Mt Baker/Mt Rainier questions

Hi, 

I am planning to climb Mt baker and Mt rainier in the summer. I don't have a ton of experience with moutaineering so this would be a starting point. Does anyone here have some experience with this? I am pretty lost in terms of the gear I should have and how to start my training for the same. 

Gear: I do have the list, I do know what Im looking for, but with such high investments I am looking to get some advice before making purchases. 

Thanks, 

-Piyusha

That will be so fun! I've done Mt. Rainier but not Baker. I thought this training plan was pretty good. http://www.fitclimb.com/page/mount-rainier-training-plan To the extent you can go up 14ers and do lots of hiking in advance, I think that's the best training.

Other than typical gear lists, here's what I would recommend:

Whittaker Mountaineering shop is close to Rainier and you can rent a ton of stuff - mountaineering boots, ice axe, crampons, gaiters, big jacket. Anything that you think you don't need to buy if you don't do too much mountaineering.

Clothes are pretty typical "alpine" wear - 

• Softshell pant depending on temperature - I have Mountain Hardware chockstone pant with some built in gaitery thing which I use for ice climbing which I think is ideal. When I went it was actually super warm so I wore a lighter softshell pant
• Hardshell pant - the guides tell you to bring a hardshell pant, you can rent this
• Shirt / undergarment layer - pretty self explanatory, there are a bunch of brands. A lot of people like to get one with a hood to protect your neck from the sun
• Mid layer - there are a lot of brands, I've had an Arcteryx atom jacket which I've had forever, but if I were buying now I would get the Proton FL, looks really nice
• Outer layer / down - most people have an outer hardshell in the case of rain + ginormous down for when they are resting. I am a very cold person and I already had a fairly waterproof softshell that has thin down in it, which is what I wore most of the time, plus Rab Neutrino for wearing when we took a break
• Sleeping stuff - depending on what you already have and what you do outside of mountaineering. I have a 0 degree down sleeping bag and one of the new Thermarest ultralights which I think are totally worth it. Maybe you can rent this too. Or try to buy around the holidays when there are coupons
• Gloves - I have Rab women's Baltoro glove which I really like

This is not comprehensive, there are a ton of detailed trip reports you can look at where people talk about what they brought. All of this stuff you can check out REI outlet, I personally like Mountain Hardwear, Outdoor Research, and Rab as reasonably priced brands. Sometimes Mountain Hardwear and Rab have nice sales on their sites, and I think Arcteryx does now too if you want something fancy.

Have fun, train, and let me know if you have other questions!

Are you going with a guide sevice on these climbs? If not, read on.

You might consider taking a course on glacier travel and crevasse rescue before you go to Rainier or Baker, unless you already have those skills. 

The guide services that offer these courses will give you a list of required equipment, some of which you can rent from them.