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Anyone ever climb a BIG mountain??

kingslug

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So for whatever reason I've been researching some big mountains to climb. I think Mt. Rainier might do the trick. I've climbed smaller ones such as Alta from the summer road and up and over Tux but this thing looks to be a whole other animal. I'm not even sure I can do it, well not yet anyway, have to get in better aerobic shape. I've been watching videos of these climbs and it looks...pretty sick, some even insane. Opinions/stories???
 

Telemechanic

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I climbed Mt. Whitney at the end hiking the John Muir Trail. Climbing Whitney, on the edge of a desert in August with nearly 100 others is not in the same category as climbing Rainier or another glacier / snow capped mountain but going above 14,000 feet is challenging in any climate.

On the plane ride home my hiking partners and I talked about climbing Rainier so I bought a book on the subject. Definitely a whole different animal.
 

Angus

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not in the same category as climbing Rainier or another glacier / snow capped mountain but going above 14,000 feet is challenging in any climate...Definitely a whole different animal.

Agree, done a couple 13K+ but not across glacier and with weather. I think it took a friend three attempts with a guide service to summit Rainier due to weather. Fitness is a pre-requisite but mountaineering skills are equally important.

Why don't you consider Mt. Shasta, technically not as difficult or with hazards and you can ski down!
 

Telemechanic

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Climbing Whitney, on the edge of a desert in August with nearly 100 others is not in the same category as climbing Rainier..

I occurred to me Rainier could also be very busy in season but at least half the climbers wouldn't be dressed like they just stepped off the bus from Disney World.
 

snoseek

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I've climbed (and skied) a few 14ers and a bunch of 13+ but while big they are not an expedition or anything. Ranier is ptobably in a whole different league. I suggest going to Colorado and banging out a few 14ers first. Coming from sea level will likely be an issue. Living a 5800 and going to 14 manually was pretty noticable to me.
 

mister moose

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I've also climbed a few 14ers, the most elevation gain was 7,500 feet. I'd think over 15,000 ft would present a whole new level of challenge and conditioning. Wave your hand back and forth right now. Feel the slight breeze? I've been to 15k, and when you wave your hand like that, you feel no breeze. It's that thin.
 

Nick

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I've also climbed a few 14ers, the most elevation gain was 7,500 feet. I'd think over 15,000 ft would present a whole new level of challenge and conditioning. Wave your hand back and forth right now. Feel the slight breeze? I've been to 15k, and when you wave your hand like that, you feel no breeze. It's that thin.

That's pretty nuts. My sister lives in (iirc) the highest town in America .. I think its over 11000

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kingslug

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So it would probably be a good idea to try out on something smaller. When I took the avi course at Alta we had to skin up to the top and it wasted me, we where moving at a pretty good clip though but the last 500 feet took their toll. I live at dead sea level but get out west at least 3 times a year and the altitude doesn't bother me too much, but then again I'm skiing down most of the time. The videos of Rainier look pretty wild though, especialy when the wind is howling.
 

ski_resort_observer

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Definately use one of the guide outfitters, be in decent shape, Spend a few days out there before you hike, practicing ice ax self-arrest and getting used to wearing crampons. Altitude sickness is always a risk, especially if your from a low elevation area like the east. If you succeed it will be one of the most life changing experiences you will ever do.

If you did My Hood, you can take some turns off of Palmer a few days after you recover from your hike. BTW, for me, climbing is when you use your hands, hiking is when you don't. Mountaineering is the best term for this but is way to long lol Some peaks like the Grand Teton, for example, you hike to the lower saddle then climb from there.
 

kingslug

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Survived 12 hours climbing around and ..well getting lost at Mt Washington so I got a good taste of it. Clinging to a wall of ice without crampons was..pretty scary...now if that was at a high altitude...just watched a vid of Rainier with Ed Viesturs leading, he's climbed it 250 times..damn..
 

vdk03

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Being in good shape and gettin properly adjusted to the altitude is an important part of it. I climbed some 13 and 14ers a few years ago in the Dhaulagira and Annapurna ranges in Nepal. Coming from VT (about 400') I was hurting pretty bad altitude wise not only short of breath or headaches but I threw up a few times as well. Awesome trip and amazing scenery of the Himalayas but the altitude was tough for me to get used too.

