Steidl Climbs 14,411-Foot Mount Rainier in 4:24:30 From Paradise – A New Record
Mount Rainier, Washington – On July 26, 2016 Uli Steidl, 44, set a new speed climbing record on Mount Rainier. He ascended and descended the 14,411′ volcano in Washington’s Cascade Range in 4 hours, 24 minutes, 30 seconds – setting a new speed climbing record for somebody not using skis.
Steidl left Paradise (5,400′) at 4:56 AM and returned at 9:21 AM. His GPS watch claims he traveled 14.64 miles and covered 9,255 vertical feet.
The previous speed climbing record was 4:40:59 set by mountain guide Wilie Benegas in 2008. The fast time for a skier is 3:51:40 set in 2014 by Eric Carter of British Columbia.
Steidl is an accomplished distance runner. According to The NewsTribune.com, he has won “10 Seattle Marathons, five Vancouver Marathons and holds the record for fastest Portland Marathon.” He has been attempting the speed record on Rainier since 2013.
He proved his record by using a Garmin Forerunner 235 GPS Watch and taking photos at key points. See his route and stats on Connect.Garmin.com.
Update: Stumbled upon this Facebook Video of Steidl’s big day:
Congratulations Mr. Steidl!
