Little Tahoma Peak, Mountain summit in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, US
Little Tahoma Peak is a rocky summit in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State, sitting at around 11,138 feet (3,395 meters) on the eastern flank of Mount Rainier. Its faces drop steeply on all sides, with glaciers wrapping around the base and patches of permanent snow covering much of the upper terrain.
The first recorded ascent was made in 1894 by J.B. Flett and Henry H. Garrison, who reached the top via the Summerland route. Since then, climbers have developed several other lines up the peak, each using different sections of its faces and ridges.
Among climbers, this peak is seen as a proving ground where skills on rock, snow, and ice are tested before taking on larger objectives. The routes up its faces have been walked by generations of mountaineers from the Pacific Northwest.
A permit from Mount Rainier National Park is required to climb here, so it is worth planning ahead before the trip. Conditions at this elevation can shift fast, and climbers should be ready for cold, wind, and changing snow before starting the ascent.
In 1963, a massive rockfall from the north face sent a large volume of stone crashing down onto the Emmons Glacier below. The debris field is still visible from the climbing routes today, giving a clear sense of how much the peak's shape has changed.
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