MEALS

On the Mt. Rainier Five Day Climb, you will need four days of climbing food, including four mountain lunches, two dinners, and two breakfasts while on the mountain.

OVERVIEW

Nutrition while training and nutrition while climbing are two very different things. You may follow a specific nutrition regimen while training to aid your desired outcomes, but once it comes to the climb, calories are what count the most. While climbing, you are trying to maximize energy and performance over a short period of time.

Our food priorities when climbing are:

• a high-calorie intake
• a variety of flavor profiles (sweet, salty, sour, etc.)
• durability/packability
• enjoyment

Caloric requirements will vary widely from climber to climber based on physical size and metabolism. It is important for you to know what your body requires. One of the normal, albeit disconcerting, adjustments to altitude is a slight loss of appetite. Bring food you enjoy. If you don't love a food at home, you certainly won't like it on the mountain!

At Camp Muir, hot and cold water will be provided for your meals, drinks, and refilling water bottles. When planning your menu, don't bring any items that require extensive preparation, cooking, or simmering. We are able to provide you with boiling water but do not have the ability to actually cook food items.

Things to keep in mind as you plan your meals:

• How much space the food will take in your backpack
• How well the food will hold up throughout the trip in your backpack
• How much waste does the food produce

Consider repacking items into smaller Ziploc bags to minimize the space in your pack. Your food will get crammed into your backpack, jostled around, exposed to extreme temperatures, and even sat on (by you, of course!). What holds up better in these conditions, two slices of bread or a bagel? When packing, it is essential to consider the waste you will produce on the climb; after all, you have to carry it off the mountain. We've already mentioned repacking items to minimize space. Repacking items can also eliminate waste!

MOUNTAIN LUNCHES

Mountain lunches, aka snacks, are eaten during short breaks throughout the day. We continually snack to keep our energy levels up while we climb. We typically take rest breaks every hour or so to adjust our clothing layers, eat, and hydrate. Avoid packing any items that require preparation or hot water at each break. In terms of quantity, aim to bring 1 lb. of climbing food per day. We suggest using snack or sandwich-size Ziploc bags to portion out snack food.

The importance of having foods that you genuinely enjoy cannot be overstated. Eating properly is the key to maintaining strength while in the mountains. To combat the loss of appetite at altitude, we aim to have a variety of foods that stimulate the whole palate, from sweet to sour to salty. See the sample menu and packing list below for ideas!

• Cold Pizza
• Bagel sandwich
• Tortilla wraps
• Chips
• Trail Mix
• Peanut butter pretzels
• Chocolate covered pretzels
• Apple slices
• Crackers
• Cookies
• Candy Bars
• Protein Bars
• Chewy Candy
• Veggies and hummus

Pro tip:

Feel fancy! Charcuterie (cured meat, cheese, and crackers) makes a great mountain lunch!

Breakfast

Single-serving instant oatmeal, Cream-of-Wheat, or granola make a good main course fare. A variety of granola bars, pastries, fruit, and a hot drink mix of coffee, tea, cocoa, or cider are suggested. Plan on eating a breakfast that tastes good and you find filling. See the sample menu and packing list below for additional ideas!

• Instant hot cereal (Oatmeal, Cream-of-Wheat, Cream-of-Rice, etc.)
• Granola or cereal
• Freeze-dried breakfast (Mountain House, Peak Refuel, Mountain Zora, and Katadyn's Alpine Aire all have breakfast options)
• Add-ins like individual servings of peanut butter or honey, raisins or craisins, or a few tablespoons of powdered milk can put your mountain cereal game over the top.

Pro tip:

Think outside the box. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (on bagels) or ramen make great breakfast options!

Dinner

This meal will give your body the initial fuel it needs during your summit attempt. Spend time considering your options so that you go to bed nourished and ready for the climb ahead of you. Freeze-dried entrees are very convenient mountain dinners. Pay attention to the caloric quantity – it varies from meal to meal. See the sample menu and packing list below for more ideas!

• Freeze-dried entrée (Mountain House, Peak Refuel, Mountain Zora, and Katadyn's Alpine Aire have a wide variety of options)
• Instant soups (including Cup-O'Noodles and ramen)
• Cold pizza
• Cold fried chicken
• Pasta salad
• Bagel sandwich

Pro tip:

Have a tasting party of freeze-dried entrees to test them out before your climb.

BEVERAGES

Staying hydrated on the climb is crucial. You will have access to ample cold water while at Camp Muir for drinking and replenishing water bottles. When climbing, you will want to ration how much water you drink at each rest break to ensure you have water throughout your climb. You can expect breaks to occur approximately every hour or so of climbing.

Pro tip:

Skip the water bladder and practice rationing your water while training.

