Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Questions concerning climbing Mount Rainier

A few quick comments on Rainier:

Taking a guide is a good idea. You will be safer, you will learn something, and your chances of success are higher than if you go on your own. On summit day, the guides may send the totally unprepared clients back to camp (with a guide) while the stronger clients make the summit. Wimpy clients aren't likely to spoil your summit bid.

If you don't hire a guide, find a third person for your team. It's safer that way. You can hike unroped on the lower part of the mountain. Rope up when you're high enough to encounter avalanches or crevasses. Learn how to do a crevasse rescue. You don't need avalanche transceivers when you're roped together, since you can simply follow the rope to the victim. If one avalanche buries your entire rope team, it's probably a body recovery anyway. RMI (2x Rainier), Mountain Trip (Denali) and AAI (Denali) didn't bring transceivers.

Practice on Shasta (or something as similar as possible) before you attempt Rainier. Practice more than once. Practice in terrible weather. Practice regardless of whether you hire a guide for Rainier. Using crampons and axe should be second nature, not something you learned at the required class the day before the climb.