This last Tuesday at 5:55 AM, the Madison MountaineeringMt. Rainier expedition team reached the the summit of Tahoma at 14,417 ft (4,394 m) – the highest point in the state of Washington! We had 100% success rate for the team and everyone is now safely down from the alpine. All went well this week on Mt. Rainier!
Sunrise on Mt. Rainier!
Summit push in the early morning hours on Mt. Rainier!
Crevasses on one of the glaciers this last week on Mt. Rainier!
Beautiful day on Mt. Rainier!
Members of the team at camp in Ingraham Flats.
Descending the disappointment cleaver route after reaching the summit on Mt. Rainier!
In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:
Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions. Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“
Congratulation to our August 21st climbing team for another great summer 2021 Mt. Baker climb. 100% of the team made it to the summit of this iconic Pacific Northwest peak. The weather couldn’t have been better and everyone had a fantastic experience.
Well done team! Everyone is off the mountain and home savoring a job well done. Make your plans to climb with us in the Pacific Northwest in 2022.
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/image3-scaled.jpeg19202560Kurthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgKurt2021-08-25 17:52:542021-08-25 17:56:42100% Success on Mount Baker!
Super psyched to report that our entire team dug deep and stood on the highest point in Washington State: the Columbia Crest of picturesque Mt. Rainier (4392m/14,411ft) yesterday! Well done all!!
We were honored to guide such a wonderful family group on this, the hardest endurance climb of the lower 48 states.
Congratulation to our July 24th climbing team for another great summer 2021 Mt. Baker climb. Nearly all of the members made it to the top of this iconic Pacific Northwest peak. The weather couldn’t have been better and everyone had a fantastic experience.
Well done team! Everyone is off the mountain and home savoring a job well done!! We are looking forward to our August climbs.
Baker team heading up (📷: Denis Mishin)
Climbing the Easton Glacier up Mt. Baker (📷: Denis Mishin)
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/IMG_20210726_122616__01-scaled.jpg11522560Kurthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgKurt2021-07-28 22:14:352021-07-28 22:15:47Another Great Mt. Baker Climb in the books!
Congratulations to our July 17th team of three climbers and guide Justin Sackett for safely and successfully reaching the summit of Mount Baker this morning! Well done team! Everyone is off the mountain now and headed home savoring a job well done.
Here’s a couple of shots of the ascent. Stay tuned for more PWN climbing this upcoming weekend when we will have teams on Mount Baker and Mount Rainier!
After a thorough and fun(!) orientation and gear check on Saturday in Seattle, our July 17th Mount Baker team headed up to the trailhead at Schrieber’s Meadow yesterday and hiked up to the crest of the Railroad Grade to make high camp at around 5,800 ft.
Today after a hearty breakfast, the team reviewed glacier and snow travel skills, including rope-team travel, cramponing techniques, ice axe use, and self-arrest skills. After dinner at camp, they are headed off to bed early tonight to get ready for an “alpine start” just after midnight when they will head for the 10,781 ft. summit.
The weather is looking just perfect for a star-filled night of climbing and a glorious clear view from the top of Koma Kulshan! We look forward to sharing photos of the victorious team when they have descended back down.
2021.07.17 Mount Baker Gear Check and Orientation
Railroad Grade on Mount Baker’s Easton Glacier route
https://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/IMG_1872-scaled.jpg19202560Kurthttps://madisonmountaineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logomm-300x138.jpgKurt2021-07-20 02:38:492021-07-20 02:38:49Mount Baker is a go!
A perfect Shuksan summit with weather and conditions providing a beautiful climb as reported by climb leader, Garrett Madison:
Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Mt. Shuksan climb in the North Cascades. We had a wonderful summit day today on Mt. Shuksan. Steve and I left our high camp about 4 AM and climbed up the Sulphide Glacier in the dark, watched the sunrise over the North Cascades and illuminate the summit pyramid as we approached the base of it.