Just as with food, it is important to have a variety of things to drink that excite your taste buds. You may love water, but it may not sound good at 10,000'! Drink mixes such as Gatorade, Kool-Aid, Liquid IV, Nuun, etc., are great for flavor. Hot beverage options are also an important component to consider while at Camp Muir. Coffee, tea, cocoa, and cider are great ways to warm up in the evening before bed, when you wake up for your alpine start on summit day, and to recharge once back at Camp Muir.

• Drink Mixes (Gatorade, Kool-Aid, Liquid IV, and Nuun are great for flavor variety)
• Instant coffee (Starbucks Via is a great option for being pre-portioned)
• Assorted tea
• Instant cocoa
• Instant cider

SAMPLE MENU

This is an example of what someone may eat for each meal on the Mt. Rainier Four Day Climb. Use this to guide and inspire your own meal planning.

Day 1 – Orientation | No Mountain Meals Needed

Day 2 – Mountaineering Day School | 1 Mountain Lunch

• Water
• Bagel sandwich with salami, cheese slices, and mustard
• Oreos
• Chips
• Apple slices

Day 3 – Climb to Camp Muir | 1 Mountain Lunch, 1 Dinner

• Lunch, in several parts

  • Water
  • Peanut butter pretzels
  • Candy bar
  • Goldfish
  • Sour Patch kids
  • Trail mix
  • Hummus and crackers
  • Salami, cheese, crackers
  • Chips

• Dinner

  • Mountain House beef stroganoff
  • Veggies and hummus
  • Hot cocoa

Day 4 – Additional training | 1 breakfast, 1 Mountain Lunch, 1 Dinner

• Breakfast

  • Instant oatmeal with one packet of honey, one packet of peanut butter, and some raisins
  • Coffee

• Lunch, in several parts

  • Water
  • Peanut butter pretzels
  • Candy bar
  • Goldfish
  • Sour Patch kids
  • Trail mix
  • Hummus and crackers
  • Salami, cheese, crackers, or bagel (sandwich)
  • Apple slices
  • Chips

• Dinner

  • Peak Refuel Chicken Coconut Curry
  • Veggies and hummus
  • Hot tea

Day 5 – Summit Day and Descent | 1 Breakfast, 1 Mountain Lunch

• Breakfast

  • Instant oatmeal with one packet of honey, one packet of peanut butter, and some raisins
  • Coffee

• Lunch, in many parts

  • Water
  • Energy Gel or Chews
  • Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
  • Cliff Bar
  • Salami, Cheese, Crackers, or bagel (sandwich)
  • M&Ms
  • Peanut butter crackers or pretzels
  • Granola Bar
  • Candy bar
  • Small cookies

SAMPLE PACKING LIST

This is an example of quantities when thinking about packing the food listed in our Sample Menu. While it is important to keep in mind space and weight, it is also important to pack enough food. When in doubt, err on the side of packing more food. Better to take food off the mountain with you than to go hungry. Besides, you can always share or trade food with your teammates! Use this packing list as a guide for your own meal packing, so you won't forget anything (a salami sandwich without mustard is a sad sandwich).

• Ziploc bags (sandwich size) for portioning food
• Bagels (3 – 4)
• Salami, pre-sliced (1 package)
• Cheese, pre-sliced (1 package)
• Oreos or other cookies* (2 – 3 lunch-size packs or about 8 Oreos)
• Chips (3 small lunch-sized bags)
• Apple slices (2 apples)
• Peanut butter pretzels or crackers* (enough to portion into 3 Ziplocs)
• Candy Bars (3 – 4 assorted), ones with nuts/peanut butter and chocolate, are great for combining quick energy and lasting energy
• Goldfish* (enough to portion into 3 Ziplocs)
• Chewy candy such as Starbursts or Sour Patch Kids (2 – 3 packages)
• Trail mix* (enough to portion into 3 Ziplocs), Target and Trader Joe's have excellent trail mix options
• M&Ms (2 – 3 bags), great for snacking or for adjusting the chocolate-to-nut ratio in your trail mix
• Crackers* (enough to portion into 2 – 4 Ziplocs)
• Hummus (3 individual packets)
• Freeze-dried dinner entrée
• Veggies such as carrots and celery* (enough for 2 Ziplocs)
• Instant oatmeal (3 packets)
• Energy Gels or Chews (7 – 8 total)
• Granola and/or Protein Bars (3 – 4 bars)
• Hot cocoa (2 – 3 packets)
• Tea (2 – 3 packets)
• Instant coffee (2 – 3 packets)
• Nuun (3 – 4 packets or tablets)

• Condiments

  • Mustard (2 – 4 individual packets)
  • Mayo (2 – 4 individual packets)
  • Honey (2 packets)
  • Peanut butter (2 pouches)
  • Raisins (2 kids lunch size boxes)
  • Sugar, as needed for your coffee/tea
  • Instant creamer, as needed for your coffee/tea

*Portion these items into Ziploc bags for snacks. This will allow you to pull them out easily during our rest breaks to refuel your body.

