Disappointment Cleaver Update 7/13/26

     

Looking down from the Disappointment Cleaver towards Ingraham Flats and Mt Adams in the hazy background. 

It has been a windy week here at Mt Rainier. Sunday morning (7/12) at 2 am our telemetry at the ranger hut recorded a wind gust of 92 mph. Current forecasts looking ahead have winds moderating with a small chance of precipitation Thursday before warm, high pressure moves into the region with the weekend. Despite the strong winds of the last few days, there were still teams that managed to summit.

    As of Monday 7/13/26, the Disappointment Cleaver is still holding quite a bit of snow. Right out of camp Muir, there are several cracks beginning to emerge on the Cowlitz Glacier serving as reminder to stay diligent this time of year with hidden/subtle crevasses. Cathedral Gap is bare dirt on the Cowlitz side; however, it is mostly snow after turning the corner onto the Ingraham Glacier. This section of the route between Cathedral Gap and Ingraham Flats often has a lot of rockfall where the route is close to the cliff and teams should avoid stopping here. 

The ladder crossing High crack above Ingraham Flats. This ladder marks the start of the traverse under the Ice Box and Bowling Alley. Teams should move purposefully through here until they are past all overhead hazards.

    Teams will encounter a flat ladder above Ingraham Flats where the route takes a right turn to traverse out to the bottom of the cleaver. The traverse from this ladder out to the cleaver has significant overhead hazards and teams should move quickly through here and limit their time exposed to overhead hazard. Teams are encouraged to inspect any location they stop for rest by looking up and assessing whether something could fall on you.

Penitentes on the Cleaver. 

The cleaver was about 50/50 snow and rock but with warm weather in the forecast it could be mostly rock soon. Above the cleaver the route ascends through steeper switch backs, avoiding the seracs of the upper Ingraham glacier, and over a large crevasse bridge up to a junction near ~12,800'. Here, the primary route makes a rightward traverse out the Emmons glacier shoulder to end run a large crevasse at 13k' guarding access to the upper mountain. From the Emmons shoulder there are a few more crevasses but mostly mellow terrain to the summit. For a steeper and less established option, it possible to climb up from the 12,800' junction and slightly left belaying over a steep, offset crevasse bridge. This direct, steeper variation ties back in with the primary route near 13,500'. 

Looking up from the top of the cleaver. A group of 3 climbers can be seen negotiating the switchbacks near 12,700. The climber's right traverse begins shortly after those switchbacks.

Looking back at the traverse from the Emmons Shoulder. The traverse is generally level with no more than ~50' of elevation loss/gain.

    The winds this past week have helped slow the snow melt, however warmer weather is the in the forecast. The route this time of year changes daily and one hot day may make today's beta irrelevant tomorrow. Be sure to check in at the Paradise Wilderness Information Center to get your climbing permit and the most current route conditions. 

Emmons - Winthrop 7/15/26

The last few weeks have brought some highly variable weather to the mountain. A week of high freezing levels was followed by a long weekend of high winds that kept the success rate of climbing parties low. With the higher freezing levels that are forecast, some timing considerations for your climb are worth noting. Starting on the early side ensures that your party has ample time to attempt a summit and be coming down back to camp before the heat of the day. As things continue to warm, serac fall, crevasse bridges, and travel conditions can quickly turn into difficult hazards to mitigate.

Taking a GPS track of your climb up is recommended for route finding on the way down; boot packs can melt out and not be obvious from above. Additionally, with spring and summer conditions, boot packs from old routes may still be present. Avoid following tracks just because they are there; instead, visually confirm that snow bridges are safe to travel over and place protection as necessary. Remember that just because you crossed a snow bridge on the way up does not mean it will be there on the way down. Be prepared to use your own glacier navigation skills on both the ascent and descent. 

From Schurman, there is a prominent boot-pack onto the Corridor through sizable penitentes. Sometimes it's easier to travel off the beaten path, especially when descending, but be aware of crevasses that may be hard to discern due to the surface conditions. At the top of the Corridor, around ~11.7k, the glacier becomes more jumbled. Take care to carefully evaluate snowbridges and protect them as necessary. This zone has numerous smaller crevasses - many running parallel to the route - as evidenced by the holes where climbers have punched a leg in.

There is a notable crevasse crossing at 12.2k as the route starts to traverse climbers right. Here there is a very thin snowbridge that will likely collapse as the season progresses. Protect this crossing from a significant pendulum and/or zippering fall, or find another route around. Again, on the way up, consider what your team will do if the snowbridge collapses while you are above it. Should the route 'fall out' at any point, climbers may need to climb back to the summit and descent via the DC route, or navigate another way down the Emmons.

7/6/26 Photo of the crevasse crossing at 12.2k. The track can be seen making a zig zag to go over the snow bridge in the center of the photo. 

Alternative routes up/down the Emmons were explored by NPS Rangers on July 11th, with passage made along the southern (climbers left) side high above The Corridor avoiding the 12,200' crevasse crossing mentioned above. This route is not marked, may not have a discernible boot-pack, and travels through complex glaciated terrain with numerous crevasse crossings that require appropriate route-finding and hazard mitigation skills. It does appear, however, that this route may be more 'stable' and remain passable to experienced teams for some time. This alternative route diverges from the existing route at approximately 11,800' (just below a large switchback right) and continues up the left shoulder of the upper Corridor. After several hundred feet of climbing upward (approximately 12,450' elevation), a long traverse right will eventually rejoin the existing route at approximately 13,000' along the Winthrop Shoulder.

Descend the same route you used to ascend. Keep in mind that warming during the day can change the way things look and what is passable on the way down. Plan for this as you cross terrain on your ascent. Stay alert and protect steeper sections and snow bridges. Don’t be afraid to step out of the boot pack for better footing. 

7/6/26 Track of the approximate route (above)
Alternative found on 7/11/26 in blue (below) 

Disappointment Cleaver Route Update 7/3/2026

The Disappointment Cleaver has been holding together, and parties have been making it to the summit in fairly reasonable times.  Two days ago, the guide services did some route work and put in a new route up the shoulder of the Emmons Glacier.  This new variant starts just above the top of the Disappointment Cleaver and instead of going climber's left towards the top of Gibraltar Rock, it spurs off to climber's right and then ascends to the crater rim.  

Like most glaciated climbs - the route can change day to day and even hour to hour. Just because a snow bridge or a ladder was intact and you crossed it on the way up to the summit does not mean that it'll be there when you descend. Consider alternatives as you ascend - especially at critical points like a crevasse bridge.  Often, pioneering a new descent path can take more advanced skills and/or abilities than those required to ascend. 

Expect to do some route finding of your own as the temps warm into the hottest months of the summer.  Snow melts away from the rocky ridges and the glaciers continue to flow down the mountain opening up new crevasses and collapsing others.  Again, there's no one "route" when climbing or skiing on glaciers - consider them blank canvases for you and your climbing team to "paint" your track on.  Stay within your ability levels and enjoy your opportunity for creativity!  

Wishing everyone a safe and wonderful holiday weekend!  See you in the mountains!