Climber Self-Registration Begins September 11th

Where did the summer go? With the return of fall, operations and services at Mount Rainier will begin to decrease. Climbing and Wilderness Permits are still required through the fall and winter for traveling on Mount Rainier above 10,000 feet or on glaciers. Self-registration for climbers in Paradise begins Monday September 11th, 2023 as the Paradise Wilderness Information Center will close September 10th. There will be a self-registration box located outside the Old Ranger Station in Paradise. As winter approaches a large tunnel will be put in front of the door. Walk through this tunnel and find the self-registration box with instructions at the end of the walkway. This is open 24/7 for registration, even if no one is staffing it.

Self Registration is at the Paradise Ranger Station near the center of the photo.

Climbers can still register in-person (which we recommend) in Longmire and White River. Check the park's operating hours and pay special attention to the date at which the operating hours change as we move into winter. The White River Wilderness Information Center will be staffed until October 9th, 2023. After that date, there will be a self-registration box on the outside of the Wilderness Information Center as well until the road closes for the season. The Longmire Wilderness Information Center will also close around then and move their operations to the Longmire Museum for the winter. 

There are two things required to climb in the off-season. The first is to pay the online Annual Climber Cost Recovery Fee. The second is to use the self-registration stations at Paradise or White River to fill out your permit. 

Filling out your self-registration permit completely will help any necessary search and rescue efforts - please take the time to get it right! The full list of instructions will be located at both self-registration stations. You will fill out a sheet (front and back) at the ranger station and leave it in the drop box, you don't carry the permit on you. Please remember when you get off the mountain to fill out the return slip at the station and put in the drop box as well to check out from the field. 

As summer turns to winter, our seasonal staff starts to migrate away from the mountain. High camps will only be staffed very occasionally, search and rescue operations will be delayed, and the park's exclusive use helicopter will be departing the park by late September. Please keep in mind that during the winters, there aren't rangers actively staffing the high camps to talk about conditions or weather. It is recommended that climbers are prepared to be very self-sufficient as any rescue efforts could take days! 

Fall DC/Mountain Update 9/2/23

It's feeling and looking like Fall on the mountain.

The Muir snowfield has become the Muir icefield. Microspikes, or even better - crampons, are necessary for the travel. There is no longer a 'trail' to follow, and one should expect to use dry glacier navigation skills. With fall moving in, whiteout conditions will become more common. Have a GPS track running on the way up, to follow on the way down in case of weather.

Crevasses on the Upper Portion of the Snowfield

More Broken Terrain on the Upper Portion of the Snowfield

Guide services have been working all season to manage risk on the upper mountain through maintaining an accessible route, one that all climbers benefit from. Last Sunday 08/27, guide services pulled adjuncts off the route due to hazardous and hard to maintain conditions. High crack can be navigated with intermediate climbing skills. The ice fin onto the DC has become more unsupported and the ice box is subject to more frequent serac and rockfall. These factors make access to the Cleaver challenging and hazardous. Risk management and proper decision making is required, even though the physical movement through here is relatively straightforward. While the summit could previously be reached with more technical climbing and glacier navigation skill, with the absence of a ladder over the 12.8 crack, there is no longer a known route to the top.

Rangers have not had eyes on other routes, but it's safe to assume the rest of the mountain is looking the same.

DC Update 8/22/23

Looking across the Cowlitz Glacier from Camp Muir with some smoke haze in the air. (8/22/23)

August is quickly coming to a close, and we are back to discuss the condition of the DC after the heatwave in the past week or so. The aftermath, if you will. If you haven't gotten the chance to check out what was happening to the mountain during this prolonged period of elevated temperatures, check out:

•  This blog post with pictures about what was happening mid-heat wave 8/16
• A video from the helicopter with upper mountain views on 8/18

Route Overview:

With 17,000'+ freezing levels, the small and thinning snow and ice features that the route utilized to reach the summit in our 8/8/23 DC update have suffered significantly. Portions of the route have collapsed, and other cruxes have become so difficult to surmount that some guide services have officially ended their seasons taking clients to the summit. As we anticipated, the high temperatures then subsequent cool off have led to firm, icy surfaces on many parts of the mountain, resulting in slide-for-life conditions where arresting a fall would be difficult.

