Guided climbs · Mount Rainier, 14,410 ft
Guided Rainier climbs, compared
Only three companies are allowed to run regular guided summit trips on Rainier. Here's every climb they sell, side by side: what it costs, how long it takes, which route, and what happens to your money if you cancel.
3companies compared, 25 programs
$2,595cheapest published price, per person
3–10 daystrip length
48%of all climbers summited in 2018, the last year the park published a count
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RMI ExpeditionsFour Day ClimbDisappointment Cleaver · 4 days
4
$2,595–$2,995
Experience neededNone technical. Excellent fitness; 35–45 lb pack; 10–14 hr summit day.
International Mountain Guides3.5 Day Summit ClimbDisappointment Cleaver · 2027 price · 3½ days
3½
$2,895–$3,395
Experience neededNone. Beginners welcome; very good fitness.$3,395 for Jun 14–Aug 15 starts
RMI ExpeditionsFive Day ClimbDisappointment Cleaver · 5 days
5
$3,095–$3,595
Experience neededNone technical. Strong hiking background; 35–45 lb pack.
International Mountain Guides4.5 Day Summit SeminarDisappointment Cleaver · 2027 price · 4½ days
4½
$3,595
Experience neededNone. Beginners welcome.
Alpine Ascents International3 Day Muir ClimbDisappointment Cleaver · 2027 price · 3 days
3
$3,750
Experience neededNone technical. Strong hiker/backpacker; 40 lb pack.
RMI ExpeditionsExpedition Skills Seminar – ParadiseIngraham Direct or Disappointment Cleaver · 6 days
6
$3,795
Experience neededNone technical. Strong multi-day fitness with heavy loads.
RMI ExpeditionsMuir SeminarFrom Camp Muir · 6 days
6
$3,795
Experience neededCheck with RMI.
International Mountain Guides6.5 Day Summit SeminarDisappointment Cleaver · 2027 price · 6½ days
6½
$3,795
Experience neededNo climbing needed; real cardio base and overnight-pack experience.One date in 2027: Aug 8–14
International Mountain GuidesExpedition Prep & Summit SeminarDisappointment Cleaver · 2027 price · 6½ days
6½
$3,795
Experience neededNone. Cold-weather camping and 60 lb pack experience recommended.One date in 2027: Apr 28–May 4
International Mountain GuidesBaker Rainier SeminarMt. Baker, then Disappointment Cleaver · 2027 price · 7 days
7
$4,095
Experience neededNone. Beginners welcome.
Alpine Ascents International8 Day Rainier Mountaineering CourseEmmons Glacier · 2027 price · 8 days
8
$4,700
Experience neededBackpacking and camping experience strongly recommended; 65–70 lb pack.
Alpine Ascents International9 Day Baker & Rainier CourseMt. Baker, then Disappointment Cleaver · 2027 price · 9 days
9
$4,740
Experience neededBackpacking and camping recommended; 50–60 lb pack.
Alpine Ascents International10 Day Baker & Rainier CourseMt. Baker, then Kautz Glacier · 2027 price · 10 days
10
$4,875
Experience neededPrior climbing and backpacking suggested; 50–60 lb pack.
International Mountain Guides4.5 Day Emmons Glacier ClimbEmmons Glacier · 2027 price · 4½ days
4½
$3,195
Experience neededNo climbing needed — the only quieter route open to beginners. 45–55 lb pack.
International Mountain GuidesKautz Glacier ClimbKautz Glacier · 2027 price · 4½ days
4½
$3,195
Experience neededGlacier climbing and cramponing on ice required.
RMI ExpeditionsFive Day Emmons ClimbEmmons Glacier · 5 days
5
$3,195
Experience neededPrior glacier travel, roped snow/ice, crampon and ice-axe skills.
RMI ExpeditionsFive Day Kautz ClimbKautz Glacier · 5 days
5
$3,195
Experience neededPrior glacier climbing; 50–60 lb pack.