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Bumpsis

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I did a couple of 14ers in Colorado (Longs Peak among them) and Mt. Rainer.
All of these were very memorable and special events, but Mt. Rainer really stands out, perhaps because it involed real mountaineering - plastic boots, crampons, ice axe, being on a rope team and all the skills involved in using the gear.

I strongly recomend that experience. As a "civilian" you will have to go through the guiding service that runs the climbs up Rainer, like Rainer Moutaineering. It costs some decent $$ but it's really worth it. It is possible to climb the mounatin as a private party but you'd need a special permit from the park service. Becuase glacier travel is no trivial thing, you would need to provide some credentials first before they issue you a climb permit.

The guided trip will include a day of safety training, a stay at the base camp at Camp Muir (10,000 feet elevation) and the actual summit climb. You'll learn a lot and the night time travel over the glacier (you start at 2 AM for the summit) is a surreal experience.

It is imperative to be in as good of a shape as you can get yourself into. Prior to the trip I really worked hard, mostly on the aerobic side and then, I spent about 4 days in the Mt. Ranier National Park doing day trips, two of them up and down to Muir Camp, starting from Paradise (5k up and then down on the snow fields). I even spent one night at Camp Muir to get exposure to the higher elevation prior to the actual climb since I'm really susceptible to high altitude problems. Even then, I really had serious headache issues on the actual summit bid. Still, seeing the sunrise from a 14,000 ft peak is a stellar experience. The best time of the year to go is probably September. That's the time they have the best weather out there. It would really suck to have to slog in the rain after you signed up for the trip.

If you just want to try out some big mountain hikes, get out to Colorado's Rocky Mt. National Park and just hike around. Longs Peak is a serious rip. It's a gorgeous mountain and you will experience the higher altitude issues, but it's good to know how the body responds. No permits necessary and it can get crowded if it's a weekend.

If you do run into high altidue issues, especially bad headaches, throwing up, etc, you'll know that next time around how long your body neds to get adjusted and perhaps you can also look into some pharmaceutical help. I wish I knew about Acetazolamide before I did that trip.
 
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benwhiteskis

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Rainier

I've got some plans to ski Rainier in about a month. We'll watch the weather, and may end up skiing Adams or Baker or something if Rainier doesn't look prime. I've heard pretty much all the same stuff from the people I'm going with. Mostly that you rope up for glacier travel and carry an axe, etc., but it's pretty much just normal hiking.
 

skidmarks

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Getting High

We did Mount Elbert 14,440 but it was only a day hike and the Mönch" (4099 m = 13448 ft) in Switzerland also a day trip but much more of an alpine climb.

But I think the highest I've ever been was at a Pink Floyd concert!
Grindelwald7_053a.jpg
 

kingslug

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Ok getting the picture of what this will be like. I've never really experienced true altitude sickness but never spent an extended time up there. Living in NY makes it tough to get up to these places so I probably won't be able to spend a lot of time getting used to altitudes such as these. Have to come up with a plan...
 

skiersleft

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Ok getting the picture of what this will be like. I've never really experienced true altitude sickness but never spent an extended time up there. Living in NY makes it tough to get up to these places so I probably won't be able to spend a lot of time getting used to altitudes such as these. Have to come up with a plan...

Here's your plan:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000766/
 

mjg

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Climbed Mount Sneffels in San Juan Mtns near Ouray Colorado.
 

marcski

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A good part of the plan...

That stuff makes beer taste really bad. If its the same stuff my bro gave me about 20 years ago when I spent a few weeks in CO. In fact, IIRC, it was any carbonated beverage. I never really had an issue with any altitude sickness..even hiking and skiing around in Summit CO. I do get a little dehydrated so drink lots of water and i find sleep an issue the first night or so up high. Otherwise, I'm usually good to go. Although, I've never been higher than say 13000'.
 
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