Entries from Mount Rainier

Our final program of the Mt. Rainier season wrapped up with an action-packed Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir! The team experienced a true taste of mountain conditions, with a wide variety of weather—including fresh snow—providing excellent opportunities to learn.

Throughout the seminar, climbers practiced essential skills including crevasse rescue, rappelling, glacier travel, and rope techniques, building confidence and gaining valuable experience on the mountain.

The team also made a summit attempt but ultimately turned around due to route conditions. While the summit wasn’t in the cards this time, the experience provided some great lessons in mountain decision-making and safety.

As we close out another season, we want to extend a huge thank you to all of our climbers and guides who made this year so memorable. We appreciate your hard work, enthusiasm, and commitment to learning and adventure. We’ll see you on the mountain next season!

The Five Day Climb led by RMI Guides Ben Luedtke and George Hedreen were unable to travel above Camp Muir due to stormy weather and low visibility. During their two days on the mountain, the team received a few inches of new snow. Despite the challenging conditions, the climbers made the most of their time on Mount Rainier before descending.

The Five Day Climb team, August 27–30, led by RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Joe Crawford, reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning!

Pete reported a beautiful day overall, with light winds as the team reached 13,800' around 7:30 a.m. Winds increased as they climbed higher, but the team continued upward and reached the summit around 8:00 a.m.

They are currently descending from the crater rim and will return to Camp Muir for a quick break before continuing down to Paradise later this afternoon.

Their patience yesterday in waiting out the storm paid off, as did having two nights on the mountain, which allowed for a more flexible itinerary. The team was able to take advantage of improved conditions and stand on top of Mt. Rainier today.

Nice work, team!

Congratulations to the Four Day Climb team, led by RMI Guides Stella Johnson and Dustin Wittmier, on reaching the 14,410-foot summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning!

Despite cold temperatures and strong winds, the team was rewarded with clear skies above the cloud layer surrounding Paradise. They are currently descending and expect to arrive back at Camp Muir shortly.

Well done, Team!

The Four Day Day Climb August 24 - 27, 2026 led by RMI Guide Joe Hoch and Nick Sinapius were forced to turn around today due to high winds.  The teams left Camp Muir but the winds were just too strong and they retreated safely to Camp Muir. The teams plan to leave Camp Muir around 9:30 am and descend to Paradise.

The Four Day Climb August 23 - 26 led by RMI Guides Dan May and Mac Nolde were turned back by high winds at Ingraham Flats (11,200') this morning.  They returned to Camp Muir around 3 am.  The teams will start their descent from Camp Muir around 9am.

The Four Day Climb August 22 - 25 led by RMI Guide George Hedreen reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning and enjoyed some time in the summit crater.  They began their descend from the crater rim around 7 am.  Once back at Camp Muir the team will take a quick break before continuing down to Paradise later this afternoon.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

The Four Day teams led by Jess Wedel and Hannah Blum summited Mt. Rainier this morning. They were descending from the crater rim around 7:30 am. The teams reported a perfect day. We'll see both teams back in Ashford later today. 

The Five Day Climb led by Will Ambler and Avery Stolte reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning and enjoyed a bit of time in the summit crater.  They started their descent from the crater rim shortly after 7 am. The teams will have a short break at Camp Muir and then continue to Paradise later this afternoon.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

The Four Day climb led by RMI guides George Hedreen and Joe Crawford reached the summit of Mt Rainier this morning around 6am. They reported cool temperatures, but a lovely morning. They are currently on their descent back to Camp Muir and will be returning to Ashford this afternoon. 

Great work up there, team!