Step by step up Mt. Rainier

 

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell took a fall Monday on Mt. Rainier.

We all did.

As part of our five hours of training in advance of climbing the 14,411-foot peak south of Seattle, everyone in our group had to practice our "self-arrest" techniques -- stopping our slides down a snowy slope by digging in our ice axes and kicking our heavy plastic climbing boots into the hillside.

Under the instruction of Ed Viesturs and Peter Whittaker -- arguably two of the world's best mountaineering guides -- we also practiced using crampons, working together as a roped team, and even how to walk and breathe most efficiently on the climb. The charity expedition will benefit the United Way of King County (Wash.).

Today, I will climb to Camp Muir, the 10,000-foot base camp, with the team, composed of Goodell, Seattle Seahawks Coach Jim Mora; Seahawks Chief Executive Tod Leiweke; Jon Fine, United Way of King County president and chief executive; Molly Nordstrom, United Way of King County board chair; John Thelan, Costco senior vice president; Fred Kiga, Boeing vice president, and Greg Bronstein, Wells Fargo regional managing director.

I will file a full report sometime after the climb concludes Wednesday, as dispatches from Mt. Rainier are difficult -- no cell coverage.

-- Sam Farmer

Photo: The sun rises from about 12,800 feet on the Emmons Glacier of Mount Rainier on June 15, 2009. On July 8, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Seahawks coach Jim Mora will attempt to climb the 14,411-foot peak for charity. Photo credit: Zach Schade / Associated Press.

Comments

[gerrrg]

Okay...maybe it's just me, but going climbing on a glacier just days after one person fell through the ice and had to be rescued by helicopter, and a 4 day warm spell followed by much cooler weather with the potential of rain, seems like a bad idea.

Be safe.

[galdhopper]

Weather is looking doable but not pleasant for this merry band of first-timers. Taking care of yourself above 10,000 feet in wind-blown snow, single-digit temperatures and by the light of a headlamp on a river of ice is no box of chocolates, especially the first time. And then there's the climbing-up-the-mountain part -- stacking six or eight full-hour aerobic workouts on top of each other. And then you get to walk down 9,000 feet downhill with a big pack to end your day. It's no mean feat, sports fans. Climbing with Ed and Peter is like shooting hoop with Kobe and LeBron -- but it doesn't mean your 15-footer goes in any easier. Good luck and godspeed.