Muir Snowfield and Ingraham Direct Update

For the holiday weekend, expect wintry conditions to persist on the mountain, especially above Paradise. Frontal systems moving through our area during the next couple of days will be unseasonably cold, wet and windy. Expect multiple inches of new snow each day Saturday and Sunday, with the highest concentration predicted to fall Saturday. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory from 1PM Saturday to 5PM Sunday.

A ranger skins uphill near Panorama Point.

Of course it's still 100% snow from Paradise to Muir. It's a 'choose your own adventure' mashup of skin tracks and boot packs to the base of Panorama Point where everyone converges on the main chute to get up 'Pan Face'. Above that the boot pack trends NNE aiming towards McClure Rock and the Sugarloaf. This is what rangers and guides call the 'winter route'.

There are very few rocks exposed on the Muir Snowfield. Expect whiteout conditions, which can happen without notice despite any weather forecast. Please prepared to travel without visibility by recording a GPS track so you can get back to your starting point.

For a GPS device or cell phone to be useful for navigation the device must be and stay charged throughout your travels. Bring equipment to recharge if needed. Ensure the appropriate maps are downloaded for the area. If technology fails you, a map and compass can be a lifesaver. Below is a helpful NPS map not to be used as a topographic map, but it notes key features along the route, GPS coordinates, and the compass bearings to Camp Muir and back to Paradise. 

Camp Muir is very much still in winter conditions. NPS high camp workers, rangers, and the guides have all been teaming up to dig out the camp despite consistent new snow. As of 5/22/2022 there are five working bathrooms, 2 on the West side of camp, and 3 on the East side.

We are trying to discourage folks from urinating in bathrooms which operate on a conveyor system that is prone to freezing. Instead to dispose of urine waste on the snowfield side of camp and as far away from camp as possible. There are also no blue bag receptacles, currently, at Camp Muir. Please transport your blue bags down to Paradise for disposal.  Also, The public shelter has been reopened for normal use after being closed since 2020.

Camp Muir from Muir Peak

While climber success remains abnormally low, a few teams of guided parties and independent climbers have made the summit recently. Weather and heightened avalanche danger have been the main reasons for unsuccessful summit bides. We expect that to continue to be the case through the weekend and into next week.

Rangers have been busy opening the camp and have not yet been to the summit so information is a little thin on route conditions. The Ingraham Direct is 'in' but with several crevasses to traverse. With a winter storm advisory we can expect the exact route to change over the weekend but below is the track take by an independent team that went to the summit on May 23.

Please continue to use your winter mindset when preparing for a climb of Mt Rainier. Avalanche danger continues to outweigh most of the 'normal' hazards and if your team is not prepared to perform avalanche risk management please reconsider the timing of your climb.

Good Weather for the Weekend But Please Use Restraint

It looks like winter's icy grip is about to loosen for the weekend and that is cause for some celebration, but we're asking climbers and skiers to use some restraint before rushing to the mountain this weekend. Caution is advised due to the combination of two heightened risk factors:

1) A human-factor of Scarcity due to a lack of recent opportunities to recreate can create a self imposed pressure to finally take advantage of a nice weekend. And, the unusually cold and snowy spring we've been experiencing has thwarted many plans so it may be tempting to rush to take advantage of this weather window. Social media can also contribute to the fervor and increase the pressure you put on yourself to take on a big objective.  Stay true to your ability level and maximize your enjoyment! 

2) A Rapid Warming on a snowpack that is currently in a mid-winter condition. The climbing rangers have observed a widespread natural avalanche cycle with avalanches of up to size 3 (large enough to destroy cars and small buildings) within the past four days. This cycle will likely continue as the temperatures and solar input increases.  Guides have also been reporting sudden reactions on wind slabs above 10,000 feet.  There's no avalanche forecast for the upper mountain.  Use your judgement (of knowledge of your lack of experience to make a good judgement) to know when to turn around. 

During the past few good weather windows we have had several human triggered avalanches in the Nisqually Chutes and one prolonged rescue high on the Kautz Glacier. All of these incidents were a direct result of groups trying to 'squeeze-in' their objective during a break in the weather and could have been avoided by taking a tactical pause and assessing conditions objectively. 

So that's what we're asking the climbing and skiing community to do, collectively. Slow down, take a breath, talk to your partners and communicate with each other about the risk you are taking.  There's an above average and seemingly deep snowpack, and we should be climbing and skiing in great conditions well into the summer.   We want folks to enjoy, but be able to return to the mountain!

NPS/Waterfall Photo

April Showers.. and May Storms!

It's been an unprecedented stormy start to the summer on Mount Rainier.  Prepare for full winter conditions for any adventure in the park this May.  Not much to report conditions-wise since weather has been shutting most of the climbing and skiing down.  Use caution when entering onto steeper slopes on the upper mountain - the snow pack hasn't transitioned to a regular spring diurnal pattern yet, and there could be hazardous conditions with all of the new snow.  

