Rainier rangers: A sharp eye on the slope

In 1992 when Mount Rainier National Park hired Stefan Lofgren to keep climbers safe on the upper mountain, his climbing résumé could be summed up in one line:

Mount Anderson, Olympic National Park, 7,321 feet.

“I just want to make sure nobody like me is ever hired to work here again,” Lofgren said.

As the new director of Rainier’s climbing program, Lofgren, 38, can follow through on that effort.

Today the climbing rangers are accomplished members of the mountaineering community and even the volunteers’ experience would put the ’92 version of Lofgren to shame.

“This season, we might have the best staff we’ve ever had,” said Chuck Young, Mount Rainier’s lead ranger.

This month the climbing programs, along with partners like the guide services and the Tacoma Mountaineers, were honored for Rainier’s recent safety record. There has not been a climbing fatality on the mountain since 2005.