RMI ExpeditionsFuhrer Finger ClimbFuhrer Finger · 5 days
5
$3,195
Experience neededAt least one prior glacier climb; steep snow on crampons; ice-axe arrest.
Alpine Ascents International4 Day Emmons ClimbEmmons Glacier · 2027 price · 4 days
4
$3,650
Experience neededA Mt. Baker climb or equal glacier experience; 60+ lb pack.
Alpine Ascents International4 Day Kautz ClimbKautz Glacier · 2027 price · 4 days
4
$3,650
Experience neededAn Alpine Ascents Emmons climb or course, or equal; 60+ lb pack.
RMI ExpeditionsExpedition Skills Seminar – EmmonsEmmons Glacier · 6 days
6
$3,795
Experience neededRMI rates it intermediate.
RMI ExpeditionsExpedition Skills Seminar – KautzKautz Glacier · 6 days
6
$3,795
Experience neededRMI rates it intermediate.
RMI ExpeditionsFour Day Select ClimbDisappointment Cleaver · 4 days
4
$4,595
Experience neededNone technical. Excellent fitness.Capped at 4 climbers, 2 guides
RMI ExpeditionsCustom Four Day ClimbBuilt for your team · 4 days
4
$3,900–$13,600
Experience neededAsk RMI.$13,600 solo; $3,900 each with 8
International Mountain Guides3.5 Day Custom Summit ClimbDisappointment Cleaver · 2027 price · 3½ days
3½
$28,760 for the whole team
Experience neededSame as IMG’s 3.5 day climb.Listed price for a private team of 1–8 climbers, not per person.
Copied from each company’s own pages on Oct 19, 2026. Every “See dates” button opens the page we used. Where a page says which season a price is for, we show it. Prices change; the operator’s page wins if it disagrees with this one.
Free · no guide
Climb Mount Rainier yourself
Everything above is for hiring a guide. If you have the skills, this is what you need to do it on your own, free. Facts come from the summit’s own page on PeakSeeker, with sources.
- Normal route
- Disappointment Cleaver
- Grade
- NCCS Grade II-III
- How long
- 2-3 days
- Best season
- May-September (most summit attempts June-August)
- Permits
- NPS climbing registration fee of $82 per person required to climb above 10,000 ft; a separate wilderness camping permit ($12 per person per night) is required for overnight stays during the May 1-Sept 15 summer season.
- Start from
- Paradise (Paradise Ranger Station / Jackson Visitor Center), 5,400 ft (1,646 m)
- Climb from there
- 9,006 ft (2,745 m) of ascent
- Getting there
- Most climbers stage from Paradise (5,400 ft) and establish high camp at Camp Muir before their summit push. Nearest airport: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).
- Hazards
- Icefall/serac collapse (site of the 1981 Ingraham Glacier disaster), crevasses, rockfall, altitude, fast-changing weather.
- Gear
- Rainier is one of the most heavily guided peaks in the US. Three companies hold NPS concession contracts to run regular guided climbs (RMI Expeditions, Alpine Ascents International, International Mountain Guides); about 23 other permitted guide services may each lead one trip a year. Crampons, ice axe, helmet, and crevasse-rescue gear are mandatory. In 2018, the last year NPS recorded summits, 5,135 of 10,762 climbers reached the top (about 48%).
Disappointment Cleaver
2,186 m8.3 km
Line from OpenStreetMap; profile approximate. Map and GPX download →
Sources: home.nps.gov ↗rmiguides.com ↗
Read this before you pay a deposit
Refund rules are very different, and mostly strict. IMG keeps every dollar once you book, no matter when you cancel. RMI keeps your deposit if you cancel more than 120 days out and refunds nothing after that. Alpine Ascents is the most forgiving: a full refund 120+ days out, half back at 90–119 days, nothing after, always minus a $300 registration fee.