We got up to the base of the summit pyramid and started climbing the rock. It was about four pitches of rock scrambling up to the summit. Great view from the top of Mt. Shuksan over Mt. Baker, Baker Lake, and the North Cascades. A little bit of smoke to the south which actually accentuated the ridgelines between all of the peaks.
So, a wonderful day! We made it back down and a very, very successful climb. All’s well! Heading back home from Mt. Shuksan.
Smoke accentuating the North Cascades ridgelines
Climbing the rock pyramid of Mt. Shuksan
Steve M. and Garrett Madison on the summit of Mt. Shuksan
Garrett Madison enjoying the view from the summit of Mt. Shuksan
In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:
Under great conditions, expedition leader Garrett Madison calls in this audio dispatch from the slopes of Washington State’s Mount Shuksan:
Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Mt. Shuksan climb with Steve! We are up here at high camp. It is a beautiful day! We just feel like we are spoiled rotten because the views are as-far-as-the-eye-can-see, there are no clouds, no smoke in the sky… Just a perfect evening temperature here as we have diner and get ready to go to bed early in preparation for an alpine start, pre-dawn start to our summit climb tomorrow.
Our plan is to climb the summit pyramid on Mt. Shuksan – some 5th class rock scrambling. Then make our way all the way back down.
Having a good time up here, looking to the climb tomorrow!
In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:
We closed out August with a great one-on-one private climb with awesome conditions on Mt. Baker.
Mt. Baker is the most heavily glaciated peak in the lower 48 contiguous United States and the second most active volcano in the Cascade Range after Mt. Saint Helens. Its location near the Canadain border and the Puget Sound of the Pacific Ocean combine to make it one of snowiest places on Earth – in 1999 it set the world record for recorded snowfall in a single season, a remarkable 29 m or 95 ft.!
This year’s snowfall and cooler than normal spring and summer have created excellent later climbing season conditions. Over the weekend, Garrett led a private client on glacier travel and expedition camping skills reinforcement culminating in a perfect summit on this 3,286 m / 10,781 ft. jewel of the Pacific Northwest.
There is still time to book your Mt. Baker climb for this month of September while the awesome conditions continue! Please contact our office to join a group climb or arrange your own private climb with one of our excellent guides that specialize in Cascade climbs.
For more inspiration, here’s Garrett’s recap of the weekend’s climb and stunning photos. Enjoy!
Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Mt. Baker climb! We got back yesterday from Mt. Baker. We climbed the Easton Glacier route and it was in fantastic shape. Great snow conditions for this time of year, not too many crevasses, and really good weather we had on our summit day. We had views of the North Cascades, of Mt. Rainier, and of the San Juan Islands. So a fantastic time up on Mt. Baker, great shape for this time of year and looking forward to more Mt. Baker climbs in September!
Mt. Baker approach hike in
Beautiful sunset on Mt. Baker
Gorgeous view of Mt. Baker from high camp
View from the tent of a Mt. Baker sunset
Excellent Mt. Baker climbing conditions
Climbing above the clouds on Mt. Baker’s glaciated slopes
In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:
We have returned to the mountains in style with 100% Sunset Summit Success on Mt. Rainier! Here’s climb leader Garrett Madison with the details from Camp Muir as the team makes it’s way back down to Paradise:
Hello! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Mt. Rainier climb! Today is July 29th, and we are heading down from high camp at the Ingraham Flats on Mt. Rainier.
Yesterday we had a wonderful sunset summit at 8:30 pm. We stood on top of Columbia Crest and watched the sunset over western Washington. The whole team made it – 100% success. Beautiful evening weather and great route conditions all around. We made it back to camp late last night, had dinner, and went to bed around midnight.
Today we are just savoring the summit and the views as we head down Mt. Rainier. We are all very fortunate to have had a safe and successful climb, and we’re looking forward to getting down for a nice celebratory meal.
Terray and team approaching the crater rim near the summit