The Paradise Wilderness Information Center (PWIC) is already open on weekends - come on up and register in-person!  Self-registration is still in effect during the weekdays until May 27th.  After May 27th the PWIC will be open everyday through the end of the climbing season in September.  Paying the Climbing Fee and obtaining a Climbing Permit is required for all climbers and skiers who journey above 10,000 feet or onto a glacier - even folks doing a single-push style ascent.

Rangers were able to get up in the helicopter for some aviation training and snapped some photos of the upper mountain.  See below for some photos taken May 10th and 11th.  We're excited for more stable weather patterns and a bit more sunshine - and excited to see everyone up on the mountain soon! 

Twenty Twenty Two

Mount Rainier with it's winter snow coat.

 

Winter weather still lingers here at Mount Rainier National Park with a seemingly endless atmospheric river running through the sky and the freezing levels lingering around the three to four thousand foot level.  Longer days with the sun reaching higher in the sky have made advances in bringing a spring-like feel to the lower slopes below treeline, with some pesky alders already sticking up through the snow in the Tatoosh, but above at Camp Muir and the upper slopes of the mountain there's still deep winter conditions.  Any team adventuring up on to the mountain in the winter months should be self-reliant and have their own contingency plan in place in case of a mishap or injury.  

The Tatoosh Range on a rare sun break, just south of Mount Rainier.

Check out the park's website for information regarding climbing permits this summer season.  The early-access reservation lottery results were just released on March 14th.  For those who won the lottery, access to make a reservation will start rolling out March 21st.  For those who didn't win the lottery or didn't apply, climbing permit reservations will be available starting April 25th.  There's a table with all of the important dates on the recreation.gov website.  

Keep an eye on the weather using some of the great resources we have here in the NW (see the Weather Resources tab above), make sure to get your climbing permit reservations, keep your winter fitness training plans going, and we'll see you here atop the mountain this coming summer climbing season!

Fall Skiing Considerations

 

Backcountry skiers and snowboarders near Panorama Pt. -NPS Photo

A series of storms has deposited new snow on the mountain over the last few weeks. Skiers and snowboarders have taken advantage of clear weather between systems to start their winter season. On Saturday, Oct 30 the upper lot at Paradise was full by 10:30am, mostly with snow-sliders. Conditions this time of year are always a mixed-bag and coverage is usually spotty at best.

The Paradise area trails are still exposed in most places with very slippery patches of ice in places. Skiers/boarders carried their equipment on their packs up to the top of Panorama Point for the most part. Above there the Muir snowfield was mostly covered in rime ice with a few patches of soft snow near 9000'. Many people turned around at 9000' or below where the rime was very slick. A few (mostly the ones that brought ski-crampons) made it to Camp Muir where the weather was calm and quite warm compared to Paradise.

Please remember that at this time of year the days are short and the gate at Longmire is on winter hours. Plan your turn around time to make to back to your vehicle with enough time to be down by the time the road closes to traffic. Please look here for all of the Park's road status.

Remember that emergency response is more difficult when the trails are snow covered. Ski, ride, hike well within your abilities as the winter environment on Mt. Rainier is extremely harsh.

Another issue this time of year is the trampling of vegetation. A thin layer of snow may allow one to slide on skis or snowboard but it may not be sufficient to protect the wildflower species that Paradise is famous for. The Dead Horse Creek junction was hit especially hard over the weekend. Have fun and enjoy your park but please give the plants a break while they go dormant until next July.

Skier and hiker tracks near Dead Horse Creek. -NPS Photo

Autumn/Winter 2021

Summer is officially over and the climbing season is pretty much wrapped up here on Mt Rainier. The end of the season was a unique one for sure with most routes becoming significantly impacted by significant heat waves this summer. This resulted in more crevassing on the glaciers and increased rockfall on the ridges.

Snowfall has returned however, and while this is a good thing for the mountain in general it does make an autumn or early winter ascent particularly dangerous. Crevasses are just barely covered with a thin blanket of snow. And so, be prepared to rope-up: have helmets, harnesses, ice axes, crampons, pickets and other glacier travel equipment with you, potentially just to travel to Camp Muir! 

The Cowlitz Glacier and Cathedral Rocks

In the regular season, a trip to Camp Muir can be done without that extra equipment, but this year's late-season conditions are extreme and especially dangerous with icy, crevassed surface conditions being hidden by fresh snow. Any climber attempting the summit this time of year should consider it an off-season climb and be very experienced, totally self-sufficient, and realize that any emergency help could be not just hours, but days away.  

Late season storms can roll in with little warning and can be much more vigorous and longer lasting than summer squalls. Please check the weather forecast before starting your trip - click on the Weather Resources tab above for some starting places - but keep in mind that forecasting for Mt Rainier is very difficult, so prepare for the unexpected! Stretches of beautiful summer-like weather can also be possible, and late-season visits do offer more solitude than the more popular times, but please be cautious this time of year.

All climbers are still required to pay the annual climbing fee (which can be done online ahead of time) and obtain a climbing permit (which has switched to self-registration for the winter season and can be done in-person at the trailhead).  Enjoy the change of seasons and climb safe!