Whoever you pick, look at trip cancellation insurance. A sprained ankle in June costs you the whole climb.
Weather decides more than fitness does. Guides turn teams around for wind, storms and route conditions, so treat any success rate you hear on a sales call as a sales number.
RMI requires climbers to be 18. IMG takes 16- and 17-year-olds with a parent on the trip. Alpine Ascents doesn't publish an age rule, so ask.
- Three companies hold Park Service concession contracts to run regular guided summit climbs: RMI Expeditions, Alpine Ascents International and International Mountain Guides. 23 smaller guide services hold permits too, but each may lead only one trip a year. home.nps.gov ↗
- Every climber above 10,000 ft pays the $82 Park Service climbing fee. All three companies include it in their price. home.nps.gov ↗
- Across all climbers, guided and not, 5,135 of 10,762 reached the summit in 2018, about 48%. None of the three companies publishes its own success rate. home.nps.gov ↗
- Guided summit days run at about one guide to two climbers, with teams of up to 8 climbers and 4 guides. IMG notes its contract allows 1:3 above high camp if a guide has to take someone down. home.nps.gov ↗
- Tips for guides (RMI suggests 10–15%), gear rental, meals off the mountain and lodging are extra on every trip. rmiguides.com ↗
The companies
RMI Expeditions
- Since
- 1969 · Ashford, WA
- Programs
- 11
- Deposit
- $500–$600, non-refundable
- Refunds
- Lose the deposit 120+ days out; no refund after that
- Age
- 18+
- Private
- Yes, custom climbs
- Contact
- 1-888-892-5462
info@rmiguides.com
Policy from: rmiguides.com, rmiguides.com, rmiguides.com, rmiguides.com
Alpine Ascents International
- Since
- 1986 · Seattle, WA
- Programs
- 6
- Deposit
- $500–$550, incl. $300 non-refundable fee
- Refunds
- Full refund 120+ days out, 50% at 90–119 days, none after (minus $300)
- Age
- Not published
- Private
- No private trips on Rainier
- Contact
- 206-378-1927
climb@alpineascents.com
Policy from: alpineascents.com, alpineascents.com
International Mountain Guides
- Since
- 1986 · Ashford, WA
- Programs
- 8
- Deposit
- $500, non-refundable
- Refunds
- No refunds at any point
- Age
- 18+, or 16–17 with a parent
- Private
- Yes, custom climbs
- Contact
- 360-569-2609
office@mountainguides.com
Policy from: mountainguides.com, mountainguides.com
Get an email when bookings open
Rainier's summer dates fill through winter. Get an email when 2027 dates or prices change at RMI, Alpine Ascents or IMG.
Before and after the trip
Most programs start in Ashford, Washington. Lodging is extra on nearly all of them.
Places to stay in Ashford ↗Rescue & evacuation cover (Global Rescue) ↗More guided options on 57hours ↗
Mount Rainier on PeakSeeker → routes, live summit weather and permits.
More comparisons
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How this page makes money: links to Booking.com, Viator and 57hours may earn PeakSeeker a commission if you book. Links to the guide companies themselves don’t, and nobody pays to be listed or to change what we say. Spot something out of date? Tell us.
Sources
- home.nps.gov/mora/getinvolved/commercial-services.htm
- home.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/climbing-fee-faqs.htm
- home.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/annual-climbing-statistics.htm
- home.nps.gov/mora/getinvolved/regulations-for-guiding-on-mount-rainier.htm
- rmiguides.com/programs/mt-rainier-4-day-summit-climb
- rmiguides.com/programs/mt-rainier-camp-muir-seminar
- rmiguides.com/about/registration-policies
- rmiguides.com/about/custom-climbs
- alpineascents.com/about-us/general-statement/
- alpineascents.com/climbs/private-wa/
- mountainguides.com/rainier-policies.shtml
- mountainguides.com/rainier-faq.shtml
- Each climb’s own page, linked from its “See dates” button.