6½ Day Mt Rainier/Little Tahoma Mountaineering Seminar Experience Level: Intermediate  2021 International Mountain Guides

Why Choose This Program? Choose this program if you’d like to attempt to summit both the Mt Rainier and Little Tahoma in one comprehensive training seminar. IMG’s 6.5 Day Mt Rainier/Little Tahoma Mountaineering Seminar heads to the less frequented east side of Mt Rainier to attempt a summit of Little Tahoma, the third highest peak in State (11,137ft) before heading up to make a summit attempt on Mt Rainier via the Disappointment Cleaver Route. For the Little Tahoma portion of the program, we’ll use technical setting to maximize training on the glaciers below Little Tahoma.

This program provides excellent hands-on training to prepare climbers for any of the big, high- altitude, glaciated, technical peaks in Alaska such as Denali, South America, the Himalayas and elsewhere. The 6.5 Day Mt Rainier/Little Tahoma Mountaineering Seminar maximizes training on the technical movement skills required to summit Little Tahoma as well as Mt Rainier. This program incorporates the Mountaineering Day School and Advanced Mountaineering Day School into the course curriculum and goes into greater detail teaching many other advanced climbing skills. The seminar is specifically scheduled for mid summer to capitalize on firmer snow conditions and more exposed crevasses for glacier training.

While our 6½ day Little Tahoma program is suitable for those with previous climbing experience, this program does require adequate fitness and endurance training in order to be successful.

IMG’s Little Tahoma Mountaineering Seminar is one of our most in depth, hands-on training programs and offers a generous amount of time to introduce and practice critical alpine climbing skills. We delve into great detail during the training, lectures, and informal discussions in our small group to allow you to comprehensively understand the topics covered. This is an excellent program for anyone with the desire to increase their technical climbing skills while attempting to summit 2 of Washington’s most iconic peaks. Training geared towards the skills required in order to be successful on these two peaks.

Topics to be covered include: • Cramponing • Ice axe and ice tool use • Belaying and rappelling • Glacier travel and rescue • Short roping and short pitching • Ice and snow anchors and anchor systems • Glacier route finding and navigation • Ascending and descending fixed lines

IMG Mt. Rainier Little Tahoma Mountaineering Seminar: page 2 of 3

IMG employs a light and efficient philosophy for climbing. IMG will provide shelter, stoves, fuel, cookware and group climbing gear (ropes, pickets, shovels, etc.) for the team to carry to each camp. We will help you review your personal climbing gear prior to departure to make sure you are not carrying any unnecessary weight up Mt Rainier. Total personal gear, including filled water bottles, should be approximately 50 pounds, excluding your boots and trekking poles.

Safety is our number one priority. We make no guarantees with respect to the program objectives. Many circumstances, including weather and abilities of yourself or other climbers may inhibit you from reaching the summit. Our goal is to give each of our customers the best experience we possibly can, regardless of the weather, route conditions, or time of year.

Prerequisites: This is an advanced itinerary and climb requiring previous glacier climbing experience. All participants must have prior alpine climbing experience on Rainier or other similar glaciated peaks and be familiar with basic mountaineering skills including cramponing in firm ice and snow conditions. As with all IMG programs, a review of basic climbing skills is incorporated into this program’s itinerary. Additional skills will be taught including multi pitch belayed climbing, lowering, and rappelling. Previous experience on multi day backpacking trips is highly recommended. This is a strenuous and more technically demanding summit climb which is not for first time climbers.

Dates: May – August (Please see the IMG website for specific, available dates.) Landcost: $3,245 Client to Guide Ratio: 4:1 (Little Tahoma); 2:1 (Mt Rainier) Trip Length: 6½ days (this program commences at 2:00 p.m. on Day 1)

Cost includes: Cost Does Not Include: • IMG's world-renowned guide staff • Personal gear (see equipment list for full • All training curriculum and instruction details) • Round trip transportation from IMG Headquarters to the • Lodging the evening prior to the start of the start/end of the climb (Note that this is subject to change climb or after the end of the program based on Covid restrictions) • Lunch food and mountain snacks. Please refer • Group equipment including tents, stoves, fuel, climbing ropes to our food suggestions page for more details. and group hardware • National Park entrance and climbing permits • Hot meals (breakfast and dinner) and hot drinks (coffee, tea, cocoa) *Note that this is subject to change based on Covid restrictions

Typical Itinerary: This itinerary is approximate and subject to change due to conditions.

