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3 day Muir!!!

Snow school @ Muir. Everyone is doing great and hoping for calm winds and clear skies on our summit attempt tomorrow!

No summit today

After a very windy & snowy/rainy night we are now blessed by some calm & clear weather. We (along with the other guided group on the route) decided not to climb because the conditions were too dicey, currently the slopes are covered by classic glare ice as a result of the freezing rain.

Sunny climb to Camp Muir

It was an awesome sunny day today traveling up to Camp Muir! Group was strong and now looking forward to snow school and moving up to Ingraham Flats tomorrow!

10 Day Course Team Update

Stuart Robertson, our 10 day course guide, just called in from the Kautz Glacier to let us know the team is doing well.

After 6 days of instruction in the North Cascades, our 10 day course concludes with a final 4 day climb of the Kautz Glacier on the southern side of Mt. Rainier.

Not this time

Unfortunately we didn't get to the top today. Some remaining instabilities and high winds kept us down but we have a great group here who are disappointed but great sports.

Muir Team Stuck Due to Weather

3 Day Rainier climb reports that they are safely at camp Muir but stuck for a day due to foul weather. Hoping for the best tomorrow. Reported by guide David Morton, 3:00pm.

100% Success for 8-day Emmons Climbers!

Dave Heinbach, Wesley McCain, Kajsa Krieger, and Paul Koubek led a safe and successful summit climb of Rainier via the Emmons Glacier route yesterday. The climbers put all their skills to the test on summit day, with challenging, icy conditions on the upper portion of the route. All the skills training earlier in the course paid off, and the group enjoyed a celebration meal before heading back to Seattle.

6-day course checks in

Lead guide Kirah Solomon checked in today and said the whole team is doing great. Everyone is doing well, having fun, and practicing mountaineering skills while enjoying the temporarily sunny weather. The team has a summit attempt on Mt. Baker and more skills training planned before heading back to Seattle on Friday.

June 18-27 Mountaineering Course checks in

Lead Guide Stuart Robertson called in to say that all is well with the entire team. They are currently on the south side of Mt. Baker for the 6-day mountaineering skills portion of the program. The group did snow school this morning and plans to work on anchors this afternoon. The team plans to make a summit attempt tomorrow before a predicted stormy weather system moves in. They plan to have some fun practicing serac climbing with ice tools, and continuing skills training on Friday before heading back to Seattle to transition to the Mt. Rainier portion of the program.

June 17-19 DC Climb

The June 17-19 Rainier climb successfully made the summit yesterday morning. The guides reported excellent conditions on the route and climbers even got beautiful views from high camp and the summit!

8-day Training Course Checks In

Lead guide Dave Heinbach called in today from Camp Schurman on Mt. Rainier. The team is doing well and  getting lots of skills practice in. Yesterday the group managed in challenging white-out conditions with ice fog and lots of :post-holing through heavy, wet snow. Today guides Paul Koubek and Kajsa Krieger are hiking in to meet the group at Camp Schurman in preparation for a summit attempt tomorrow. The forecast looks favorable and hopefully the next report in is after a successful summit day!

Our entire group is doing well and moving smooth. Go dot the top tomorrow. Cheers.

Success

Everyone did a great job getting to Muir. The view is pretty nice too.

June 13-15 Muir Climb

Photos: Stu and Lhakpa at high camp, Stu giving the summit talk, last night at Camp Muir.
All is well. Sitting out some weather at Ingraham Flats and will begin climb in the early hours, all being well. Everybody sends their love. Wish us well!

3-day Muir Checks in from Ingraham Flats

Stu and lakpa high camp. All is well. Sitting out some weather and will begin climb in the early hours all being well. Everybody sends there love. Wish us well

10-day Mountaineering Course checks in

Lead guide Lee Lazzara from the June 6-15 mountaineering course checked in today. The team camped at 10,800' on the Kautz glacier, and will be making a summit attempt in the early hours on Friday before wrapping up the course and finishing up in Seattle. The group is doing well and is looking forward to an attempt at the summit.

4-day Emmons climb makes first summit of the season!

The June 10-13 Emmons climb led by guides Matt Hegeman, Peter Moore, Nick Mullan, and Kevin Hogan were able to summit this week, and were the first guided party of the season to do so. Four climbers, Matt, and Peter reached the summit in adverse weather and reported the route to be in great condition. Recent precipitation and strong winds have meant less than ideal conditions on many routes on Rainier. Congratulations to the group on their success!