It is important to understand that while one can still climb the Disappointment Cleaver route in it's current condition -- at the time of this post -- to the top of the mountain, that there is no longer a maintained "route" that many climbers have come to expect. In most places, there is no bootpack, no wands, nor any ladders to lead to you to the summit. Ladders and route adjuncts above the cleaver were all going to be pulled by today 8/22/23.  Old routes may be apparent but are NOT maintained.  Be prepared for steep and exposed conditions that demand advanced glacier navigation, discretion of hanging or unsupported features, evaluating bridges and plugs, and potentially more involved glacial travel techniques such as rappelling into and needing to ice-climb out of crevasses to cross them.

If you do believe you and your teammates possess these skills, plan on navigation taking a significantly more time than any other ascents of the Disappointment Cleaver. Plan on at least a handful of attempts to bypass obstacles that will end in needing to turn around to try a different option. All recreational climbers that rangers interacted with at Camp Muir did not go past Ingraham Flats this past week. To put it simply, the objective hazards on the route are currently just much higher than other times of year.

Wildfire Smoke Complications:

Looking down towards Paradise from Camp Muir in unhealthy smoke conditions.  Normally, you would be able to see the whole Tatoosh Range, as well as Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Hood. (8/21/23)

In addition to the difficulty and character of the route changing since the heatwave, there are a number of fires that are plaguing the Northwest air quality at the moment. If you live in-state this won't be any surprise, however if you're coming from out of town, know that the AQI (Air Quality Index) has been in the unhealthy range many days in the past week. While the fires still carry on, wind direction / atmospheric flow plays a huge role in if the smoke reaches Mt. Rainier. For the most up to date information, check out these air quality / wildfire resources:

• AirNow Fire and Smoke Map is a government resource where you can input any location in the U.S. and see a map of current air quality readings at monitoring sites as well as active fires. If you click on a location, some even have smoke forecasts, letting you know if experts in atmospheric flow believe the smoke will improve or worsen in your location of interest. How cool! The closest one to Camp Muir is at the Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise.
  
  
• Mt Rainier Webcams is a site with links to webcams all over the park, including at Camp Muir and Paradise. Curious if high camp is above the smoke, or if Paradise is socked in? This is a great place to check. 
  
  
• InciWeb is a great resource to see the most up-to-date details on wildfires in the U.S. Similar to the AirNow platform, there is an interactive map of incidents. If you click on an incident, you can find out what percentage the fire is contained, size in acreage, types and amount of resources dedicated to the incident, along with fire behavior and a lot of other information. This can be a helpful map to look at if you're trying to brainstorm a plan B for Rainier, and find out how the fires that are causing the smoke are developing. 

Feature to Feature Updates:

• The Cowlitz: Similar to our last complete route update, this section of the route continues to be threatened by overhead rockfall from Gibraltar and Cathedral Rocks, ever-thinning snow bridges, and widening crevasses. There are some cracks opening up less than 8 feet away from where you leave the dirt at Camp Muir, so be sure to rope up before leaving camp. And -- evaluate your campsite selection wisely if choosing to camp on the snow! Some commonly used sites are now sitting a top thin snow bridges on the Wind Roll. 
  
  

  

  Note the cracks opening up on the Cowlitz Glacier. (8/20/23)

  
  
• High Crack (11,300'): High crack -- the first notable feature when climbing up past Ingraham Flats -- still has a ladder to grant passage across it at this time. A popular alternative for many climbing parties who are not prepared for the high hazard route finding higher on the mountain is to opt to climb from Camp Muir, across the Cowlitz, up through Ingraham Flats, to High Crack and turn around. Some want the ladder crossing practice, but will spin just on the other side, to avoid entering the higher hazard portions of the Ice Box and Bowling Alley. This is an excellent alternative if you want to climb, get some glacial navigation and ladder crossing skills practiced, but do not want to undertake the more complex and severe hazards higher on the route.
  
  
• Getting onto the Cleaver: The unprotectable traverse to gain the Disappointment Cleaver from the glacier as of 8/8 relied on "a narrow section of ice, that then gains the cleaver on some quickly melting, and thin, small snow and ice features". These features have since collapsed. While there is a way to navigate on top of the smashed remains of this traverse to gain the cleaver, these new features remain vulnerable to further collapse. There is running water beneath the remains of these features, and it would be a high likelihood, high consequence event for this traverse to further collapse. Be sure to understand the risks you are taking before you embark across this section, knowing it must also support you returning to camp later in the day.
  
  
• Above the Cleaver: There is no established route that will get you to the summit of Mt. Rainier from the top of the Disappointment Cleaver. As described earlier in this post, know that advanced glacial travel techniques and a significant amount of experience are needed to continue further up the mountain from this point. Route adjuncts have been removed beyond this point as of 8/22/23.

