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发表于 2016-4-13 06:56:53
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2016.04.10 Mt. Rainier, WA - contd.
MT RAINIER TIP
No extraordinary fitness is required to climb standard route on Rainier: if you make it to Camp Muir, you most likely (99%) will make it to the summit: under normal conditions climbing time to the top is shorter than the approach to Camp Muir from the cars. However, altitude sickness could occur to anybody. What is required though, is an appropriate training in glacier travel and rescue, or hiring a licensed guiding company. Soloing on Rainier glaciers, like unroped soloing on any glacier, is normally considered as a Russian roulette idea.
Only hire a guiding company if it is going to be your one-time alpine affair (nothing is wrong with it!) or if you are fond of jumping over deep voids in complete darkness, wearing stiff and heavy rented older-model plastic boots. You will have little or no sleep before midnight departure. Through entire trip, except the summit, you will be tied to two strangers whom you most likely have never met. All rope team members must maintain exactly same pace: if one stops, everyone stops. Taking a bathroom break will be an exercise in privacy acrobatics and might seriously challenge your opinion about acceptable norms. The current normal cost of that is about $1,700 USD before taxes and tips to the guides. As a general rule in commercial mountaineering, the success is never guaranteed and the fees are not refundable: if you can't make it or if the weather is bad and trip is cancelled the money is gone.
There are some shady commerce that don't specifically charge for guiding for the reason that they are not licensed to guide in Rainier NP and as such, will charge for mandatory equipment rentals instead - in order to be profitable they will bring rather large groups, 12-20 people is normal. This makes climbing very slow, that's why they have no choice but start early! Being without license, they might not have necessary qualification, experience or training in glacier rescue response. Another Russian roulette.
Yet you can be a lot better off: do yourself a favor and take a general mountaineering course. Obtain necessary basic equipment. Then practice hard. Climb a simple basic route with someone experienced. Then practice hard. When everything is ready, including weather and conditions, climb Rainier with a good partner. You will earn much more self-respect, it will cost you less, you will have fun instead of suffer, and after Rainier you can climb more similar famous peaks - for free! 8)
PHOTO: Short break @ Ingraham Flats
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