30+ Liter Backpack
A mid-sized pack for carrying personal gear, layers, food, and water during the climb. Can also serve as carry-on luggage and for sightseeing.

1 Day
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Skill Development
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$500
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Pay in Full
Deposit
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Novice
A private, custom-arranged mountaineering school on Mount Rainier — your group, one guide, one day.
Day-by-day program overview.
Fitness, experience, and preparation.
Gear requirements for this program.
Meals and nutrition on the mountain.
Getting there and local logistics.
Booking, cancellations, and requirements.
Common questions, direct answers.
What climbers are saying.
Every curriculum is designed one-on-one with RMI's Head of Custom Programs around the specific skills you want to learn.
A 3:1 maximum ratio puts you in direct, sustained contact with an RMI guide for the entire day.

Mount Rainier's alpine snow terrain gives you a real training ground, not a classroom simulation.
Custom Instruction is a single day on Mount Rainier built entirely around what you want to learn. Rather than working through a fixed syllabus, you start by talking through your goals with RMI's Head of Custom Programs, who translates them into a curriculum for the day: a broad introduction to glacier travel for a climber just getting started, a focused session on crevasse rescue systems for someone tightening up a specific skill, or a Mt. McKinley-specific tune-up for a climber getting ready for a bigger expedition.
This program is arranged on a custom basis rather than sold as a scheduled departure. Those places are yours to fill — bring friends or family, or climb one-to-one with your guide. You will not be joined by other climbers.
Once the curriculum is set, an RMI guide takes it from plan to practice on the mountain, working with you and up to two other climbers at a 3:1 ratio for the full day. That kind of sustained, direct instruction is hard to find inside a standard group course, where time gets divided across a fixed agenda and a full roster of climbers. Here, the day moves at your pace, and the guide can slow down, repeat a technique, or push further into a topic depending on how the morning goes.
Climbers leave with more than a checklist of skills practiced. They leave with a clear, guide-verified sense of where they stand: what they've already got solid, what needs more work, and what the next step in their climbing should look like.
RMI has guided climbers on Mount Rainier since 1969, and that history directly shapes how Custom Instruction is run. Our guides have spent decades teaching the exact skills this program covers, from crampon technique on the Paradise snowfields to full rescue-system builds higher on the mountain, and that depth is what makes a genuinely custom curriculum possible rather than just a private version of a group course.
Before you set foot on the mountain, you work directly with RMI's Head of Custom Programs to translate your goals into a day plan, and your guide arrives already briefed on what you want to accomplish. That planning step is what separates this program from an ad hoc private lesson: the curriculum is deliberate, the pacing is built around your ability, and the day adjusts in real time based on how the morning's instruction goes.
Every Custom Instruction day is run with the same risk management standards RMI applies across all of its Rainier programs, from terrain selection to guide-to-climber ratios to how instruction is sequenced as conditions change through the day. To learn more about RMI's history on Mount Rainier and how our guides are trained, visit our About page.






Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. is an authorized Concessioner of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. is authorized to provide guided mountaineering services, mountaineering day school, alpine training, and guided winter activities within Mount Rainier National Park.
Address comments to:
Superintendent | Mount Rainier National Park
55210 238th Avenue East
Ashford, WA 98304


All our climbs in Mt. Rainier & Denali National Parks are 100% carbon neutral. We have acquired offsets for greenhouse gas emissions through our partnership with Ostrom Climate, Canada's top carbon management solutions provider. Their carbon offset projects undergo rigorous verification by third parties to validate that emission reductions are genuine and permanent, ensuring that our contribution is making a tangible impact.
Your day begins at RMI's Rainier BaseCamp in Ashford before heading into Mount Rainier National Park, where the group settles into a training area suited to the day's curriculum. From there, instruction is hands-on and continuous, moving between demonstration, practice, and real scenarios until the group heads back down the mountain in the afternoon.
Ashford, WA (Rainier BaseCamp)
5,400' / 1,646m (Paradise; varies by curriculum and training area)
1 Day
1 Day (~9.5 Hours, 7:00 AM – 4:30 PM)
3:1 Max
May – September
Skills in Custom Instruction are taught the way RMI teaches everywhere else on Rainier: in the field, on real terrain, with repetition until a technique becomes reliable rather than just understood. Because the curriculum is built around your specific goals, the exact mix below depends on what you and your guide focus on for the day.