June 11-13 DC Climb

Guide Jonathon Spitzer checked in from high camp at Ingraham Flats this morning. The team made a summit attempt in the early hours of the day, and reached 12,600' before high winds and icy, firm snow conditions caused the group to turn around. The team is doing well, and heading down from high camp shortly.

The above photo was taken by Jonathon yesterday afternoon at high camp, with guide Craig VanHoy pointing out the route and features on the upper mountain to climbers.

June 11-13 Muir climb

The June 11-13th climbers are moving from Camp Muir up to Ingraham Flats today. Reports from the upper mountain are that snow conditions have stabilized in the past 24 hours, with very firm snow above Disappointment Cleaver. The guides will continue to assess weather and conditions today, and plan to make a summit attempt early tomorrow, as scheduled.

10-day Mountaineering Course Heads to Rainier

The June 6-15th mountaineering course returned from Mt. Baker yesterday. The group spent the past six days on the Easton glacier, and accomplished a great deal in terms of practicing mountaineering skills. On the summit attempt, the climbers made it up to the Roman Headwall on the Easton Glacier before assessed avalanche conditions prevented the group from ascending further.

Early this morning the group headed down to Paradise at Mt. Rainier, and will be ascending the mountain via the Kautz route. We wish them all the best on their summit attempt!

Liberty Ridge June 4-8 photos

Climbers on the lengthy approach to Liberty Ridge on Mt. Rainier. Photos by: Jonathon Spitzer

June 9-11 3-day Climb

The June 9-11th climbers enjoyed the first sunshine seen at Camp Muir in quite a few days on Sunday. The high winds and heavy precipitation of last week have created challenging conditions on the upper mountain. After scouting the route, and digging snow pits to check the snow stability, the guides decided the upper mountain is still questionable in terms of avalanche danger. The team woke up bright and early for a sunrise hike to the Ingraham Flats high camp, and will be heading back to Seattle later today.

June 7-9 3-day Climb

The June 7-9th 3-day climb endured high winds and heavy precipitation to reach Camp Muir on Day 1. The team was successful reaching Muir and stayed the night there. Conditions didn't warrant the group moving to high camp at Ingraham Flats. The group instead learned mountaineering skills and adventured out on the lower part of the mountain before heading back to Seattle.

10-day Mountaineering course on Mt. Baker

Guide Lee Lazzara checked in this morning, and the group is doing well. They are camped at the railroad grade at roughly 6000 ft. and working on crevasse rescue skills today. Yesterday the group faced the tough weather seen throughout the Cascades with wind and snow showers, but still managed to get skills practice in. Tomorrow the group plans to move up to 7,200' with a predicted summit attempt for Sunday, depending on conditions. The group returns to Seattle on Tuesday before heading down to Mt. Rainier for a summit attempt on the Kautz route.

Liberty Ridge Team returns

The Liberty Ridge team led by Michael Horst and Jonathon Spitzer returned to Seattle this afternoon, after battling strong winds and heavy precipitation over the past three days. The climbers made it to the base of the Ridge after post-holing through shin to knee-deep snow. An independent human-triggered avalanche higher on the route, along with high winds and precip. made for unsafe conditions to continue pushing up the route. The team is now safely back in Seattle

June 5-7th 3-day DC climb

The June 5-7 team made it above 12,000' on their summit attempt and then turned around due to high winds on the upper mountain. Early season weather makes every climb a memorable experience! Warmer, drier weather is expected by early next week. We will keep our fingers crossed.

May 27-June 1 6-day course summits Mt. Baker!

Last week's 6-day mountaineering course in the North Cascades was wet and rainy throughout the week, creating a more challenging environment.Guides Matt Hegeman and Eric Salazar taught glacier mountaineering skills on the Easton Glacier on Mt. Baker to a group of enthusiastic climbers. On Thursday, May 31 the entire team safely summitted Mt. Baker and even saw a few breaks in the clouds!

June 1- 3 Team Update

As happens in early season in the mountains, the conditions and weather have been quite variable in the past few weeks. The June 1-3 team made it to 12,000 feet on the Disappointment Cleaver Route, but turned around due to weather and route conditions. 

May 30- June 1 team update

The May 30- June 1 Muir climb experienced tough weather over the past three days. They encountered heavy rain and high winds at Camp Muir. Due to avalanche danger and weather conditions, the group stayed at Camp Muir and had a thorough skills day yesterday, including tent set-up and management in challenging conditions.