Pro tip:

Package your sandwiches without the condiments into a Ziploc bag. Add the condiments (in their individual packets to the bag). When it's time to eat, pull out the one bag, top your sandwich with the condiments, and enjoy!

GUIDE PICKS

RMI Guides climb A LOT. They've eaten a lot of food in the mountains and know what food they absolutely LOVE and what to leave behind. Here are some of their favorite foods to pack:

James Bealer

"I don't go on a climb without packing lots of Oreos!"

Pete Van Deventer

"I am a big fan of baguette sandwiches. Prosciutto, brie or a good hard cheese, slices of cucumber, and a touch of butter on the bread!"

Kiira Antenucci

"I love bringing veggies, hummus, cheese, and the olive packs from Trader Joe's… it's a charcuterie board at altitude!"

Dominic Cifelli

"Anything fresh, pizza, a sub, some fruit, etc. That's how I stay on top of my game in the mountains." OR "Anything I'd crave on my couch at home. Chips, chocolate, and cheese. If I wouldn't eat it at home, I probably wouldn't want it at altitude!"

Jackson Breen

"I like to have something salty and savory to compliment the sweeter options. My go-to is leftover nachos wrapped in tin foil. Make sure you leave the sauce out, or you'll have a soggy mess on your hands!"

BEN LUEDTKE

"I bring a twinkie with me on every climb to the summit. And I never forget my baby Nalgene with coffee for the first portion of the climb!"

Dustin Wittmier

"Caffeinated Nuun tablets! They make water more palatable, and I prefer the caffeinated variety for a boost in the middle of the night."

Payments

Deposit Payments: A non-refundable deposit payment of $450 per person secures your reservation.

• Deposit payments may be made via MasterCard, Visa, American Express*, e-check/ACH, check from a U.S. bank, or wire transfer**.
  • **Wire transfers must cover all fees charged by your bank. The amount of the incoming wire to our bank must equal the balance payment amount.

Balance Payments: The balance payment is due 120 days before the start of your program.

• Balance payments may be made via MasterCard, Visa, American Express*, e-check/ACH, check from a U.S. bank or wire transfer.**
  • **Wire transfers must cover all fees charged by your bank. The amount of the incoming wire to our bank must equal the balance payment amount.
• A payment reminder is emailed approximately three weeks before your payment due date. If your balance payment is not received 120 days before the start of your program, your reservation will be canceled, and all program fees forfeited.
• Payment in full is required when registering for a program within 120 days of the departure date.

*There is a 3% surcharge on all credit/debit card transactions. Credit/debit cards are not accepted for payments of $10,000 or more.

Cancellation

The $450 per person deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable.

• All cancellations require written notification. Once the RMI Office receives your written notification of cancellation, the following policy applies:
  • If you cancel 120 or more days before the start of your program, the $450 per person deposit will not be refunded.
  • If you cancel less than 120 days before the start of your program, no refunds or credits will be issued.

Due to the time-sensitive nature of these programs, and the amount of preparation time required for this program, we strictly adhere to our policy and cannot make exceptions for any reason.

Cancellation Insurance

We highly recommend travel insurance for this trip. Please see our Travel Tab for details.

Change of Date

Date changes are subject to availability and apply only to the current climbing season. Date changes may be requested at anytime up to 90 days prior to your departure date for a $200 fee per person. There are no date changes allowed less than 90 days before departure.

Risk Management

Please clearly understand that mountaineering is inherently a hazardous sport. Managing risk is RMI’s number one priority. Our guides manage significant hazards inherent in mountaineering, but they cannot eliminate them. Objective hazards include rockfall, icefall, avalanches, slides or falls by individuals and rope teams on steeper slopes, weather-related problems including cold, heat, high winds, and other unnamed dangers that can occur while climbing. 

You are choosing to engage in an activity in which guided and non-guided climbers have been injured and killed. While those accidents are indeed infrequent, they may occur at any time and be out of our control. We ask that participants acknowledge the risk and hazards of mountaineering and make their own choices about whether or not to engage in this activity.

Summit Attempt

RMI cannot guarantee that you will reach the summit. Weather, route conditions, your own abilities, or the abilities of other climbers may create circumstances that make an ascent unsafe, and you or your entire group may have to turn around without reaching the summit. 