Looking Forward:

While there is still traffic heading up and down the mountain in various forms, the climbing season is certainly winding down. A light dusting of snow coated Camp Muir on the morning of 8/23 -- telling us of the changing of seasons that is ahead. If you're planning on a hike up to Camp Muir, remember to check the latest blog on the changing conditions on the Muir Snowfield. That's what we have for now, folks! See you up there.

The sun makes it's debut from behind Muir Rocks on the morning of 8/23/23 after a light dusting of snow fell atop Camp Muir.

Video of Some Upper Mountain Conditions

Upper Mountain Conditions 8/16/2023

The 17,000+ foot freezing levels we've had over the last few days have had quite the impact on Mount Rainier and its glaciers. Things have been changing drastically from one day to the next (or hour by hour) with how fast things are melting. This puts climbers at a higher level of risk than normal and requires a lot of prior experience on glaciers and climbing to have the skillset for managing the risks and route navigation decisions.  Again, these HOT temperatures are making conditions DIFFICULT for climbers.

The traverse across the Cowlitz Glacier has been changing day by day as guide groups have made edits to the route as crevasses rapidly open up in the bootpack and rockfall threats above change fall lines. A number of people have punched into some crevasses, surprised to fine the "track" went over an overhanging snow bridge that was not obvious before.  No climber "plans" on falling in a crevasse, so please come prepared on these HOT days to do actual crevasse rescue.  

The double ladder at high crack at the moment is still in place and folks can still traverse onto the Cleaver, but the plug that connects to the cleaver had water running underneath it and has a big overhang, so if it were to collapse in these HOT temperatures it would not be good.  

Looking at the traverse onto the DC on 8/14/2023

Above the cleaver, the snow is isothermic, or "punchy" and not very supportable. There have been reports of folks falling into crevasses unexpectedly here too. The double ladder at 12,800' was still in place as of August 16th, but from here, folks can plan on finding their own route. On August 15th, the guides pulled the triple ladder spanning the 12,900' crack because it was sitting on overhangs that weren't reliable.  No parties have summited the DC Route for the last couple of days due to crevasses not being safe to cross.  

Upper Thousand plus feet of the DC Route. 8/14/2023

Parties that want to find their way to the summit via the DC Route will have to do some extreme end-running of crevasses or rappel into and ascend out of crevasses.  And, at the moment, you will need to find your own route, accept a relatively high level of risk for this route, and have extensive glacier and climbing experience.  Recognize that crevasses may fail any time during the day, sometimes behind you, leaving your party to discover they can't descend via the route they came up.

Another view of the upper couple thousand feet of the mountain. 8/14/2023

Luckily there is an end to this heat in sight. Temperatures look like they may plummet to about 9000' freezing levels by Sunday. After these warm temperatures however, such cold conditions will likely present challenging conditions in a different way - all this glacial melt could solidify making for icy and unforgiving surfaces. Having sharp, steel crampons on full shank boots and sure footing with them will be essential to help you manage this upcoming drastic change in conditions.

Looking at Camp Schurman and the Emmons-Winthrop on 8/14/23

While this all sounds a bit dire, there's still some great vistas, cooler temps, and great opportunities to practice mountaineering skills around both high camps on the mountain.  The stars and meteor showers have been all-time.  Just don't plan on a typical "summit climb" adventure right now.  See you on the mountain!

Looking above the Cleaver. 8/14/23

View near the Emmons shoulder and the 12,900 crack. 8/14/23

DC Route Update 8/8/23

 

Looking up through the sea of penitentes towards the ice headwall from just above the cleaver. 8/8/23

It's August on Mt. Rainier and there's no two ways about it! With a number of successful summits, and an almost even number of parties spinning due to conditional challenges and inclement weather, the mountain is telling us it's starting to wind down for the season. 

View down towards the top of the Disappointment Cleaver itself. Note the faint trail through the penitente and light fresh dusting of snow. Precipitation has come on the upper mountain without being in some forecasts lately. 8/8/23

Route Overview:

The route as it stands is long and circuitous — it is currently 3.4 miles with 4000' of elevation gain coming from Camp Muir just to the summit crater. That's about a 7 mile round trip adventure at altitude high camp to high camp. If you've climbed the DC earlier in the season, this will not be the same type of experience. Be prepared to go up to go down, and down to go up! Due to weaving between the many large crevasses, you'll find yourself losing and regaining elevation a number of times on the ascent and descent. While the route has a boot pack in place along with wands from guide services, these navigational aids are not enough to climb the route. With new precipitation and high winds as experienced this past weekend, the bootpack can become less obvious and covered with new snow, and wands blown down. There are also older junctions from different iterations of the route that can throw one off when navigating down in low visibility conditions if you do not have a track from your ascent to follow. Be sure to have some sort of personal GPS software downloaded on your phone (ex:CalTopo, Gaia, FatMap, etc. all have free versions with this function) and start tracking as soon as you leave Camp Muir. This way if you find yourself in a whiteout on your descent, you will have a path to follow even with low visibility! See it as cheap insurance that could save your life, if not save you from an epic descent in miserable conditions.

