OK, my hair stood up on end when I read "After my daughter practiced some basic walking and self arrest skills we headed up the mountain."! She's 9? You trust her newly learned skills on the first outing with those conditions?! Granted I have no experience with Rainier, so for all I know the ground was flat for 2 miles, but WOW - I would NOT take a 9 y/o up a snow covered mountain and START teaching the basics. !!
The mountain skills were all practiced on safe slopes at the lodge, then the axe got put back in the car. There's not many chances for "real" practice in Tennessee. The "climb" was done on slopes where a axe or self arrest wouldn't be needed. Not going to take her on on anything bad until her skills are much more developed. Rainier was not exactly her "first" mountain. She has done a lot of hard hiking and rock climbing on the "Southern 6000", and has trained low on Mt. Hood and Mt. Lassen. Her mountain experience is probably much better than most of the guided climbers we saw being led up by RMI.
TheBootfitter - Jun 26, 2007 7:18 pm - Voted 9/10
What a trooper!Thanks for sharing! I've got a ten-year old that I think would have been ready to turn back sooner. Good stuff!
Deb - Jun 26, 2007 7:28 pm - Hasn't voted
=8OOK, my hair stood up on end when I read "After my daughter practiced some basic walking and self arrest skills we headed up the mountain."! She's 9? You trust her newly learned skills on the first outing with those conditions?! Granted I have no experience with Rainier, so for all I know the ground was flat for 2 miles, but WOW - I would NOT take a 9 y/o up a snow covered mountain and START teaching the basics. !!
johnh1995 - Jun 26, 2007 8:16 pm - Hasn't voted
not so badThe mountain skills were all practiced on safe slopes at the lodge, then the axe got put back in the car. There's not many chances for "real" practice in Tennessee. The "climb" was done on slopes where a axe or self arrest wouldn't be needed. Not going to take her on on anything bad until her skills are much more developed. Rainier was not exactly her "first" mountain. She has done a lot of hard hiking and rock climbing on the "Southern 6000", and has trained low on Mt. Hood and Mt. Lassen. Her mountain experience is probably much better than most of the guided climbers we saw being led up by RMI.
Liba Kopeckova - Jul 9, 2009 8:01 am - Hasn't voted
great kidWhat an accomplishment for a 9 year old!!! My son is 15 and he would not want to go.