Failure to reach the summit due to a person’s own lack of fitness or to any of the events associated with mountaineering (such as weather, route conditions, avalanche hazard, team dynamics, etc.) are not Rainier Mountaineering, Inc.’s responsibility and will not result in a refund, credit, or reschedule.

Participant Responsibilities

Mountaineering is both an individual challenge and a team endeavor. Each Participant is required to share in the responsibility of the safety and success of the team. For this reason, we ask that each Participant:

• Possess the necessary physical and mental fitness required for this program.
• Review and understand all program information.
• Update the RMI Office if there are any changes to your health or medical information before departure.
• Be properly attired and equipped as outlined in the Equipment List.
• Act in a considerate manner toward all team members. 
• Help minimize our environmental impact and follow appropriate Leave No Trace practices.
• Describe yourself, honestly and accurately, in terms of fitness, health, skills, abilities, and equipment to your guide staff.
• Communicate with your guide staff if there are any changes in your medications or health while on your program.
• Adhere to the advice of your guide staff.
• Continue to self-assess throughout the program, evaluating your fitness, health, skills, and abilities in terms of the demands required of the program.

RMI reserves the right to dismiss the Participant from a program or to send the Participant to a lower altitude at any time if the RMI Guide Staff determines, in its sole discretion, that the Participant is not physically, technically, or psychologically prepared for, or capable of participating in the program, or for any other reason that may compromise the safety, health, or well-being of the Participant or the entire group. If this decision is made, the Participant will not receive any refunds or credits and will be financially responsible for all additional costs associated with an early departure, including, but not limited to, evacuation, transportation, hotel reservations, meals, etc. 

Zero Tolerance Harassment Policy

RMI does not tolerate harassment or mistreatment of our participants or employees. Inappropriate conduct under this policy may include conduct that creates a disrespectful, intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment for a participant or employee. Engaging in such conduct is a violation of this policy.

RMI may consider conduct to be in violation of the policy even if it falls short of unlawful harassment under applicable law. When determining whether conduct violates this policy, we will consider whether a reasonable person could conclude that the conduct created an intimidating, hostile, degrading, or demeaning environment.

Violating this policy may result in removal from a program and refusal to provide services indefinitely. We place the utmost value on the safety of our participants and employees. Please report any incidents to RMI management.

Age requirements

All participants must be 18 years old at the time of registration.

General Policies

RMI’s program schedule and itineraries are subject to change or adjustment based on a number of factors. These include, but are not limited to, route conditions, weather, group strength, terrain, or other environmental factors, and many other factors. RMI has complete discretion to change plans to accommodate any of these or other factors, including but not limited to increases in program fees, changes to program schedule or itinerary, and changes to guides or staff, as necessary for the proper and safe conduct of the program. Once the program has started, the Lead Guide will decide on any changes to the itinerary, including ending the program early if the continuation of the program may compromise the safety, health, or well-being of the group.  

We reserve the right to cancel any program due to inadequate signups, weather, route conditions, or for any other reason. In such a case, we will make every effort to reschedule the Participant on a different program date. If rescheduling is not possible, we will issue the Participant a refund for all program fees paid to RMI, less any non-refundable payments made on behalf of the Participant in preparation of the program and prior to the cancellation of the program. These non-refundable portions of the program include but are not limited to, the Cost Recovery Fee and Entrance Fee paid to the National Park Service. RMI cannot be responsible for any non-refundable expenses the Participant incurred in preparation for the program (i.e., airline tickets, hotel reservations, rental cars, equipment purchases or rentals, etc.). 

Once a program begins, there are no refunds or credits for weather-related cancellations or for a program that may end early due to weather, route conditions, or any other circumstances that may compromise the health, safety, or well-being of the group. Furthermore, if the Participant decides for any reason not to begin a program or to discontinue a program at any time, no refunds or credits will be issued. The Participant will be responsible for all additional costs associated with an early departure, including, but not limited to, evacuation, transportation, hotel reservations, meals, etc. 

Land Costs are provided as a package, and refunds or credits will not be issued for any unused costs. 

The Participant understands and agrees that RMI assumes no responsibility or liability in connection with any travel and hospitality services provided to the Participant by other companies in connection with the program, including, but not limited to, the services provided by airlines, hotels, rental cars, and transportation companies. In addition, RMI is not responsible for any act, error, omission, or any injury, loss, accident, delay, irregularity, or danger by a supplier of travel or hospitality services to the Participant in connection with the RMI program. The Participant will be responsible for all costs associated with any travel delays, missed connections, or missing baggage that requires additional arrangements (separate transportation, hotel accommodations, meals, etc.) to be made on your behalf for you or your baggage to rejoin the program.