POD: Ice Climb on Mt. Rainer

Photo: National Geographic photographer Sam Abell

A treacherous icefall on the south side of Mount Rainier gives expert climber Lute Jerstad a chance to practice some of the skills that helped him reach the top of Mount Everest in 1963. Although towering 14,410 feet (4,392 meters) above sea level, Rainier offers routes for novice as well as experienced mountaineers."