A screenshot of the route tracked from Camp Muir to the summit crater climbed on 8/8/23 with Gaia GPS. Travel to the true summit then back to the crater rim will take quite a bit of additional time.

Feature to Feature Updates (in order climbing from Muir to Summit):

• The Cowlitz: Leaving Camp Muir, the Cowlitz Glacier is opening up quite a bit with some sizable crevasses. There is a significant one just before the transition to the rocks below Cathedral Gap that in higher snow years does not open up. The traverse is now lower to avoid this, gaining the rocks below the crack. Know that as soon as you're leaving camp,  you're stepping out onto a real glacier with real crevasse fall potential. Additionally, there is quite high objective overhead rockfall hazard from Gibraltar and Cathedral rocks when crossing the Cowlitz, so be sure to move through this terrain efficiently.
  
  
• High Crack (~11,300'): As you climb out of Ingraham Flats, the first notable feature you come to before entering the Ice Box and Bowling Alley is a very large longitudinal crevasse, or crack that runs up and down on the mountain (glacial anatomy typically causes glaciers to have cross-slope crevasses, as the ice is stretched out over rolls on the hill side). This vertical crevasse is often referred to as "High Crack", and here is the first ladder crossing of the route. After this, you move into the Ice Box and Bowling Alley, named for their overhead hazards. Move through these efficiently as well.
  
  
• Getting onto the Cleaver: Due to high temperatures and the lower snow year, the transition from the glacier to get onto the cleaver has been an issue this year, and continues to be one of the condition-dependent navigational cruxes of the route. In the two or so weeks, there has been a reroute across a narrow section of ice, that then gains the cleaver on some quickly melting, and thin, small snow and ice features. This traverse is vulnerable to the incoming high temperatures and will pose more and more of a challenge as the season continues on. There is not currently a good way to protect this traverse. The cleaver itself is free of snow.
  
  
• Traverse out to the Emmons Shoulder (~12,800'): There were 3 route adjuncts, or pieces of equipment that are in place to provide easier travel, above the Cleaver on 8/8/23. Consistent with our update a little more than a week ago, there is one adjunct in the form of a ladder crossing at 12,800' right before the traverse begins. Following this, there is a single plank to cross a widening smaller crack. Then, there is another series of three ladders latched together to cross a matrix of cathedraled cracks at 12,900' which has gotten significantly more hollow and undercut since our last update. Look at the comparison photos below to see just how much a glacier can change in two weeks late in the season! As with any fixed gear on the route, while the guide services place these adjuncts, it is not their job to guarantee that they are safe for you to use — only their clients. Adjunct stability can change throughout the day. This means that before crossing any adjunct, be sure to evaluate the structural integrity of what they are placed on. If you do not think it's safe, do not use it! Your safety is in your hands, not on the guide services. 

Initial ladder crossing above the Cleaver near 12,800' on the descent. (8/8/23)

       

The single plank crossing between 12,800' and 12,900' (8/8/23)

The 12,900' triple ladder crossing as of 8/8/23. Note the undercut and "cathedraled" nature of the bridge across the crack.

The same ladder crossing at 12,900' on 7/23/23, just two weeks prior. Notice the significantly higher amount of snow and ice present than in the last photo.

Other considerations:
There have been a handful of fixed protection pieces on the route to clip into on more exposed sections above the Cleaver in the form of pickets placed by guide services. If you bring your own alpine draws (sling with two carabiners) you can utilize these pieces, however know that it is your responsibility to evaluate if these pickets are still safe to trust. Feel free to reset them if they are melting out, but don't move or take them. The number of pieces of fixed pro on the upper mountain has been fluctuating, so there may be none there when you climb. 

Looking forward:

The weather forecast — which has had varying levels of accuracy in the past few weeks — through the weekend tells us one thing: hot, hot, hot! This can affect the route, and route adjuncts, drastically as the mountain changes. The mountain is most alive this late in the season, and expect a dynamic environment up there. Have fun, be safe, leave camp early, and return early in the day with time to enjoy an afternoon nap before descending! That's the DC as of 8/8/23 folks. See you up on the mountain!

