Sports & Adventure: Adrenaline

Why do you want to do this?

My company has been working with Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. (RMI) for about a year and a half and I have been fully immersed in the world of mountain climbing. The highlight was helping update the daily dispatches and corresponding video and photos for last years Mt. Everest Climb - this climb marked RMI's 40th year in business and showcased their new line of gear in a partnership with Eddie Bauer, called First Ascent. The 3 month trip was so incredible to be involved with and although climbing Mt. Everest is the ultimate goal for any climber, it inspired me to make climbing my first mountain a personal goal.

What three things will you need to make this happen?

Determine a beginners climb through RMI that I can complete. They have so many climbs throughout the year, that you'd think it difficult to choose. The RMI website has a Find Your Trip utility that allows you to filter by difficulty. After looking at the level ones, which are mostly skills training, I moved to level two. There are 2 climbs within my budget of $1000. The Mt. Shuksan - Sulphide Glacier climb only has two trips this year which didn't work for me. The Mt. Rainier 4 Day Summit Climb is RMI's most popular program and has a lot of dates to from - this is the climb for me! Now I just have to a date.

Make travel arrangements to Seattle, WA, travel arrangements to Ashford, WA, buy/rent gear...

Train!

What is the biggest barrier to your achieving this?