Muir Snowfield Conditions Update 8/28/2019

Beautiful summer weather finally arrived at Mount Rainier National Park and the days have been nice for hiking on the mountain. That said, walking conditions on the Muir Snowfield continue to deteriorate as the summer season progresses.

Crevasses are beginning to open up above 8500' and icy patches are melting out all over. The guide services have made the switch to crampons for their trips up and down the snowfield. Skilled snow walkers may be able to navigate the firm patches but we definitely recommend micro-spikes or full crampons.

A crevasse on the Muir Snowfield

We still have the odd (no pun intended) skier or two making the journey to Camp Muir and trying their luck at skiing back down. We definitely cannot recommend that due to the conditions however. The surface is a mix of the aforementioned ice with pumice and plenty of loose rock all around. Please use extreme caution when skiing as the open crevasses can be very hard to spot due to the roughness of the snow surface.

The view down to Paradise from 10,000'

As September approaches we will see a return to stormy weather. If you're planning a trip up to Camp Muir or beyond please prepare for the trip by checking the weather and bringing the essentials, especially navigation equipment.

Disappointment Cleaver Update 8/26/2019

As of 8/26, the Disappointment Cleaver route is unchanged from the previous post. The guide services are still running trips on the DC, but independent climber numbers are decreasing precipitously.  Camp Muir is nice and quiet on weekdays.  The route is still climbing well for this time of year.  The late-season nature of conditions make it slightly more challenging than a July ascent, but many climbers are having successful summit climbs.  Come enjoy a quieter experience on the DC!

Looking up from Ingraham Flats.

The ladder around 13,000'.  There are fixed ropes above the ladder to aid in ascent. 

Disappointment Cleaver Update 8/21/19

Morning sunrise above Little Tahoma from the Disappointment Cleaver

 Largely unchanged since the last route update on 08/16/19, the Disappointment Cleaver route continues to climb well even as crowds begin to die down on the upper mountain. Compared to recent years, climbing conditions along the DC remain quite nice with diminishing traffic, minimal to non existent smoke and a fairly direct route to the summit. Although the long term forecast calls for high pressure and warm temps, we are already beginning to see the first signs of late season weather. A brief, yet intense storm blew in earlier this week, dropping freezing levels nearly 6,000 ft. and driving rain, whiteout and 60mph winds across the mountain.

Evidence of large icefall and objective hazard in the Icebox above Ingraham Flats.

To echo the previous posting, rockfall and icefall continue to be the main hazards along the route. Group management, appropriate rest locations and efficient travel through hazardous zones are our best tools for managing the hazards that we can't totally mitigate or avoid. Once onto the spine of the cleaver itself, teams should remember to manage their ropes so as to not be travelling in glacier mode while on rock. There are many ways to manage your ropes through rocky terrain so try to come prepared or feel free to ask a climbing ranger while in camp.

Upper mountain looking from the top of the Disappointment Cleaver. If you look carefully, you'll notice the bottle neck of climbers around the ladder at 13,000'.

 With the busiest weekends of the year behind us, crowds and bottlenecks are becoming much more manageable. Although there is only one ladder on the route, brief delays are still a reality as teams try to manage the obstacle. From the top of the cleaver, you can look up and right roughly 600 ft. to assess how many teams might be stacked up or negotiating the ladder. The guide services are efficient in their travel but they do climb in groups of 12. Providing for appropriate spacing along the route can help to ease congestion for everyone.

Vertical ladder located approximately 13,000'. Many teams have been opting to backup their team via a quick belay on the way back down the ladder. 

Despite being fairly unexposed, the nature of climbing a ladder at 13,000 ft. with crampons, heavy packs and tired legs makes it easy to understand why some groups take some time getting through. There remain two fixed lines to either side of the ladder as well as mulitiple lines to secure it in place. Teams should consider backing up their partners for the descent via a quick belay or backup on one of the fixed line. These are skills your group should know ahead of time or practice while in camp rather than on-sighting in the field.

Photo of the current route, largely unchanged from the last post on 8/16/19

With a brief lull in the weather over the upcoming weekend, climbing conditions look promising into the last week of August. Moving ahead into September, climbers can expect to find nice conditions for climbing the DC but should ensure that they come prepared for the weather to take a turn. Contingency equipment such as a stove, gps, bivy/tent, sleeping bag and pad are critical items that can make the difference if caught off guard by weather.