Muir Snowfield Update 8/9/23

Blue Ice, crevasses, and warm temperatures oh my! The Muir Snowfield is becoming more of an "Icefield" than a snowfield.  There is exposed glacial ice with a number of crevasses beginning to open up above 8500'. Where there is snow, the surface conditions are quite sun cupped and coated with a fine layer of rock and dust. These hazards will only progress with our forecasted hot temperatures over the next week. 

~8in Wide Crevasse at 9,600ft 

The crevasses that are present on the upper portion of the snowfield are relatively easy to spot and navigate around, but caution should still be taken as the surface condition adjacent to these features are firm and icy. Take caution while descending from Camp Muir, as a couple of these cracks can be difficult to spot from above.

A Snowbridge someone punched through adjacent to a worn boot pack

While navigating the Snowfield, we recommend appropriate sturdy boots that are capable of accepting micro spikes or even crampons! Devices like these that add traction on the snow and ice greatly add security. Trekking poles are also recommended to aid in hiking on this variable and often slick terrain. 

Looking Down the Snowfield

Finally, having and knowing how to use GPS devices/applications is essential to aid in navigating on the snowfield. It is exceptionally common to find yourself in whiteout conditions and these modern tools can be a literal lifesaver.

The Kautz 8/2/2023

Climbing Rangers got on the ice pitches of the Kautz on Wednesday and they are in excellent condition. Even if you don't go or make it to the summit, the ice pitches of the Kautz can be an excellent outing to sneak in some ice climbing in August and September.

The Rangers took the Wilson Gulley to approach the Castle. Be sure to move through the rock fall hazard efficiently if you choose to go this way. It may not be an option much longer this season. The fan has been completely melted out for a while now. Consider the Comet Falls to Van Trump approach; you gain more elevation this way, but it's more of a hike and has no overhead hazard. 

Wilson Gulley to Wilson Bench on Tuesday 8/1/23

There is heaps of water flowing at the Castle bivy sites and some at the upper bivies before the rock step, at least from the heat of the day to the evening. Rangers did find a number of abandoned blue bags around the bivy sites that they had to carry down. Please remember to carry out your human waste to help keep these sites and the water source clean.

The rock step was about as easy at it gets this time of year, but once a small patch snow at the bottom melts away, it will present a more significant and challenging down climb. Even now we would still recommend setting up a belay for the descent and ascent out of there for the move to step off the rock is quite exposed. 

Looking from the bottom of the Rock Step at the Kautz Ice pitches and the traverse over to the base 8/2/23

The traverse onto the Kautz did not have as many hanging seracs as it has had in the past, but that will likely change soon and it would still be good to move efficiently through here as you will see from signs of recent rock fall. Check the moat as you move off the rock onto the Glacier for this could present a hazard as well. The ice pitches themselves present varying levels of challenge depending on what line you choose. The giant penitente there offer excellent pro for the accent and quick bollard anchors for the descent. Still be sure to bring a number of ice screws as well for protection, you can find some proper ice amongst the penitente.

Looking up the ice pitches and through the giant penitente. The gulley in the center is easier, while you could find more challenging ice steps on the sides of the gully. 

If you descend through Van Trump, be sure to stop and smell some of the flowers that are coming out. And please remember to leave the wilderness better than you find it by packing out your own trash and any microtrash you may find. We look forward to seeing you on the mountain. 

Looking up from Van Trump to Kautz on 8/3/23

DC Route Update 7/27

    The current route is relatively straightforward, well-traveled and even beginning to get trenched out in spots with increased traffic during periods with high freezing levels. While inclement weather earlier this week made challenging and dangerous conditions, there have been many successful summit climbs from guided, individual, and ranger groups when the conditions have cooperated.

A Route to the Summit on 7/23

Looking up the Ingraham and the DC from Dunn's Roll

Ladder w/Handline at High Crack (~11,300ft)

  The Disappointment Cleaver is almost entirely rock at this stage of the season, and guide teams have worked hard to maintain a well wanded path through the loose rocks. Parties are encouraged to pause, look around, and consider using these route aids when they are present. Please maintain good situational awareness when climbing the mountain and think of where the best/safest paths of travel are for you and your group. While traveling on the cleaver itself, take caution not to travel directly above or below other parties when at all possible, and use appropriate rope management techniques to ensure your rope is not dragging on the ground where it can knock loose rocks on your partners or other climbers.   

