Some background:
I have no climbing experience
I am in good shape
I am in my mid 20’s
I have no climbing equipment (but I am willing to get what would be needed)
So could I climb to the summit of Mount Rainier solo? What are my chances of making it? Is it legal to solo climb Mount Rainier with no experience? How long would it take to climb Mount Rainier?
I can’t get the link to work.
From the site referred to by tomndebb:
My personal take (I did some climbing in prehistoric times, but am scarcely an expert): climbing a glaciated mountain like Rainier solo, without experience, is borderline suicidal.
Sorry. It works for me even after I posted it.
The link proides all the National Park Service rules and regs along with suggested equipment, suggested party size, and links to professional guides who will take you to the top.
Try going to the NPS home page:
Select “Visit Your Parks: Experience Your America™” taking you to
http://www.nps.gov/parks.html
From the dropdown, select “Mount Rainier National Park” and click GO, taking you to:
Under QUICK LINKS, select “» Recreation and Activities”
(This will provide a pop-up window: http://www.nps.gov/mora/rec-act.htm )
Select “Climbing” taking you to
http://www.nps.gov/mora/climb/climb.htm
The link works. Try again.
Pay particular attention to this part of the web page …
“Solo travel above high camps or anywhere on glaciers is not permitted except with prior written permission from the Superintendent. You may download a Solo Climb Request Form or you may request this form by writing: Superintendent, Mount Rainier National Park, Tahoma Woods Star Route, Ashford, WA 98304.”
I still can’t get the link up or anything from NPS, which is probably due to more problems from MSN.
What if I climbed with another unexperienced friend, would this still be “borderline suicidal”?
The link works just fine. It may be the problem is on your end.
Homer you appear to be missing the point. FWIW, if you do find someone else to climb with you, and you do not die in the process, it will be a miracle. OTOH, if something happens to either of you requiring a high altitude rescue, the Park Service could stick you will a bill for rescuing you, although not likely. See Mount Rainier cost recovery stats.
I thought Mount Rainier was an easy climb, that could be completed with no training with a guide. So hard could the climb be?
13 people have died on Mt. Rainier in the past 10 years. No, it is not something that should be attempted without an experienced guide. I was with a very experience guide (Jim Whittaker) in 1985 when I attempted to climb the mountain, we had to turn back due to freezing rain. And that was in late August when the weather is considered prime climbing weather. The trail is fairly easy to Camp Muir (10,000 foot level) then can become quite difficult. Unless you are with at least an experienced climber, you won’t be allowed to attempt the climb.
Goran Kropp died on Rainier, and he was more of a moutaineering stud than almost anyone:
http://web.outsideonline.com/news/headlines/20021001_1.html
Well, after climbing the Murderhorn, Mt. Rainier should be duck soup for you!
I think we are being whoosed. There is ample information indicating a climb up Mout Rainier is no cakewalk and Homer just doesn’t want to believe it.
Make your solo climb, Homer. Can you put me in your will before you go? 
“Easy” is a relative term. They probably mean no technical mountain climbing techniques are required, e.g. ropes, pitons, and so on. Physically, the climb would be grueling – 9000 vertical feet over eight miles is not easy, especially when you’re carrying 40-60 pounds of gear, at altitude, on snow and ice. Even in my twenties, I don’t think I’d have tried that climb without spending a few weeks getting in shape on lesser hills.
More than that, you need the experience to decide whether or not it's safe to go on if weather conditions deteriorate. Experts will realize when the game isn't worth the candle and will head back if conditions get bad. Amateurs will try to soldier on because "they've come all this way and it doesn't look that bad."
Mt. Washington in New Hampshire is also an “easy” mountain that requires no advance training (it’s only about 6400 feet high and you can reach the peak in less than 4 hours), but you can reliably expect one or two people to die on it every year because they made mistakes.
No.
A lot of people don’t seem to realize that there’s a difference between hiking and mountain climbing. I’m a hiker, not a climber, but at least I know there’s a difference.
Mountain climbing takes preparation, training, and equipment. Hiking takes hiking boots and a bottle of water. I would think the realization that they fish people of of Rainier with clock-work frequency – sometimes dead – would be enough to indicate it’s not a great idea for a novice, and certainly not alone.
There’s great hiking throughout northwest Washington, including some spectacular hikes around (and on) Rainier, some of which are long enough and difficult enough to test anyone in any reasonable shape. Why not do that for a while? Then if you’re interested in learning how to climb, you can make start into that as well. On some mountain less forbidding than Rainier.