Helmet or No Helmet On Rainier

[Erik Beeler]

Hey all,

We will be climbing Rainier via Disappointment Cleaver next weekend. Absurdly warm weather apparently. I am advocating for helmets but a friend is saying no helmets as "no-one wears them on Rainier". What are the forums thoughts?

[Scott]

Most people where helmets on Rainier and it's always a good idea.

[clmbr]

I hope this is a joke.

[DukeJH]

Trade route with loose rock, rockfall exposure, and crevasse danger. Brain buckets are a good idea.

[stinkysox77]

I hope this is a joke.

Don't worry, he won't make it very far when he goes looking for Rainier in California.

[ExcitableBoy]

Hey all,

We will be climbing Rainier via Disappointment Cleaver next weekend. Absurdly warm weather apparently. I am advocating for helmets but a friend is saying no helmets as "no-one wears them on Rainier". What are the forums thoughts?

Helmets DEFINITELY. People have died from rock fall while making the 'easy' traverse from Camp Muir to Disappointment Cleaver. Most of it is underneath cliff bands of very unstable rock. The rest of the way is underneath very unstable seracs that were the cause of the worst mountaineering tragedy in the U.S. Your friend is uniformed. Has he climbed Rainier?

You and your buddy may find this educational: http://www.summitpost.org/so-you-want-t ... ier/507227

[simonov]

Hey all,

We will be climbing Rainier via Disappointment Cleaver next weekend. Absurdly warm weather apparently. I am advocating for helmets but a friend is saying no helmets as "no-one wears them on Rainier". What are the forums thoughts?

No one goes to Rainier anymore, it's too crowded.

[clmbr]

Hey all,

We will be climbing Rainier via Disappointment Cleaver next weekend. Absurdly warm weather apparently. I am advocating for helmets but a friend is saying no helmets as "no-one wears them on Rainier". What are the forums thoughts?

Helmets DEFINITELY. People have died from rock fall while making the 'easy' traverse from Camp Muir to Disappointment Cleaver. Most of it is underneath cliff bands of very unstable rock. The rest of the way is underneath very unstable seracs that were the cause of the worst mountaineering tragedy in the U.S. Your friend is uniformed. Has he climbed Rainier?

You and your buddy may find this educational: http://www.summitpost.org/so-you-want-t ... ier/507227

What took you so long ExcitableBoy? I understand you might have been thinking like me that it was a troll, Rainier & California

[ExcitableBoy]

What took you so long ExcitableBoy? I understand you might have been thinking like me that it was a troll, Rainier & California

I've seen so much stupid s#*t on Rainier that I assumed this guy was for real. Glad he asked the question though and got an appropriate response. I'm all about going light, heck, I used to climb with Colin Haley who weight shamed me for having a sticker on my water bottle, but I consider helmets necessary for certain objectives, Rainier included.

[mrchad9]

[Erik Beeler]

Nope - not a joke. I live in CA and figured there were lots of really informed climbers here. I appreciate the responses. I am, of course, planing on wearing a helmet. I was looking for responses that I would be able to use to convince him to wear the helmet.

Thanks again.

Erik

[simonov]

Nope - not a joke. I live in CA and figured there were lots of really informed climbers here. I appreciate the responses. I am, of course, planing on wearing a helmet. I was looking for responses that I would be able to use to convince him to wear the helmet.

Last time I was on Rainier everyone around me was wearing a helmet on the summit day:



(I don't know those people, they were just there when I reached the caldera).

To legally climb the mountain you have to get a permit and check in with the NPS. You can always ask the rangers what they think. I can guess what their answer will be.

[Josh Lewis]

Wearing a helmet on Rainier is more important than wearing one on loose class 3 (and I'm no advocate C3 helmetless). I've personally seen plenty of rock fall on the DC. Also it's a good idea to wear a helmet on the glaciers due to ice falls and crevasse falls. I've fallen through a crevasse, so it does actually happen.

[Carbo]

Rainier DC route definitely a good place to wear a helmet.
The traverse from Camp Muir towards toward Disappointment cleaver had a decent rock fall the last time I went (shortly before we set off).
Coming down again and exiting DC next day, the team behind us had rocks rain on them where we had been 1 min before.