    Last weeks re-route above the cleaver has become quite "punched in" with this past weekend's traffic, but summer temperatures have and will continue to change the conditions on the upper mountain in the coming weeks. There is a ladder at ~12,800 before the route trends right towards the Emmons shoulder. Next, parties climb up, then back down on the shoulder around more broken terrain to a degrading snow plug and an additional installed ladder at ~12,900. 

    Above the cleaver there are about a dozen fixed pickets at various locations for climbers to use as running protection if they choose. If you do use these pickets, please inspect each piece of protection before clipping your rope team to them. These route adjuncts are not maintained by the NPS and may not be as secure as they were when they were initially placed hours or even days before your party comes upon them.

Ladder at ~12,900ft (Photo from 7/23)

    Once across this ladder, the route makes a long traverse back climbers left, and slightly down under some beautiful and impressive cracks, blocks, and gnarled portions of the Ingraham Glacier. After this nearly 2000ft traverse at 13,400, switchbacks and a few smaller crack crossings lead to the crater rim.

    While the current route is well traveled and easy to follow, as conditions change, please question if that snowbridge, the wanded path, or that placed ladder is the best/safest route of travel for your group. Sometimes the best way to cross a crevasse is to walk off the "trail" and around, rather than leaping over it like the party in front of you did!

DC Route Update 7/20

    A few updates for all on our ever-changing route up the Disappointment Cleaver.

Sunset over Little T as seen from above the DC.

 

     Overall, the majority of the route itself remains very “punched in”. There continues to be frequent success for guide parties and independent teams alike with the recent high pressure. One will notice however, that throughout the season the route is evolving and presenting new hazards. We’re getting to that point in the summer where the mountain begins to rapidly transform, leading to both small and large changes to the upper mountain climbing.

     As of early morning on Tuesday July 18th, there is a “reroute” from roughly 13,100 until 13,800ft. The upper wall of a crevasse the route traveled over collapsed which led made the crack impassible. Guide teams were able to reroute at this collapse, taking climbers right to end-run this crack and ultimately traverse over to the Emmons Shoulder. The previous route that led climbers on a traverse towards the Nisqually/Camp Comfort is no more! As this blog is being written, route working teams are on the upper mountain adjusting and fine tuning this new path. It is anticipated that this redirect to the Emmons Shoulder is what will become the norm. 

     If your party plans on climbing in the coming few days, expect this new route to not be as much of a “punched in” sidewalk as the previous one. There might be pickets placed as running protection over the new exposed traverse as well. Embrace the challenge of climbing Mt. Rainier by being some of the first to climb behind the teams pioneering the latest track to the summit. 

     Regardless if the route is new, old, or in a trough, use good glacial judgement skills and your own discretion… Listen in on what your climbing ranger at Muir has to say on the tips and techniques of success to this route. 

     Happy Climbing!!

Emmons-Winthrop Update 7/15/23

The Emmons-Winthrop route saw quite a bit of guided and independent climbing traffic over the weekend! The commonly traveled route does have a pretty well defined boot track. However, skeletal ice is present from Emmons Flats to around 10,500 ft and the boot track can be easily lost. This area is characterized by frequent crevasse crossings, variable snow bridges, and even running water in spots! While this zone is currently navigable, your own judgement and route-finding skills are the key to efficient travel. Dynamic weather conditions will require diligent terrain assessment, especially on the descent when temperatures are warmer and climbers are tired from a long day on the hill.

The majority of the route remains very similar to our recent blog posts. There is a long climbers right traverse starting at ~12,200 ft. This traverse ends with a notable crossing at 12,300 ft characterized by a large step up and over the crevasse. Continue to evaluate this crossing as the weather remains warm and conditions change. From 12,300 ft to around 13,500 ft, the route meanders through some switchbacks and is rather straightforward. Around 13,500 ft., there is another long climbers' right traverse that heads to the saddle. As our last blog post states, there are likely other more direct routes out there if you care to find them. Of note, there was some fairly recent serac fall that crossed the boot pack on the 13,500 ft traverse. This is noted in the photos below. The debris that crossed the boot pack was softball to basketball sized. 

Recent serac fall debris around 13,500 ft on the Emmons-Winthrop

Serac chunks just above the 13,500 ft traverse

A way up the Emmons Winthrop Route

Early morning light looking North from Camp Schurman

We hope to see you in the park and up on the mountain! 

