Home > Trip Reports > May 1, 2016, Puyallup Cleaver/Lower Tahoma Glacier

May 1, 2016, Puyallup Cleaver/Lower Tahoma Glacier

5/1/16
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
3219
4
Posted by lukehumphrey on 5/8/16 9:46am
http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1148450#Post1148450
I had a somewhat similar experience approaching the Tahoma Glacier from the west in June 1997. After that failure, we decided to ski the route by carrying over the summit from Camp Muir. That turned into a really nice trip in June 2003. I wrote about it (with a bunch of background info) here:

http://alpenglow.org/skiing/tahoma-2003/index.html

Hi Lowell - I read that in preparation for this climb - thought the inline skate cache idea was brilliant for your high-orbit trip.

I just re-read the Tahoma Glacier part and it looks like you took the gully below Glacier Island - we had scoped out a line above that for our descent that looked less crevasse-ridden, but it sounds like it's probably more fun to go straight down the middle of the Tahoma with those large seracs on either side.

Anyway looked like an awesome trip - I don't think I've yet been brave enough to descend something serious that I didn't climb up.

Wow, a lot of close calls in that report. Glad you guys are ok!

Eh, I'd say there was one higher risk move crossing that warm slope low on the cleaver in late afternoon. Nothing really beyond that I'd characterize as a close call. Thankfully the run out on that wasn't horrible.

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may-1-2016-puyallup-cleaver-lower-tahoma-glacier
lukehumphrey
2016-05-08 16:46:41