Variation to Emmons Climbing Route

Crevasse at 13,000'

Rangers from Camp Schurman proofed a variation on the standard climbing route on Sunday. As the glaciers open up more and the route changes adding more distance to the climb, this new route takes a more direct approach up the Emmons Glacier.

Variation to route up the Emmons Glacier

Leaving from Camp Schurman the route negotiates a heavily crevassed section of glacier until you reach Emmons Flats. The crevasses in this area are traditional to the route this late in the season and are mainly composed of skeletal ice.

Looking down at Camp Schurman from atop Steamboat Prow

Crossing the Emmons Flats and lower "football field" is mostly sun-cupped soft snow. Several large snow bridged cravasses at the base of the corridor are well supported and easily crossed. Take a look under the snow bridge to see what is supporting it. If it seems questionable then look for other options.

From the top of the corridor, approx 11,000’ the route can be climbed out to the right, following the standard summer line of ascent, or out to the climber's left into the upper Emmons Bowl. This upper bowl holds large deposits of winter snow making it challenging uphill travel early season. The large expanse of smooth snow is a great option for late season when the snow pack is consolidated and boot penetration is minimal.

Route finding through the upper Emmons Bowl to 13,000’ is relatively easy with the majority of the landscape visible. Taking a low approach (climber's left side of the bowl) will offer some distance from seracs and occasional ice fall that releases on the right side the bowl. The left hand side will also give a more direct ascent line to end run large crevasses extending across the slopes.

At the 13,000’ elevation there is a large vertical fin of snow that marks the top end of the bowl.  This also marks the beginning of the route finding. The landscape above is hidden from view, but with every new crest additional large expanses of smooth terrain will appear.

Climb right of the fin at 13,000' to end run two parallel crevasses. From this point the route trends left, but doesn’t meet up with the Disappointment Cleaver Route - not that far left! Climbers will find small snow bridges where the seemingly impossible crevasses narrow down to the point where small snow bridges provide passage.

New route

If you're looking for adventure on Mount Rainier and want something new, then try a late season Emmons Climb. This route doesn’t disappoint! 

Emmons-Winthrop Route Update 8/15/19

Little Tahoma and the lower Emmons Glacier

Camp Schurman was relatively quiet this week despite several days of great weather. The route to the top is still climbing well, and climbers can expect an exciting and engaging climb above camp. The Inter Glacier has several crevasses, so roping up is recommended here. Check out this previous post for great beta on the approach to Camp Schurman.

The Inter Glacier has crevasses and exposed ice in spots. Glissading is not recommended.

The snow on the lower half of the route is quite firm and a little icy in spots, so rangers recommend that each party bring a couple of ice screws for running protection or anchors. The upper half of the route still has plenty of snow, and pickets are essential equipment for building anchors on the upper mountain. Make sure your climbing team has both pickets and ice screws for your climb.

A rough representation of the Emmons-Winthrop climbing route.

From Camp Schurman, the section of glacier leading to Emmons Flats is quite broken. The boot pack still takes a good line through here, but expect to meander a bit around crevasses. Above Emmons Flats, the track wastes no time climbing to the Corridor. Getting onto the Corridor, climbers will cross a large crevasses that is spanned by a long, narrow snow bridge. Give this bridge a look before crossing it. Rangers found another snow bridge about 100 feet higher that works as well.

Once on the Corridor, climbers will find firm snow and a boot pack that winds up along sun cups. There are numerous crevasses cutting through the Corridor, so be on your game and pay attention. Evaluate each crevasse crossing for snow bridge integrity before committing to crossing it. Often, a better crevasse crossing or end run is only a short distance from the existing boot pack.

Once your team nears the top of the Corridor, expect a section of steep and exposed climbing leading to the "Alpine Meadow." The fall consequence here is severe, so place pickets or screws to protect your team across this section. The boot pack across the Alpine Meadow dead ends in several places where old snow bridges have fallen in. Be observant here and look for ways to end run crevasses or cross where the snow bridges are thick.

Remember to probe the bridges with your ice axe and communicate with your party members before crossing suspect snow bridges. A partner who is not paying attention won't be much help arresting a fall should a snow bridge collapse.

Above 12,400 feet, the climbing becomes more straightforward as the route heads towards Liberty Saddle. Solid footwork is essential here. The steep, planar snow surface would accelerate a falling climber very quickly. On the traverse towards Liberty Saddle, the boot pack is in good condition, and the route is quite efficient. Above the saddle, continue climbing up towards the crater rim. First you'll see the edge of the west crater rim, then a little higher, the true summit.

