Archive for the ‘Mt. Rainier’ Category

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Weekend Update

January 15, 2012

Things don’t always go as planned, if they did this job would be boring.

The sun setting on Camp 1. (Photo by Tye Chapman)

Aconcagua
Eben called in with good news on Aconcagua, despite the recent snow, they were able to make their carry to C1. Tomorrow they’ll make the move and establish camp, tonight it’s back to Plaza Argentina for what everybody hopes is a better nights sleep.

Josh Tapp called in from Mendoza. He’s preparing for our next Aconcagua expedition. He’s one duffel bag short, but it sounds like the airlines are straightening things out.

 

IMG HQ/Denali Prep Training Grounds

Mt. Rainier
Greg makes it all the way from Antarctica without a hitch and what happens…? You guessed it, a storm on Mt. Rainier that forced the park to shutdown uphill traffic at Longmire. No worries, the Denali Prep crew hung tight here at HQ and did some training. Sled rigging, crevasse rescue (self-extraction), rope travel with sleds, etc. Probably easier to digest this stuff in a controlled environment anyways.  Tomorrow they’ll head up to Paradise for the remainder of the program.

Ecuador
Phil called in yesterday to report that all is well in Ecuador. Their acclimatization continues today with a hike up Pasachoa (13,780ft).  Then it’s off to our favorite little hacienda – Tierra del Volcan ( Volcano Land) which sits at just about 12,000ft  -a perfect place to sleep and continue the acclimatization.

Tye Chapman

Posted in Aconcagua, Ecuador Volcanoes, Mt. Rainier | Comments Off

All Is Well In South America

January 13, 2012

Ecuador Team on the Equator

Ecuador
Phil called in from Otavalo. The team enjoyed some urban acclimatization with a tour of Old Town Quito. Remember Quito sits at roughly 10,000ft so just getting around town is an adjustment. After their tour they loaded up and made their way to Otavalo, but not without a quick stop at the Equator (see photo). This evening they’ll check out some local weavers in a small town called Peguche. Tomorrow they’ll visit the Otavalo Indian Market.

Argentina
Eben dropped us a line from Aconcagua Base Camp (Plaza Argentina). All is well, though the precipitation theme continues. About an hour of snow fell this afternoon followed by some lightning and thunder; the sun also made an appearance. Their job now is to rest up and prepare for the climb. Burritos tonight and rest day tomorrow.

Chile
Greg’s route from Antarctica to Mt. Rainier continues. He’s made it to Santiago and if all goes to plan he’ll be in Seattle tomorrow afternoon, Ashford tomorrow evening and on Mt. Rainier Sunday morning.

Tye Chapman

Posted in Aconcagua, Ecuador Volcanoes, Mt. Rainier, Vinson (Antarctica) | Comments Off

Vinson Climbers In Punta Arenas

January 12, 2012

IL-76

We received a voice mail from Greg late last night (3am in Antarctica) as they were boarding the IL-76 bound for Punta Arenas, Chile – “We’re coming home”.  Schedules are hard to keep given the nature of the terrain, but this time it all went according to plan.

After a quick siesta Greg Skyped in from his hotel room to say that all went smoothly – just a long flight.  They’ll clean up and head out for one last dinner to celebrate, then it’s time to jump on another long flight.

No rest for the weary… we’ve got Greg booked on our next Winter Seminar here on Mt. Rainier which starts Sunday.  We figure 18 hours is plenty time for Greg to get things in order before he heads back into the field.

Tye Chapman

Posted in Mt. Rainier, Vinson (Antarctica) | Comments Off

A Sad Day At Mount Rainier

January 4, 2012

Park Ranger Margaret Anderson, 34, was fatally shot on Sunday, January 1 at Mount Rainier National Park. After a driver failed to pull over during a routine traffic stop, Ranger Anderson set up a road block to intercept the driver.  The assailant got out of his vehicle and shot Ranger Anderson and then fled on foot. It took 90 minutes for back-up to reach Ranger Anderson because the assailant continued shooting at law enforcement as they arrived. Visitors at the Paradise area were in lock-down at the Jackson Visitor Center along with park staff through the day.

The shooter remained at large through the night. Park staff were assisted in the search for the shooter by Pierce County Sherriff’s Department, Washington State Patrol, and the FBI.

On Monday the 2nd, an aircraft spotted a body lying face down in the vicinity of Narada Falls. Searchers on the ground traversed challenging terrain to reach the subject and confirmed his identity as Benjamin Colton Barnes, the suspect in the shooting. Officials confirm that Barnes was found dead. He apparently died of exposure during the night.

Margaret is survived by her husband Eric, also a National Park employee and two small children.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family.

Source: NPS

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Good Morning Mt. Rainier!

December 13, 2011

Not a bad drive into work this morning!

Tye Chapman

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Some Gift Ideas For The Rainier Climber In Your Life

December 6, 2011

IMG Guide Eben Reckord goes through the gear necessary for one of our 3-day climbs of Mt. Rainier via the DC Route.

Find the perfect gift here in the IMG Online Store.

Tye Chapman

Posted in Gear Q & A, Mt. Rainier | Comments Off

Expect The Best; Prepare For The Worst

November 16, 2011

If you ever plan on climbing Denali then you’ll have to take on Mt. Rainier in the winter.  Winter mountaineering experience is required by all Denali guide services and Mt. Rainier, with its world record snowfall and Denali-like conditions, is the place to do it.

Even if you don’t have your eyes set on Denali you’ll have a new appreciation for Mt. Rainier after a 6.5 day Winter Expedition Ascent or 6.5 day Denali Prep Course.

Current forecast.

Are you up for the challenge?

