pants shells for rainier??

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giggy

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Hikin' the scree on Shasta....
hi all - planning for my rainier depature soon and am stumped on what to bring for pants shells. I own 2 sets.

1) marmot precip (I typically wear these in most trips in the pressies when temp above zero)

2) Mountain Hardware heavier shells - they are gore or conduit - can't remember.

My research tells me Rainier in all probability it will not get colder than zero (and probably not that cold) at anytime we are there. (early aug) and I am leaning towards the precips - but don't want to be missing anything blatant here.

I know a good few folks have done rainier before and was wondering if anyone has suggestions. I probably will end up bringing both - but want to reduce as much weght as possible.

thanks - and yes - I did hear of the 7 rescues there in the past week - that kind of sucks but......

should I bring my crampons and ice axe?? (just kidding)

any other tips more than welcome as well.
 
Hey Guy, I'm considering bringing my Marmot winter plans which is like the Precip shell but has a fuzzy liner in it to give it some warmth. It is a full zip pants so I figure if it gets real hot, I can just unzip the sides.

Jay
 
SoftShell pants

To be honest I have gone to softshell pants and I have never gone back. Unless you are in pouring down rain I do not see the point of hardshells. When you take into consideration the strength and comfort of softshells, they are a much more logical choice. Even in the dead of winter I will never use hardshells and I have never had a problem with wetting through even after ending a day with some good old glissading. I have had about 3 pairs of them and only one pair has failed on me (REI brand so I am not suprised). Currently I use a pair of Wild Things Guides (not the new ones they have, the spandura version) for warmer weather and a pair of Ibex Backcountry pants for extreme cold. Have a great trip and be safe.
 
True it is not likely to be below zero, but 20's & 30's with wind and rain are very good possibilities. The cold there is very damp and goes right through me. In many ways this is worse then zero & dry. I am not familiar with those pants you mention. I took a pair of shorts + medium or lighter weight long underwhere for underneath, or long pants that are thin and synthetic (very lightly insulated). This was my base layer. I also brought full side zip fleece pants which I never used and full side zip gortex pants for wind & rain protection. I went with RMI on Rainier and did Baker with Alpine Ascents International. I think one group was not fond of gortex because they make a great sled should you slip on steep terrain, they would opt for fleece when the weather was foul. The other was more of the school of thought that stay comfortable and you are less likely to slip in the first place. Take your pick. I certainly would not waste pack weight with 2 hard shells. I also would not use a shell with insulation, as this reduces flexibility in case it is windy and or rainy but not that cold. Personally I like gortex for rain and fleece for cold & dry. Both for cold and rain. The weather will probably be nice in August but you need to be ready for anything. I have been on Rainier 3 times and the weather has been bad all three times.

My 2 cents.
 
Giggy - good for you. I think we emailed a while back about your first climbs in huntington. you're moving on up.

Staying dry is very important. Moving fast is insulation.
there is very little I would bring 2 of.

This all goes back to that "light weight" thread not too long ago. You got to go with what you're used to and comfortable with.
It's not a time to try out a new system.

be safe.
 
thanks all - probably just bring the MT hardware one. for the record - neither are untested asI have both for a while now - sorry if I gave that impression - no new system will be used on this trip.

now that I think of it - precips might be a bit light for there wind we get. I now remember being pretty cold with them on adams (NH) this winter or last when wind was very high. better safe than sorry.

I have also heard softshell is way to go - but they ain't in the budget right now.

snowman - yep did a couple in hunts this winter. once in that jan cold snap we had - very cold and high winds - damn good training!! rianier has been on the radar for a couple of years now - and the right opp finally came - so giving it a go.


will be safe for sure. goal is to come home on the 6th.
 
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RMI and Alpine Ascents

JRBREN, We are thinking of climbing either Baker or Rainier. Would love to hear which you liked better, and which of the two guiding service you'd reccomend more. We're also considering Mountain Madness.
 
Bluethroatedone said:
JRBREN, We are thinking of climbing either Baker or Rainier. Would love to hear which you liked better, and which of the two guiding service you'd reccomend more. We're also considering Mountain Madness.

Short answer is I was satisfied with both. Which one you hire will likely depend on which Mt you wish to climb and when. Please send me your e-mail address and I can elaborate. You'll need to tell me about your Nepal experience though (referencing your avatar).
 
I just went to Rainier in June. I wore medium weight EMS Bergalene long johns and Mountain Hardware Alchemy Pants. I found this combination to be fine for most of the week we were on the mountain. If the situation called for shell pants I just used my old full nylon ski pants. (I've never found a pair of goretex pants that I liked better

For a jacket I wore my EMS Apollo softshell (similar to the MH Alchemy) and my EMS Goretex XCR. I used a MH Subzero down parka for breaks or other times when we needed the warmth.

All my clothing combinations had been well tested while hiking and climbing in the Whites.

Remember the rest step and pressure breathing! Have a great time!
 
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