The boot pack leading towards Liberty Saddle. Liberty Cap can be seen center right.

With the adventurous route finding, and potential for running belays, be prepared for a long summit day. An early start will allow your team to descend before the hot summer sun weakens snow bridges on the descent. Climb with plenty of water, or a stove to melt snow along the way. Bring ice screws, pickets, and crevasse rescue gear on your climb. August is a great time to experience solitude on the upper mountain, but don't forget to enjoy the wildflowers on the hike out as well!

Disappointment Cleaver Update

Disappointment Cleaver from Dunn's Roll. 8/14/19

Twice in the past four days Rangers conducted patrols of the Disappointment Cleaver route.  Overall, conditions are still quite good for an attempt of this route.  With somewhat cool temperatures off and on this season, the glaciated upper portion of the route is still intact and fairly straightforward.  However, the typical "watch outs” for the route still exist and are consistently producing ice and rock fall hazards.

Watchout Zones!

As per usual, the portion of the route between Ingraham Flats and the Nose of the Cleaver itself--and area known as the Icebox and Bowling Alley--are the greatest contributors to overhead hazard on the route.  The icefall that characterizes the “Icebox” dropped a large serac a couple weeks back and has dropped some additional debris in the last few days.  The current boot pack travels through this debris field. While afternoon warming can be a contributor to ice fall, seracs are also notorious for breaking without warning in the cold of the night.

The next watch out zone of significance is the “Bowling Alley”.  This is the exceptionally loose cliff band that climbers travel under in order to reach the Nose of the Cleaver.  This area is a repeat offender for natural and climber-initiated rock fall.  Over the weekend, a significant natural rock fall event dropped VW bus and microwave size boulders directly across the climbers trail.  Most natural rock fall is the result of daily warming trends, and this event happened midday while a group of 3 climbers sat only 50 feet away donning their crampons for the next glaciated section.  They were still quite spooked when they returned to Camp Muir an hour later!  

Take Home Point - Do not stop moving or rest when significant overhead hazard exists!  This is true even if debris has not yet fallen into a particular piece of terrain, but also where potential overhead hazard exists.  The image below exemplifies where not to rest on the boot pack between Ingraham Flats and the Nose of the Cleaver!

Debris in the Icebox

Camp Muir to Ingraham Flats

This section of the route is straight forward with an obvious boot pack.  However, crevasses are beginning to open up on the Cowlitz Glacier just out of camp and significant crevasses exist below the boot pack.  These are fantastic locations to practice crevasse rescue on a layover day in camp.  The rocky path up to Cathedral Gap is essentially trail walking.  Make sure to keep your crampons on however, as the terrain approaching Ingraham Flats from Cathedral Gap has a large portion of exposed glacier ice.  Slips and falls are common in these conditions, even with spikes underfoot.

Ingraham Flats to the top of the Disappointment Cleaver

Here on volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest, we often refer to mountain ridges as “Cleavers.” The Disappointment Cleaver being the namesake ridge feature of this route.  As mentioned in the “Watchout Zones” section, the portion of the route from Ingraham Flats to the “Nose” of the Disappointment Cleaver has the greatest overhead hazard of the route.  However, once clear of the Bowling Alley, one now becomes a potential contributor to the rockfall hazard!  The route up the ridge is well-wanded and simple walking all the way to the top, as long as you remain on the route.  Stick to the wanded route and be careful of knocking rocks off onto climbers below!  If the terrain doesn’t feel right, take a look around and reassess.

Wanded route on the Cleaver Ridge. Little Tahoma in the Background.

Disappointment Cleaver to the Summit

The glacier above the Cleaver is still in phenomenal shape for climbing.  The local mountain guide services who lead climbs up the mountain have done a fantastic job maintaining the route. The DC would not be nearly as approachable for the average climber without their work.  So thank a guide if you meet one!  The route currently sports a clear boot pack and generous wanding.  However, the wands can be blown away, fall over, or get covered with the next storm’s snow.  Make sure to track your route so that backtracking is easier if you get turned around.  There is currently one significant crevasse problem found at 12,900 feet.  This is being solved with an anchored 12ft. aluminum ladder.  There is fixed snow picket protection both above and below the ladder.  Use these as appropriate to protect a fall.  

Ladder at 12,900 feet

Current Route up the Disappointment Cleaver

Thus concludes this week’s blog update for the Disappointment Cleaver!  Go. Climb Smart. Try Hard!