"with Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. (RMI) with Sandra Rhude and guides one day snow school, one day hike to Camp Muir, then depart about 11 pm for summit at 0630 am. clear skis but 50 mph winds. great climb!" — rhudedog • Aug 31, 2019

"Guided 3 friends to the summit of Rainier via the DC. The Cleaver is almost snow free - the route crosses Ingraham Flats pretty high, and the route above the Cleaver, while direct, is starting to fall apart. Guessing the path will be re-routed towards the Emmons in typical July fashion. " — BryHong8 • Jul 8, 2019

"Unguided 2-day summit. DC route was quite circuitous with several ladder crossings, rapidly deteriorating due to high temperatures all summer. Also pretty hazy due to a very serious fire burning in the Olympic Mountains. Clear sky on the summit, but 35 mph winds. An epic 2 days I will always look back on with a big smile." — jodola • Aug 9, 2018

"Summit attempt with RMI. Set off for the DC route at midnight from Camp Muir, setting off across the Cowlitz glacier, a relatively flat and straightforward traverse with little to no crevasse danger. It was dark and we followed our guide, along with many other rope teams. We then ascended a rock route up through Cathedral Rocks, a total messy kitty litter like affair - soft sandy gravelly type rock. Not much fun. We crossed the rocks and gained the Ingram Glacier, walking past the IMG camp and other independent tent parties, we sat down for our first of three scheduled breaks. It was dark and cold, and we ate some foods for fuel. After 10-15 minutes, we continued on a path, traversing the Ingram Glacier to gain the base of the Disappointment Cleaver. About 5 minutes in we crossed a ladder spanning a deep crevasse. It was so deep it was black. The ladder had a 6inchh span of plywood on which to walk and a fixed hand line from which to create tension by pulling upwards, hence creating some stability. Best not to look down, expect to ensure your boots and crampon are securely finding purchase and footing. We crossed the glacier and met with the base of the DC, walking throu..." — markhadland • Jul 26, 2018

"Climbed the Emmons Glacier the weekend of July 21 and July 22. Freeze thaw has created pretty tough snow conditions (sun cups) up high above 13,500 feet. Route is starting to fall apart and route finding was a challenge in the morning especially with paths meandering through the glacier. First time up this side, which is longer and more elevation gain than the DC, but a beautiful approach. Was able to glissade a good part of the Inner Glacier coming down." — BryHong8 • Jul 22, 2018

"Second ascent of Mount Rainier within the last year. Susie was turned back before the summit last year, so we came back to finish the job! Amber, Susie, Erica and I drove up from Vegas and ascended the DC route unguided. The GPS batteries died somewhere on the way up & I didn't notice until we were headed down out of the crater, so the track isn't quite complete. We hiked up in clouds, rain and snow on Tuesday morning, then hiked back down to Paradise through much of the same on Wednesday after summitting. At least we had nice (but cold) weather during our summit bid!" — Kevin • Jun 27, 2018

"Trip of a lifetime. Went with a guided IMG trip. 3 days. Day 1 left Paradise up the Muir Snowfields to Camp Muir. Arrived late afternoon. A few hours to get setup for the night and enjoy the day. Day 2 did ice axe, self arrest, rope work training on the top of the Cowlitz Glacier. Then hiked up to Ingraham flats for a short 1.5hrs. Got set up and enjoyed the sunshine and had a briefing on whats to be expected the next morning. Went to 'bed' at 5pm ish. Slept for 3 hours. Then up at midnight to get ready for the summit push. Departed at 1:26am up through the Dissapointment Cleaver, across the Ingraham Glacier all the way to the west side of Columbia Crest. Reached the summit as the sun was peaking through. 5mins on the summit and then quickly back down to the flats. Packed up and hiked back down to paradise by about 5pm. Drove straight back to SeaTac. Had been awake for about 23hrs by the time I hit the hay. Amazing trip in every way. Weather was perfect, great timing for sunrise. First mountaineering experience was incredible. Summited and felt great, no altitude issues. " — MarkJPerkins • Sep 16, 2017

"Climbed with Alpine Ascents via the Disappointment Cleaver. Route had collapsed the previous week so we were the first to head up the new route. It was a bit dicey moving through the seracs in a very circuitous route avoiding the very wide late season crevasses. We were the first group to the top and began our descent when it was still dark. " — GlacierSmith • Sep 1, 2017

"We planned on leaving Camp Muir at 11:00 PM, as this was our first full attempt at the summit and we were unsure of our pace as a rope team. We ended up leaving at 12:10 AM--Jeremy came down with an illness and the three remaining people adjusted the plan and redistributed group gear. Saw the Northern Lights from Cathedral Gap. Made it Ingraham Flats at 1:10 and the summit at 6:40. We were treated to a glorious sunrise on the way up while resting and allowing a team member to recover from some altitude-related light-headedness. Headed down at 8:00 AM and returned to Camp Muir at 11:30. Disappointment Cleaver is about 3/4's melted out right now, so there's a lot of loose rock to deal with. We short-roped to minimize rock fall. The "Tsunami" ice formation on the upper mountain was pretty sketchy and we heard afterwords that the route was to be changed the next day. All in all, the summit bid was much more challenging than I'd previously given it credit for. The Diagon Alley worth of chatter and noise at Camp Muir the night before certainly did not help matters. " — TynanRammGranberg • Jul 17, 2017

"We did it!!! There were some trials and tribulations along the way, but we made the summit! Started from Paradise and took the DC route. Camped at Muir Camp the first day and set out a bit after 11pm. 2 members of our rope team were not being team players, so we ended up almost having to turn back at the top of the cleaver. Luckily, that wasn't the case & we made the summit around 8am after Jose joined our rope team. The route was in good condition and weather held out until we got back to Muir Camp, when a big lenticular cloud engulfed the summit. We rested for a little bit, then packed up camp and headed all the way down. Those last couple of miles felt like they dragged on forever. " — Kevin • Jul 10, 2017