The Final Cascades Conditions Report of the 2026 Season!
Hello climbers,
The summer climbing season is almost wrapped up, and the weather is making a shift in the mountains. This upcoming weekend looks like light precipitation with the freezing levels hovering around 7000-8000 ft, so the tops of some peaks should get a light dusting of snow. Following the weekend some late summer sunshine looks to take over for the week. Paired with higher freezing levels, it will be a great time to squeeze in some end of summer climbing objectives.
Mount Rainier (Tahoma)
Last week we finished guiding operations on Mount Rainier for the season. The upper mountain received new snow making climbing conditions a bit difficult. The final teams did not make a summit attempt because of conditions, so no new information is available for the upper mountain. The Muir Route was completely stripped of all climbing aids (ladders, handlines, and wands) by guide services, so if heading up to make an attempt, understand that route finding could be a challenge.
Mount Baker (Koma Kulshan)
Conditions are still holding up well on the Easton Glacier. The final scheduled 3-day summit programs ended last week, but the route was still in fantastic shape for this time of the year. Climbers should expect straightforward glacier climbing towards the crater with easily navigable crevasses. The Roman Headwall is still a well-developed path taking climbers to the summit plateau. It’s still a good time to head up Baker before to much snow starts to hide the crevasses.
Across the Cascades
As volcano season wraps up, climbers have been out enjoying various peaks throughout the Cascades. The Fisher Chimneys on Mt Shuksan is still climbing like mid summer shape, but expect things to start changing on the summit pyramid as temperatures and precipitation roll in this weekend. Climbers founds a snow free approach to access the Cat Scratch Gullies on their way up the West Ridge of Forbidden peak this week, also noting perfect climbing conditions on the ridge itself. Finally, as the smoke has cleared teams have been out enjoying the late summer climbing at Washington Pass and Mazama. It’s a perfect time of the year to get in a late rock objective in that location with daytime temperatures being prime for granite climbing.
Happy climbing, and we’ll see you next season!