Disappointment Cleaver Update 7/9/23

Rangers were on the DC route this past Sunday July 7th and were stationed at Camp Muir for the last several days. The route continues to evolve with our warm and dry weather pattern we have been having. We are continuing to notice large changes in the route sometimes only a day or two apart. The biggest thing that was observed however was consistent rockfall from both sides of Cathedral Rock area and the Bowling Alley feature. Multiple large rock fall occurrences were observed during both warm daylight hours and early morning hours before the sun starts to warm things up. The risk from these hazards grows with greater exposure so efficiency and timing are the key factors here... 

Sunrise on 7/9/23

The route itself remains very “punched in”. There has been significant traffic between guide parties and independent teams alike, creating a trough at certain points leading to the summit. There are subtleties within the greater climb that are constantly evolving and presenting new hazards, but in general, the climbing route is in good shape. 

• As mentioned in earlier blog posts, Cathedral Gap is snow free and by now the Cleaver itself is snow free. We ask again that you please mitigate your team’s risk by not breaking underneath overhead exposure, shorten your the rope for travel in the rocks, and always wear your helmets.
• The entrance onto the Ingraham glacier has some very large crevasses opening up, these may pose route finding difficulties as the season progresses but for now the route stays fairly direct through this area. Guide services have places pickets to aid in the safety of this portion.

• At high crack (just above Ingraham Flats) there remains a ladder that is both short and well placed. Use caution while crossing by having good rope spacing and communication. 

• Getting onto the backboard of the cleaver is fairly straightforward, though there is a significant bridge you cross just before you get onto the cleaver. The handline here is gone. Please don’t break in this zone until you are on the spine of the cleaver, free of overhead hazard! The trail along the spine is snow free aside from a small patch here and there. 

• Above the cleaver the route “zigzags” its way through icefall and crevasses until roughly 13,400 when the route traverses left almost all the way to the Nisqually! A pleasant break for tired legs but be prepared for the climb to be very direct after finishing the traverse. 

Ladder over 'High Crack', 7/9/23

    Rangers have been noticing a fair amount of congestion and bottlenecking on the upper mountain in particular. Often our team was able to observe groups crossing ropes and climbing directly above another team without communicating effectively to the other party. These maneuvers present risk to all parties involved and great care should be taken when attempting to pass a group. Making sure that all parties are stationed in a safe stopping point and have good footing is a bare minimum. 

Groups on the upper part of the DC 7/9/23

While the route is wanded and often easy to follow, we like to remind folks that the trough is not always the best travel! Use YOUR discretion and safe judgement skills but understand that getting out of the trough trail, especially through bottlenecking chokepoints on the route is ok. With the ever-changing conditions on the route, sometimes the best way to cross a crevasse is to walk 20ft off the trail and around rather than leaping over a gaping crack! 

Large Crevasses opening below Ingraham Flats 7/9/23

Those are the conditions as of right now on the DC! Teams have been enjoying stellar weather and good travel as of lately. Remember to check back periodically with our blog on condition updates and reread through past posts to review skill topics, tips, and tricks for safe climbing!

Emmons-Winthrop Update 7/9

 

Sunrise on the Corridor

The Emmons Winthrop was still climbing well last weekend! Things are certainly starting to melt out a bit more near Emmons Flats and the Corridor, where some skeletal glacial ice is now exposed.

The commonly climbed route has been following a similar pattern to what we’ve seen throughout this season with a large traverse to the west at 12.3k to end run a large crevasse and another westerly traverse at 13k to climber’s right over the bergshrund and into the saddle. Other options certainly exist for those willing to go and find them.

Keep in mind that the area between Camp Schurman and Emmons Flats can appear deceptively benign. However, it is actually criss-crossed with crevasses. If you’re traveling back and forth between the camps, you are traveling on glacier and should be roped up with a partner.

Also warming trends could make for sudden changes along the route. So, as always - make your decisions based on what you see, not just the foot prints in front of you.

Happy Climbing!

Disappointment Cleaver Conditions Update 7/4/23

    Rangers stationed at Camp Muir were able to get out and climb the route a few times over the BUSY July 4th weekend. Below we’ll highlight conditions as of July 4th but please understand that the mountain is an extremely dynamic environment. Rangers who climbed both Monday morning and Tuesday evening noticed route changes and crevasse openings that were not present the day before. Please use this update as a data point of information for your climb…

Old trenched-in trail leading left to crevasse that is rapidly opening up. A faint new trail to the right leads over a currently solid bridge for that crevasse. 7/4/2023

    

The route itself remains very “punched in”. There has been significant traffic between guide parties and independent teams alike, creating a trough at certain points leading to the summit. As mentioned earlier there are subtleties within the greater climb that are constantly evolving and presenting new hazards, but in general, the climbing route is in good shape. 