By the end of the school day, climbers will have practical experience with:
Meet at RMI's Rainier BaseCamp in Ashford at 7:00 a.m. to register, meet your guide, and review gear, then depart for Mount Rainier National Park by 8:00 a.m. Field instruction begins around 9:00 a.m. at Paradise or another training area chosen to match your curriculum, with a lunch break in the field around midday and continued instruction and practice scenarios through the afternoon. The day wraps up with a final Q&A before returning to BaseCamp by late afternoon.
You should arrive in good physical condition, prepared for a full day of movement on foot and, if your curriculum includes load-carrying skills, comfortable carrying a pack for several hours.
No prior experience is required for foundational curriculum such as glacier travel or crampon technique, though advanced topics like crevasse rescue are best suited to climbers with prior rope-handling experience.
Training generally takes place around Paradise and the Golden Gate school zone, moderate elevations that don't require prior altitude experience.
Custom Instruction is delivered under RMI’s authorised Mountaineering School service and operates off-glacier, with a maximum of three climbers to one guide. Custom Instruction is built to meet you where you are, but the day itself still asks for a baseline of physical readiness: you'll be on your feet and moving for most of the day, and if your curriculum includes technical rope work or load-carrying, having some general fitness in place lets your guide spend the day teaching rather than managing fatigue. If you're new to mountaineering, come ready to learn rather than already trained; if you're refining a specific skill or preparing for a bigger objective like a Mt. McKinley expedition, the more specific you can be about your current experience when you talk with our Head of Custom Programs, the more targeted your day will be.
Recommended climbing experiences include:
Your climbing resumé should include:
No prior mountaineering experience is required. This school is built around what you want to learn, and your guide will set the day to your group's ability — from a first day on snow to refining skills you already have.
Items marked with an Asterix (*) are considered mandatory prerequisites for this program.
Our guides have decades of experience training for alpine objectives, and we've done our best to put together relevant resources to help you with your expedition preparation.
Mountaineering is both an individual challenge and a team endeavor. Before any program begins, RMI works directly with prospective climbers to confirm that everyone joining a team is genuinely prepared for the demands ahead. Depending on the program, this may involve conversations with our office staff, a review of your climbing history, or feedback from guides and other climbers who know your abilities. The goal is straightforward: to ensure that every person on the rope belongs there. We ask that each climber hold themselves to the same standard:
The standards we set exist to protect everyone on the team. RMI holds all climbers accountable to them, and we take seriously our responsibility to build teams of people who are ready to be in the mountains together. RMI reserves the right to remove a participant from a program or send them to a lower altitude if our guide staff determines, in their sole discretion, that the participant is not physically, technically, or psychologically prepared or capable of participating, or for any other reason that may compromise the safety, health, or well-being of the participant or the group. In such cases, no refunds or credits will be issued, and the participant will be financially responsible for any additional costs associated with an early departure, including evacuation, transportation, lodging, and meals.
Equipment for Custom Instruction depends on the curriculum you and RMI's Head of Custom Programs build together. All climbers should expect to bring standard mountaineering layers and footwear suited to a full day on Rainier's lower snowfields; climbers working on technical rope systems will also need a harness, helmet, and related hardware, while a day built around movement and glacier travel fundamentals calls for a simpler kit. Group climbing equipment, including ropes, anchors, and rescue hardware, is provided by RMI as part of the day.
This is a general list of mountaineering clothing and equipment items that you should bring regardless of what your actual curriculum entails.
Each RMI program includes a required personal equipment list built around the specific terrain, conditions, and objectives of the climb. Every item serves a purpose and supports safety, efficiency, and comfort in the mountains.
Guide Picks™ are examples that meet our performance standards and illustrate the type of gear we recommend. Each year, our partners at Whittaker Mountaineering survey our staff of 70+ guides to get a consensus on the best gear for the job. You do not need to purchase the exact item shown, but any alternative must offer comparable function and durability.
All listed items are required for the gear check. Final adjustments may be recommended by your guide based on conditions and team needs once the expedition begins.
