A Gusty Day on Rainier!

 Today's climb was on the top of Rainier for only a few minutes due to very gusty winds.  RMI guide, Brent Okita said the wind made for a challenging climb, but all the climbers did really well despite the harsh conditions!  Yesterday, the climb left Paradise in a slight drizzle - they entered the cloud layer and remained in the white mist until about 9000'.  Climbs are no longer ascending the Winter Route up to Panorama Point - they are now on the Summer Route that diverts around Pan Face instead of climbing straight up it.  After the climb ascended much of the Snowfield, they popped out above the clouds and enjoyed bright, blue skies for the remainder of their climb to Camp Muir.  Although they were finally in the sun, the weather at Camp Muir was a bit temperamental with extremely high gusting winds.  When the climbers woke up for their alpine start, the gusts had died down and they began their ascent around 1:30 am with a starlit sky above.  Conditions became more difficult at Cathedral Gap up to the Ingraham Flats - people were getting tossed occasionally by the gusting wind.  The ladder spanning an opening crevasse just above the Ingraham Flats was especially tough today with climber's balance being thrown off by the wind.  Brent said everyone did an awesome job in that difficult situation! They arrived at the top of the Disappointment Cleaver at dawn and continued to climb in the wind.  The route remains straightforward but the winds created a demanding day for everyone. The teams didn't stay long on the summit - they were happy to retreat to less intense weather.  Upon descending, the winds died down and once back at Muir they were happy to experience calm weather.  Overall, a successful day on the mountain - and the weather is only improving! Congratulations, climbers!

Take a look at RMI guide, Eric Frank's trip report from his June 26 - 29 Summit Climb!