Traditionally, the last week of July and the first week of August are the busiest times to climb Mount Rainier. This is probably due to the fact that the success rates are also high during this period and that stable weather tends to be relatively reliable. This upcoming weekend promises similar attributes. As it stands now, the primary high camps are largely booked and the weather looks quite good. This could be your chance to reach the summit.
Our ski buddies over at Turns All Year are promoting the annual Slush Cup (make sure you watch the video). Personally, I'm hurt that they did not invite the climbing ranger staff and me (we love to ski and snowboard too) to join them... Oh well, perhaps we'll crash (I mean monitor) the party (I mean event) to make sure that everything is safe and in order...
No mountain news can be good mountain news this time of year. For your climbing interests, I found that the U.S. airlines have taken up climber spray. Delta's Sky Magazine ran a story about one team's ascent of Liberty Ridge (not sure what year). If you're flying the friendly skies (or is that United?) look for the hard copy in your forward pocket next to the barf-bag. Make sure that your tray table and seatback are upright and in the locked position, and that your carry-on luggage is securely stowed in the overhead bin for take off's and landings.