Most of the required equipment is available for rent or purchase from our affiliate Whittaker Mountaineering. RMI climbers receive a 10% discount on new clothing and equipment items ordered from Whittaker Mountaineering.
10- or 12-point adjustable steel crampons with anti-balling plates for general mountaineering and glacier travel. Automatic, semi-automatic, or strap-on attachment depending on boot compatibility. Ensure crampons are compatible with your specific boots before your program.
Glacier glasses are protective sunglasses that provide close to 100% frame coverage (wrap-around frames and side shields ensure no light can enter from the top, bottom, and sides of the glasses) and transmit less than 10% of visual light.
We recommend a minimum of five upper body layers, all of which can be used in conjunction with each other. Two of these should be insulating layers, one light, and one medium, that fit well together. Today there are many different layering systems to choose from, including fleece, softshell, down, and synthetic options.
A lightweight, breathable long-sleeve shirt in synthetic or merino wool for sun protection and moisture management during active climbing.
One step up in warmth and bulk from a baselayer. A technical fleece makes an ideal light weight insulating layer.
We recommend a system of four layers, all of which can be used in conjunction with each other. Products which combine several layers into one garment, such as traditional ski pants, don’t work well as they don’t offer the versatility of a layering system.
Softshell climbing pants can be worn in combination with a base layer on colder days, or alone on warmer days.
Non-insulated, waterproof shell pants must be able to fit comfortable over your baselayer bottoms and softshell climbing pants. Full side zippers or 7/8 side zippers are required so that shell pants can be put on while wearing boots and crampons.
Insulated, full-shank, crampon-compatible leather or synthetic boots designed for general mountaineering. Lighter and more comfortable than double boots but with less insulation for extreme cold.
A knee-length pair of gaiters, large enough to fit over your mountaineering boots. This will protect you from catching your crampon spikes on loose clothing. Not needed if using a boot with an integrated gaiter.
Either wool or synthetic. Whatever sock combination you are accustomed to wearing during your training or previous adventures (whether single medium weight socks, a medium weight with a liner sock, two medium weight socks together, etc.), should work just fine for this climb.
Our guides carry comprehensive medical kits, so keep yours small and light. We recommend a selection of adhesive bandages, antibiotic ointment, Moleskin and blister care, medical tape and/or duct tape, basic pain reliever, and personal medications.
You are responsible for providing your own meals and snack food in town and while on your program. See the Food tab for suggestions and quantities.
This will be your personal trash bag.
Many smartphones have excellent cameras. Action cameras, small point-and-shoots, and compact dSLRs are lightweight and work well at altitude.
We recommend bringing a selection of clothing to wear while traveling, sightseeing and dining.
Purchase travel insurance.
Arrange transportation and lodging - see more on the Travel tab.
Reserve rental equipment.
Be in the best shape of your life!
Custom Instruction is a single-day program with a lunch break in the field. Food isn't provided, so bring a packed lunch, snacks, and enough water for a full day outdoors.
No meals are included. Pack a lunch, snacks, and plenty of water for the field day.
This page covers the practical details you’ll want to review before your trip, including travel logistics, entry requirements, local considerations, and required policies. Taking time to understand these details ahead of departure helps ensure a smoother experience once you’re on the ground and focused on the climb.
RMI has partnered with Erin Rountree to provide comprehensive travel support. We have been working with Erin for many years. As an independent agent of the Travel Society, she has booked countless miles for adventure travelers across the globe and is extremely knowledgeable about the travel needs of our programs. Please call (208) 788-2870 or send email to [email protected].
Rainier BaseCamp is located in Ashford, WA, and is the home of RMI Expeditions, Whittaker Mountaineering, Whittaker's Bunkhouse, and BaseCamp Bar and Grill. Ashford is located 75 miles from the Sea-Tac Airport.
Note: Every air traveler 18 years of age and older needs a REAL ID compliant driver’s license, state-issued enhanced driver’s license, or another acceptable form of ID to fly within the United States.
Most climbers traveling to Ashford will want to rent a car from the airport. This is the most convenient and reliable way to get here.
