Newbie Advice (Etiquette Etc.)

Thanks! Also: Any snow-specific equipment that I might not have that you would say is mandatory (for that location/season)? Maybe ice axe, Yak Trax, etc.?

I'm concerned about white-out conditions, so I have my eTrek (GPS) + map/compass. I've been at the top of several resort lifts (Timberline, Steamboat, A-Basin, etc.) that became near white-out (which provoked an extremely unsettling feeling

Will possible "quick storms" be more likely in the afternoon?

At the park entrance ask for the blue map. It is a free sheet they hand out that has a crude map on it but it also has the bearings from several sight points to the next, etc. As you go up LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER (as said) and get comfortable with the bearings--you may need to repeat them coming down in dense fog.

Dunno if Panorama face will still be skiable in late July, but for a newbie/timid traveller who's a good skier (like me) that is the only pitch worth skiing. There are others but they're off the beaten track. Nothing wrong with stashing the ski gear at the top of Panorama point and walking the rest of the way.

If you have gaiters for your running shoes that is ideal. If you have yak traxx or similar that will help in the early morning. You can also wrap rough tape a foot or so below your pole grips for a shorter grip on the way up. Take your poles all the way up!

Summer snow conditions are fairly stable but use your own judgement. If there was a hard freeze overnight and Pan face is icy, decide on the way up whether you want to come back down it. It's not a difficult ski slope but it can be a rather exciting glissade.

John is right to make note of Pan Face. It's the only steep pitch you have to contend with on the way to Muir. It can present difficulties for some getting up it when it's firm, and has been the site of avalanche accidents. Even if your skills and comfort level are good, the boot pack can get backed up by those who are less comfortable. Some folks might like an ice axe or whippit - having one may allow you to bypass the gong show of the main bootpack and go your own way. If you have arrest skills I would just bring an ice axe, it being your first time there.

I have to disagree that Pan Face is the only part worth skiing though, the upper snowfield can be a complete pleasure to cruise down!

Whiteout is no joke, I learned that the hard way on my first visit as a total newbie straight from the northeast. I got completely disoriented and nauseous in a whiteout, had to take my skis off and walk down, checking compass bearings the whole way and still almost missed the parking lot at Paradise - which would have been bad. First day of summer that year and in a blizzard!

Will possible "quick storms" be more likely in the afternoon?

That's more of Rockies thing -- the west side of the Cascades doesn't tend to have the "afternoon thunderstorm" pattern that can happen in Colorado (and to a lesser extent, the east side of the Cascades)

Weather on Mt Rainier is (for the most part) driven by what is flowing in from the ocean (which lies to the southwest, not too far away) Because Mt Rainier sticks up so much more than the surrounding mountains -- clouds form to a much greater extent around it than other less bumpy bits of the cascades.

Maybe twice in four decades have I encountered "lightning hazards" on Cascade volcanoes -- once on "old" Mt St Helens and once on the Muir snowfield. In both cases -- as soon as St Elmo's fire started buzzing on pointy metal things in our group we headed down immediately and were lucky.

As for other gear -- stuff like a whippet and crampons do make travel easier and safer, but add weight and cost Plenty of people make the trek to Muir without such items -- passing Panorama Point is the spot where these are of the most use, but there tends to be so much traffic that way that -- unless you head up very early in the morning, there will be a well established boot pack up Pan Face before you get there.

For safety the most important thing to use is your brain/gut -- if footing seems marginal -- turn around -- or wait until the sun softens the snow a bit more or someone else kicks a deeper set of steps.

Whiteout is no joke, I learned that the hard way on my first visit as a total newbie straight from the northeast. I got completely disoriented and nauseous in a whiteout, had to take my skis off and walk down, checking compass bearings the whole way and still almost missed the parking lot at Paradise - which would have been bad. First day of summer that year and in a blizzard!

Man, that's terrifying! Did you learn anything from that experience, like something you should have planned or done differently? Was it avoidable, in retrospect?

All the above advice is good. If you go to Paradise on a summer weekend get there EARLY! Arrive mid-morning and you'll be walking a mile just to get to the parking lot - it's a circus. That said the 4.5 mile summer conga line to Muir gives a person a certain amount of comfort when going solo - safety in numbers and all that. Climbing rangers and/or guides flag the route to Muir and the hundreds who are ahead of you will have kicked in steps so you'll know the way up.

I can't think of a better place to pack your alpine skis uphill to get the flavor of backcountry skiing and the view from the Muir Snowfield on a sunny day is extraordinary. Good luck.

(Ditto on the rental option. Check out Pro Ski in North Bend).