Guide Services on Mt Rainier

Guiding rights - Three services share Muir Route on Rainier for first time
CRAIG HILL; The News Tribune
Published: June 21st, 2007 01:00 AM
PHOTOS BY JANET JENSEN/THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Mountain Day School students, including, from left, Ashlie Angel and Erica Dohring, get into position at Mount Rainier to learn recovery and ice ax arrest techniques after a fall. Instructors from International Mountain Guides teach the class a day before the students attempt to climb the mountain.

Guides from Rainier Mountaineering Inc., which used to be the only guide service authorized to use the Muir Route up Mount Rainier, lead a group of climbers up the peak.

Eben Reckord, center, teaches students Luke Angel, left, from Colorado, and Lary Catt, right, from California, ice ax technique as part of a school offered by International Mountain Guides for those who wish to climb Mount Rainier.

History was quietly made on the upper slopes of Mount Rainier last month. In the predawn hours of May 13, climbing parties from different guide services passed each other on the popular Muir Route.
The lead guides from International Mountain Guides and Alpine Ascents International exchanged their observations about route and weather conditions, their clients chatted with each other and then they continued climbing.
AAI had decided to turn around because of blizzard conditions, and IMG would soon make the same decision.
“I think things went well,” said Todd Burleson, owner of AAI. “I think the arrangement is going to work well with three guide services on the route.”
May was the first month multiple guide services were allowed on Rainier’s Muir Route. Since 1969, Ashford-based Rainier Mountaineering Inc. was the only company allowed to guide on the route.
RMI is still king of the mountain with permission to climb with 24 guides and clients each day. IMG and AAI each get 12.
The Muir route, on the south side of the mountain, is by far the most popular for climbers. It is easily accessed from the Paradise parking lot, and Camp Muir, above 10,000 feet, offers a convenient overnight stop.
Of the 9,154 registered climbers in 2006, 71.4 percent used the Muir Route.
Alex Van Steen, a senior guide for RMI, expects the three companies to share the route smoothly this summer. However, he won’t be surprised if there is some congestion.
“It’s like putting three coffee shops on the same corner,” Van Steen said.
If you are expecting a heated competition between the companies, think again.
Eric Simonson, co-owner of IMG, says he, Burleson and RMI co-owner Peter Whittaker recently took a helicopter flight together to Camp Muir to map out how they’ll share the camp this year.
He said the men, who have known each other for years, worked together with ease.
“It might get competitive off the mountain,” Burleson said. “But not on the mountain.”
Most of the guides from the three companies have guided together on Rainier or other mountains. In fact, many, including IMG’s owners, once worked at RMI.
“We all know and respect each other,” Burleson said. “We will share information, and it will make things safer for everybody.
“I don’t think we will have companies trying to force their way to the summit when others are turning around. If anything, I think if one turns around the other will, too, because keeping our clients safe is the top priority for all of us.”
The new arrangement will change the face of Camp Muir a bit. RMI’s bunkhouse will be divided between the companies. IMG and AAI will alternate days in the smaller section of the boxy structure.
Additionally, RMI is adding solar panels to light its side of the bunkhouse, and the three companies will set up a temporary structure for the season.
IMG and AAI will never be at Muir at the same time. Instead, they will bring a new twist to climbing the Muir Route.
Instead of training clients the day before the climb, both companies will offer training en route by adding a day to what is a two-day climb with RMI.
After a day of training at Camp Muir, the party will climb 1,000 feet to camp in tents on the Ingraham Flats on the second night. Then, on the third day, they attempt the summit.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” Simonson said. “You don’t have to climb as far on the summit day, and you get more time to get acclimated, but you also have to carry your gear a little farther up the mountain.”
Climbers will likely have to take packs as large as 60 pounds to 11,000 feet. In the past, RMI’s clients carried much lighter packs because they stayed in the bunkhouse and did not have to pack a tent.
Van Steen says RMI isn’t offering a similar climb because its clients traditionally prefer two-day climbs. After a day of training, the clients have a night to tweak their gear and dry out at sea level before starting up the mountain. IMG is also offering a two-day climb with separate training.
“Having that chance to fine-tune things and get a good dinner before doing your marathon is huge,” Van Steen said. “It’s a little more difficult once you’ve already started.
“I think it can be the key to success.”
With one month under their belts, the guide services say things are off to a good start, but the busier summer season is just around the corner.
“I think it will continue to go smoothly,” Van Steen said. “I imagine it will take us the entire summer to figure out what we can do better next year.”
GUIDING THE MUIR ROUTE
Since 1969, Rainier Mountaineering Inc. has been the only guide service on Rainier’s Muir Route – the route used by more than 70 percent of climbers. That changed this month as two more companies were allowed on the route.

RAINIER MOUNTAINEERING INC.
Ashford
Owners: Lou Whittaker, Peter Whittaker, Joe Horiskey
Client-to-guide ratio: 3-to-1 (2-to-1 on other routes)
Price: $805 (two days plus climbing school), $1,109 (three days plus climbing school)
Highlights: The only company to guide the Muir Route before this season. RMI also offers climbs on the Emmons, Kautz and Liberty Ridge routes. RMI has numerous training clinics including a Mount McKinley preparation program. They have guided internationally for two years.
Notable guides
Dave Hahn: He holds the U.S. record with eight summits of Mount Everest; guides internationally for IMG.
Brent Okita: More than 200 Rainier summits.
Craig Van Hoy: More than 350 Rainier summits.
Alex Van Steen: More than 225 Rainier summits and co-author of the first Rainier climbing guide.
Ed Viesturs: The only American to climb the world’s 14 8,000-meter summits.
Peter Whittaker: He has done more than 200 Rainier ascents.
This year: Most climbs are full, and there is a waiting list. RMI will start taking reservations next month for 2008.
Information: 360-569-2227, rmiguides.com
Craig Hill: 253-597-8497
craig.hill@thenewstribune.com