Ride Share: If you are interested in sharing a ride, please go to your RMI Account, then to "Discussion Board" and "Ride Share" to post your information.
All our Mt. Rainier programs begin at Rainier BaseCamp in Ashford. All Mt. Rainier climbs, seminars, and schools include transportation and park entry for our climbers from Rainier BaseCamp to Paradise or to the White River Entrance.
You may also go to VisitRainier.com to search for accommodations in the Ashford Area.
Your travel insurance policy should include trip cancellation, trip interruption, travel delay, baggage loss or delay, medical expenses, and evacuation.
Navigating through the different options for travel insurance can be challenging. When purchasing Travel Insurance, here are a few items to consider:

In today’s changing travel environment, it’s important to protect your travel investment. Unforeseen events such as flight delays, baggage loss or even a sudden sickness or injury could impact your travel plans. For your convenience, we offer Travelex Insurance protection plans to help protect you and your travel investment against the unexpected.
For more information on the available plans visit Travelex Insurance Services or contact Travelex Insurance (800) 228-9792 and reference location number 47-0370.
The product descriptions provided here are only brief summaries and may be changed without notice. The full coverage terms and details, including limitations and exclusions, are contained in the insurance policy. Travelex Insurance Services, Inc. CA Agency License #0D10209. Insurance coverages underwritten by individual member companies of Zurich in North America, including Zurich American Insurance Company (NAIC #16535, state of domicile: New York). RETWEB

Harbor Travel Insurance covers the following critical benefits:
Harbor Travel Insurance is powered by Redpoint Resolutions, a medical and travel security risk company. Their team is comprised of special operations veterans, paramedics, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, former intelligence officers, insurance actuaries, and global security experts with dozens of years of experience in theaters around the world. The Redpoint network covers the globe, making them uniquely equipped to provide elite rescue travel insurance – in every sense of the word.
RMI has partnered with Erin Rountree to provide travel planning support. Erin is an independent agent with extensive experience booking travel for adventure programs worldwide and understands the specific needs of RMI expeditions.
Phone: (208) 788-2870
Email: [email protected]
It is your responsibility to ensure that your travel insurance policy provides appropriate coverage for your specific program and activities. Review policy details carefully before purchasing, and confirm coverage well in advance of your departure.
For updated Mt. Rainier weather forecasts, click here. Please click on the links below to see the Mt. Rainier webcams:
Our guides put considerable effort into ensuring your safety and success on the mountain. If you had a positive experience, leaving a gratuity is a wonderful gesture to show your appreciation. The amount is up to you and should reflect how much you enjoyed the service. Typically, tips for excellent service range from 10% to 15% of the program cost. Guides can accept gratuities in cash, Venmo, or by check. If you prefer, you can also pay tips using a credit card through the RMI Office.
Mt Rainier became the nation's fifth National Park in 1899, some twenty-nine years after it was first climbed. Mt. Rainier National Park encompasses 235,625 acres and is 97% wilderness and 3% National Historic Landmark District. At 14,410', Mt. Rainier is the most prominent peak in the Cascade Range. It is an active volcano; its most recent confirmed eruptive activity was in the 1890s.
Guided mountaineering activity has taken place since the late 1800s, and The Mountain is still considered a prime training ground for climbing in Alaska, South America, and the Himalayas. With more than 20 active glaciers encompassing some 36 square miles of ice, Rainier boasts the largest ice cover of any peak in the lower 48 United States. Its weather can be deceptively gentle or as fierce as encountered on any high mountain anywhere in the world. There is a wealth of information on the Mt. Rainier National Park website. We encourage you to enhance your enjoyment of the climb with some fun facts about the Park and the history of climbing there.
The following policies are applicable for this expedition.
Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. reserves the right to modify the land cost of a trip at any time before departure.
Payment in full is due at time of reservation.
*Note: A 3% surcharge applies to all credit/debit card transactions.
**Wire transfers must include all fees charged by your bank. The amount received by our bank must match the deposit amount.
Of your program fee, $75 is non-refundable and non-transferable.
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.
We highly recommend travel insurance for this trip. Please see our Travel Tab for details.
Date changes are subject to availability and apply only to the current climbing season. Date changes may be requested at anytime up to 60 days prior to your departure date for a $50 fee per person. No date changes allowed less than 60 days before departure.
