camp Muir. Typically we can see volcanoes such as Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens & Mt. Hood (& sometimes Mt. Jefferson) to the south popping up through the cloud layer. If this “marine” layer of cloud dissipates during the day then occasionally we have unobstructed views, which from the summit can be absolutely amazing (imagine the Puget Sound, Olympic Mountains, North Cascades, & cities of Seattle & Tacoma visible from the top!). Winds have been present, sometimes up to 40 or 50 mph on the summit, not strong enough to prevent us from climbing to the top, but definitely noticeable and adding some to the challenge of ascending to 14,411.’

The Disappointment Cleaver climbing route on our 3 day Muir programs is in excellent condition. With all of the snowfall this spring there is significant accumulation from the 10,000’ to 12, 500’ levels, making for a more direct climb with favorable walking surfaces (late season much of the snow can melt off the glaciers & rocks making for icy & rocky walking conditions, snow is much easier to walk on). Our climb from Camp Muir to our high camp at the Ingraham Flats on the glacier is currently very good, because of the snow covering the rocks in the Cathedral Gap & ridge areas, as well as the snow that has filled in the crevasses on the Cowlitze Glaciers and the east side of the Ingraham Glacier that we briefly cross before arriving “high camp”. Above this camp, the route is very smooth, as we climb up the Ingraham Glacier and cross beneath the Ingraham “icefall” and onto the Disappointment Cleaver ridge. Because this ridge currently has significant snow on it, we are able to climb almost directly up the ridge line, to the top at about 12,300’ where we stop to take a rest break. From this point our climbing route climbs up and East onto the Emmons Glacier and weaves through large crevasses, before reaching our “high break” at about 13,300’. This section contains some very large crevasses that we either cross by stepping over or by finding a suitable snow bridge that exists. From “high break” we climb roughly another 1000’ to the crater rim and into the crater where we break before crossing to the true summit, Columbia Crest. The crater is filled with snow and is a safe zone for us to walk casually unroped, we try to sign the summit register & take a few “glory shots” on Columbia Crest with views of Liberty Cap behind.

As summer in the Pacific Northwest begins and temperatures warm up, much of the snow accumulation over the winter and spring will melt, causing the climbing route to change significantly. Our route will begin weaving more frequently around crevasses that become exposed, we will climb on exposed rock, ice, and may even begin using ladders or rope to assist & maintain safety as we ascend & descend the mountain. Last summer, we were able to summit on our last Rainier Muir climbing program at the very end of September. The conditions were very different than early season, the route was noticeably more challenging, but we were able to manage the conditions and maintain safety while climbing to the top and back. Hopefully this summer, because we have begun the climbing season with ample snow accumulation, we will have good conditions throughout the regular climbing season & enjoy many more summits of Mt. Rainier!

Hoping for Good Weather and Conditions for Tomorrow's Summit

View from high camp looking east. (Little Tahoma Peak)

Guide report to follow soon.

Rainier Photos from Denali Prep

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Denali Prep Course

4th Denali Prep course up on Rainier

New Denali date just added - now offering a May 13 departure - 6 climber team !

More summits ! Teams 8 and 9 on Aconcagua and Team 5 Kilimanjaro - congrats to all

More summits

Congrats to Vern, Garrett and Team 5 on thier summit of Vinson. Team 4 summits Kilimanjaro and yet another congrats to team 7 on thier summit of Aconcagua !

Summits of the last few days:

Team 3 summits Vinson - 3rd team in a row to top out Antarcticas high point
Team 5 Summits Aconcagua
Team 2 summits Kili - congrats to guide Eric Murphy and Team