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Fall Guide Training: Rock Rescue

October 6, 2011

As part of IMG regularly scheduled guide training we ran a guides’ rock rescue course last weekend in Eastern Washington. 15 members of the IMG guide staff turned out. All the guides agreed the training session was an excellent review of current information, and we all came away with a few new ideas and efficiencies to add to our bag of skills.

Most importantly, we got another chance to train together as a team so that we will be even better prepared when we are next called to respond to an emergency. Course instructors included  AMGA/UIAGM certified guides Jeff Ward, John Race and Olivia Race.

Next guide training will be on ice this January in Ouray, CO, followed by a session in May on Mt. Rainier.

George Dunn

Posted in Guide Features, Mt. Rainier | Comments Off

2011 Rainier Season All Wrapped Up

October 5, 2011

Is your name on the 2011 Summit Board or will it be on 2012's?

Snow is falling at Paradise on Mt. Rainier bringing another summer to a screeching halt. It never fails, the summer flies by before we even know it started… climbers come and go and guides pack, climb, unpack & repeat. Before we know it climbers and guides alike are all gone, back to work, or off on a fall rock climbing adventure before ski season officially begins.

Let’s have a look at how this summer went here in the Cascades of the Pacific Northwest:

We had solid success on Rainier this summer even though things got off to a rough start from a weather standpoint. We had some lower than normal freezing levels and a wetter than average May & June. The good news is that the weather didn’t stop people from getting to the top – it just made things a little tougher, colder, wetter, and maybe hindered the views a little which in all honesty made for some bigger than normal smiles on the faces of climbers having earned their summit in some less than ideal conditions! July and August were great months especially since the snow stuck around a lot longer than usual making for easier walking on the lower trails. September was great, as George always says, but only lasted 2 weeks this year.  Storm after storm rolled in bringing with them various forms of precipitation and winds, which at times, topped out at over 100mph making climbing almost impossible.  All that said, our number one goal (safety) stood strong; we didn’t have a single serious incident all season long.

On the upper mountain on the Fuhrer Finger Route. (Photo by Chris Meder)

We ran several new programs inside Mt. Rainier National Park this summer, enjoying summits of Mt. Rainier via the Fuhrer Finger route as well as a guided ascent of Little Tahoma – two great options for anybody who has summitted Rainier in the past and is looking for a new or different objective while still enjoying the beauty and challenge of Mt. Rainier.

On the guide front, Josh McDowell took this year’s prize (Presented by Outdoor Research of course) for the most days on the mountain with 78 days. He also holds the record for the most bacon consumed this summer with close to 700 slices and is also the reigning pancake making champion – the Triple Crown on Rainier.

Up in the North Cascades we ran several trips on Mt. Baker as well as a ton of private climbs on mountains like Torment, Forbidden, Eldorado, Shuksan, Sharkfin Tower,  including great routes like Fischer Chimneys and the Torment-Forbidden Traverse among others. Climbing in the North Cascades is a popular next step for our climbers after a successful climb on Mt. Rainier. We’re able to set up smaller private groups allowing our climbers and guides to reunite on other, often more technical, climbing objectives.

Any way you look at it we had a great summer. Everybody worked hard scheduling and outfitting our 50 plus guides & 1000 plus climbers on over 100 climbs, on numerous routes and mountains over the course of the last 5 ½ months.

We’re out of white gas, the tents need to be repaired, the boots need to be de-funked, and the hot chocolate is running dangerously low which means it’s time to take a breath and a  quick break then get fired up about next summer – it’ll be here before we know it.

Tye Chapman

Posted in IMG News, Mt. Rainier | Comments Off

The Challenge Of Rainier – 40th Anniversary Edition

September 25, 2011

Challenge Of Rainier 40th Anniversary Edition

The Challenge of Rainier – 40th Anniversary Edition by Dee Molenaar is set to be released in October.

The 40th anniversary edition includes restored illustrations and historical photographs, and a new foreword by Ed Viesturs as well as updated route information, accident statistics, and more through 2010.

To those viewing Mount Rainier from afar, the mountain can be elusive, hiding behind cloud cover. But when it’s fully visible, its beauty stops even jaded locals in their tracks. Even at a distance, the snow-covered volcano seems massive and alluring.

Many Everest veterans have trained on Rainier, honing their skills while working as climbing guides. The first American to reach the summit of Everest, Jim Whittaker, was a Rainier guide during the 1950s, while Ed Viesturs, the first American to climb all fourteen 8000-meter peaks, guided on Rainier during the 1980s. Many climbers aspire to nothing more than to reach Rainier’s summit via one or more of the many and varied routes on the mountains, and hikers enjoy the challenge of the encircling ninety-three-mile Wonderland Trail.

In his classic work of climbing history, The Challenge of Rainier, Dee Molenaar has gathered the human history of Mount Rainier from the first European observations of the mountain in 1792 through the early explorations, historic climbs, and development of the national park, to modern-day speed records and quirky “firsts.” He has drawn not only on his own seventy-year-history with the mountain but also on interviews with notable figures and on guide and park records to compile basic facts about getting around the mountain, personal anecdotes, and accounts of some of the tragedies and amazing survivals that have occurred on its flanks.

Dee Molenaar’s professional association with Mount Rainier began in 1940 when Clark Schurman, then chief guide on the mountain, suggested he “give up milking cows, enroll in college, and guide during the summers.” Dee is nationally known for his detailed maps and illustrations that have appeared in many books and periodicals.

432 pages * 7 x 8 1/2 * 100 B&W photographs * 10 charts * $24.95 * paperbound * ISBN 978-1-59485-520-7

On store shelves October 2011, soon available on Kindle, Nook, other e-book platforms

Published by The Mounaineers Books

 

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