Please clearly understand that mountaineering is inherently hazardous. 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 or 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 risks and hazards of mountaineering and make their own choices about whether or not to engage in this activity.
Mountaineering is both an individual challenge and a team effort. Each participant shares responsibility for the safety and success of the group. Therefore, we ask that each participant:
RMI reserves the right to remove a participant from the program or to send them to a lower altitude if the guide staff determines, at their discretion, that the participant is not adequately prepared or capable of participating safely. This decision may be based on physical, technical, or psychological factors, or any other reason that might affect the safety, health, or well-being of the participant or the group. If removed, the participant will not receive refunds or credits and will be responsible for all additional costs associated with early departure, including evacuation, transportation, hotel reservations, and meals.
Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. (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 violate 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.
Violation of this policy may result in removal from a program, as well as 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.
All participants must be 18 years old at the time of registration.
RMI’s Photo Release outlines the terms and conditions for using your likeness in photographs, videos, or other digital media.
I hereby grant Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. (RMI) or its affiliates permission to use my likeness in a photograph, video, or other digital media (“photo”) in any and all of its publications, including web-based publications. By granting permission, you allow RMI to utilize these media for lawful purposes.
Here are the key points:
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 to secure any of the included land costs provided for this program, including but not limited to, hotel accommodations, transportation, transfers, tours, group equipment and food, permits, and local outfitter services, prior to the cancellation of the program. Additionally, 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 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 meals, accommodations, group transportation, or other unused costs. Accommodations are based on double occupancy. A Single Supplement Fee will be charged to those Participants occupying single accommodations either by choice or circumstance. If you are willing to share a room, we will make every effort to pair you with another same-gender team member. We will match willing same-gender team members based on the order of registration date. If we are unable to match you with another same- gender team member, a single supplement fee will be charged. The availability of single accommodations is limited in most of the hotels where we stay, and single accommodations are not available while in the mountains.
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.
Custom Instruction raises different questions than a standard RMI course, since no two program days look exactly alike. The answers below cover how the curriculum gets built, what to expect on the mountain, and how to prepare for a day that's designed entirely around your goals.
You work directly with RMI's Head of Custom Programs before your program day to identify your goals, and that conversation becomes the day's curriculum. Topics can range from foundational skills like crampon technique and rope travel to advanced systems like crevasse rescue, expedition planning, or Mt. McKinley-specific preparation.
Yes, within reason. A single day isn't enough time to cover everything on the curriculum list, so most climbers focus on one theme or a closely related set of skills rather than trying to sample broadly.
Custom Instruction runs at a 3:1 climber-to-guide ratio, with a maximum of 3 participants per day.
The day begins at RMI's Rainier BaseCamp in Ashford, Washington, before the group departs for Mount Rainier National Park. Field instruction takes place at Paradise or another training area chosen to match your curriculum.
Custom Instruction runs seasonally from May through September.
A typical day starts at 7:00 AM at BaseCamp and wraps up back at BaseCamp by late afternoon, around 4:30 PM, with the bulk of the day spent on hands-on field instruction, including a lunch break in the field.
Professional instruction from an RMI guide, group climbing equipment, climbing permits and park access, and transportation between BaseCamp and Rainier are included in the per-person price.
The price shown is per person, and there is no minimum. A single climber can book a private day and will climb one-to-one with their guide. If you would like to bring others, the course runs at a 3:1 ratio with up to three participants, and those places are yours to fill.
Personal clothing and equipment, food, and guide gratuities are not included.
No. Foundational curriculum such as glacier travel and crampon technique is open to climbers of any experience level. More advanced topics, like crevasse rescue systems, are better suited to climbers with some prior climbing or rope-handling experience.
Yes. Climbers preparing for objectives like Mt. McKinley or another expedition-style climb often use Custom Instruction to target specific gaps in their skill set with focused instruction at a 3:1 maximum ratio — or one-to-one if you book the day alone.
It is genuinely private. The three places are yours to fill with whomever you choose, and RMI does not add other climbers to your day. Contact us to arrange dates.
Climbers rated RMI with an average of 5 stars across 0 ratings
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