Day 1 – Meet in Ashford at IMG Headquarters (HQ) (Directions) at 2:00pm for your pre-climb orientation. This orientation is instrumental in getting you outfitted, informed, packed and educated prior to departure the following morning. Topics to be covered include an introduction to your climbing team; an introduction to National Park, its mission and ecology; a safety briefing; the examining, issuing and fitting of gear; and instruction on the proper use of safety equipment including helmets, harnesses and avalanche beacons. Lodging is not provided the night of Day 1.

Day 2 – Meet at IMG HQ at 7:00am and prepare to depart for the Frying Pan Creak trailhead. Please eat breakfast before arrival. Depending on timing constraints, we may stop at a coffee shop along the way where you’ll be able to buy additional snacks. From here we hike four miles

International Mountain Guides  www.mountainguides.com  email: [email protected]

PO Box 246  31111 SR 706 E  Ashford, WA 98304  phone: (360) 569-2609  fax: (866) 279-7455 IMG Mt. Rainier Little Tahoma Mountaineering Seminar: page 3 of 3 on trails through forest to Summerland (6,000 feet) before continuing up higher to the snow slopes of Meany Crest and our first camp at 7,500 feet. Just below camp we will stop for some initial training kicking steps up and down steeper slopes and climbing efficiently on snow.

Day 3 – After a casual breakfast, the team will continue skills training with ice axe, crampons and rope in preparation for navigating higher up the glacier. After training, the team will break camp, rope up and head up the Fryingpan Glacier to the 9,000 foot notch that leads to the Whitman Glacier. We’ll camp a second night somewhere in this vicinity and continue training in the afternoon. This camp will be situated to take maximum advantage of nearby crevasses and glacier slopes for training.

Day 4 – Start with an alpine start, just at dawn with a hot drink and instant breakfast. After our team is roped up we’ll make our way up the ever steepening Whitman Glacier to a first rock step at 10,500 feet. We’ll stop here for some additional instruction in rock climbing and a tight belay from the guides then scramble up this first loose rock step. From here, the going is easier, 3rd class rock scrambling up to the very exposed summit pinnacle. From the top we’ll have one of the best views of nearby Mt. Rainier in the area. After spending time at the top, we’ll retrace our steps back down the route to camp.

Day 5 – After breakfast, the team will break down camp and begin travelling towards Camp Muir via the Ingraham and Cowlitz Glaciers, traversing over to Camp Muir which will operate as the base camp for the Mt Rainier portion of the program. Training and instruction will continue at Camp Muir in the afternoon and the day will be wrapped up with a delicious meal with the guides. We will spend the night in tents at Camp Muir overlooking the Nisqually and Cowlitz glaciers and the rugged Tatoosh range to the South.

Day 6 – This day is less physically demanding than Day 1 and helpful for recovery and acclimatization. After a casual breakfast, we will conduct a glacier travel and mountaineering skills training school on the Cowlitz Glacier adjacent to Camp Muir. The team gathers all gear from Camp Muir and ropes up for the first glacier crossing , putting our newly learned skills to practice. A short trek across the Cowlitz Glacier leads to steeper travel up a scree trail through Cathedral Gap. From there, we’ll step onto the and climb a short distance to a broad, flat section of the glacier. A pre-established camp at “The Flats” is waiting for us after our 1½ hour climb. This camp at 11,400ft offers a stunning view of the precipitous north face of Little Tahoma, the third tallest peak in Washington, and the spectacular Ingraham and Emmons Glaciers. An informational meeting with the guides will take place in the afternoon followed by an early dinner and a short night’s sleep.

Day 7 – The summit day will begin with an alpine start—waking as early as 10PM for a hot drink and instant breakfast. After all teams are roped up, we’ll make our way up the Ingraham Headwall (early season only) or onto the Disappointment Cleaver (typically accessible by mid- season) eventually gaining the upper glaciated slopes of Mt Rainier. Throughout the day, the guides will be directing their rope teams, providing instruction, safety feedback and hands-on training in safe climbing techniques. We’ll ascend glaciated terrain to the very top, finally ending at the summit crater. We’ll spend an hour or more on top and walk over to the true summit, Columbia Crest, 14, 410ft (weather permitting). During our descent, we’ll navigate the glaciers back down to the Flats, utilizing all the skills we have learned during the climb. Here we’ll take a short rest before moving an hour lower down the mountain to Camp Muir. After a break, the team will continue down to Paradise where our van will be waiting to shuttle us back to Ashford. Our 3 day climb, including the 12-14 hour summit-day, culminates with a group debrief and awarding of certificates of achievement by the guides.

International Mountain Guides  www.mountainguides.com  email: [email protected]

PO Box 246  31111 SR 706 E  Ashford, WA 98304  phone: (360) 569-2609  fax: (866) 279-7455