• As mentioned in earlier blog posts, Cathedral Gap is snow free and by now the Cleaver itself is snow free. We ask again that you please mitigate your team’s risk by not breaking underneath overhead exposure, shorten your the rope for travel in the rocks, and always wear your helmets.

• At high crack (just above Ingraham Flats) there remains a ladder that is both short and well placed. Use caution while crossing by having good rope spacing and communication. 

• Getting onto the backboard of the cleaver is fairly straightforward, though there is a significant bridge you cross just before you get onto the cleaver. When this goes, the transition to get onto the cleaver will likely become challenging, but for now, with good footwork and rope management, the entrance remains simple. The handline here is gone. Please don’t break in this zone until you are on the spine of the cleaver, free of overhead hazard! The trail along the spine is snow free aside from a small patch here and there. 

• Above the cleaver the route “zigzags” its way through icefall and crevasses until roughly 13,400 when the route traverses left almost all the way to the Nisqually! A pleasant break for tired legs but be prepared for the climb to be very direct after finishing the traverse. 

View of the switchbacks though crevasses above the cleaver

While the route is quite obvious and well-traveled as stated before, we like to remind folks that the trough is not always the best travel! Use YOUR discretion and safe judgement skills but understand that getting out of the trough trail, especially through bottlenecking chokepoints on the route is ok. With the ever-changing conditions on the route, sometimes the best way to cross a crevasse is to walk 20ft off the trail and around rather than leaping over a gaping crack! 

Those are the conditions as of right now on the DC! Teams have been enjoying stellar weather and good travel as of lately. Remember to check back periodically with our blog on condition updates and reread through past posts to review skill topics, tips, and tricks for safe climbing!

Upper Mountain Skiing Considerations: 4th of July Weekend

Howdy folks, we’ve got a few things for y’all to think on who are considering bringing skis up this holiday weekend. We have seen a lot of folks attempt to ski the Emmons this past week and it has put the rangers climbing beneath them on edge.

It is full summer on the upper mountain. It's highly variable and dangerous ski conditions. There are few to no planar surfaces. Climbers descending by foot have been beating skiers down the mountain. This is not the place for skiing just for the sake of skiing. We want to see everyone have a safe and enjoyable time this week, and skiing is not the ideal tool for current conditions.

The Emmons on 6/30.

All in all, we are strongly recommending AGAINST skiing this weekend or the rest of summer. If you’re really fiending for some turns, there’s a few left on the Inter or Muir snowfield.

Considerations if you are still bringing skis above 10k:

Remember that falling on the Emmons is not an option. We have had serious injuries and death from skiers catching the wrong edge.

Rangers have been observing skiers side-slipping the bootpack as their descent. This creates overhead hazard for the parties below you, both you as a fall hazard and the snow and ice you’re sending down towards others. This also destroys the bootpack, and that’s pretty rude. 

Please make turns as far away from other climbers as possible. Rangers have also been observing skiers skiing far too quickly and close to climbers on foot. Please be considerate of climbers on foot, both ascending and descending. They have the right of way. 

If your only safe ski descent option is the bootpack, it’s a sign that ski season is over. Please recognize when travel by foot is the safest and most effective way to descend. 

It is looking like a sunny holiday weekend and camps are full or filling up. Please remember to respect other climbers and enjoy the opportunity of being on the mountain and in wilderness. 

Emmons-Winthrop 6/24

We've moved into some typical summer weather, and the past week has brought lots of sunny mornings and grumbly, thundery afternoons.

Climbers continue to visit through at Camp Schurman, and things are certainly looking like they'll be busy on the mountain this weekend. Remember that everyone else you see is there because they love the same things you do. Keep up that patience and positivity on the route in the early hours of the morning.

Conditions:

The Emmons-Winthrop route has been seeing a slightly slower melt out than what we're seeing on the Muir side. That being said that little bit of new snow we saw last week has long since melted away and isn't a factor at this point. Most climbers seem to be taking a route similar to that which we posted about back on 6/17, but there are many different boot packs in play, so making your own calls about where to tread is always good. Crossings were in good shape when rangers climbed again on 6/24, but some time has passed, and we are entering a period of warming.

Little Tahoma, with the shadow of the mountain overhead

Views from Camp Schurman remain impeccable!

Also, a side note: we had a rescue up on the mountain last week wherein an exceptionally well-prepared party was able to take great care of their friend in a way that made all the difference. Travelling light is important, but we always recommend taking along enough gear with each party that you could hunker down, stay warm, and make water if you need to.