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Why is it Called Rainier?

Inspired by the Toughest Challenge

In 1975, my father and I spent a week climbing Mount Rainier (14,411.05 feet). It was the most physically gruelling climb either of us had ever accomplished, but we both agreed years later that standing on Rainier's summit was one of the most inspiring moment of our lives – akin to a religious experience.

That inspiration, and the omnipresent beauty of the mountain (well, omnipresent when it's not raining in Seattle...), led me to lend the agency the name Rainier.

When Rainier expanded to Europe in 1998, it was frequently assumed that we were named after the illustrious Prince Rainier III of Monaco, and although he’s probably a great guy, that is not the case.

Steve Schuster, CEO

A Model Sailor

Mount Rainier itself was named in May of 1792 by Captain George Vancouver, a tribute to his boss, Rear Admiral Peter Rainier (1741 - 1808). Peter Rainier was an “Admiral of the Blue” in the British Royal Navy, regarded as a model sailor and commander, renowned in battle and worthy in politics.

Rainier never saw his mountain and in fact never set foot on American soil. It is not known whether Vancouver’s blatant brown-nosing benefited his naval career, although he did end up with an entire island in his name.

In 1807, Peter Rainier was elected to Parliament from his birthplace in Sandwich, Kent. Eleven months later, he died in his house on Great George Street, London, across from Westminster Abbey and one block from Parliament and Big Ben, which tolled for his funeral.

Of Volcanos and UFOs

Mount Rainier is classified as America’s most dangerous volcano. Only half of the 10,000 people who attempt to climb it each year succeed. Jim Whittaker, the first American to conquer Mount Everest in 1963, trained on Mount Rainier.

And a final bit of trivia: the origin of the term “Flying Saucers” comes from an unexplained sighting pilot Kenneth Arnold observed over Mount Rainier on June 24, 1947, giving birth to the modern UFO era.

	“Of all the fire mountains which, like beacons, once blazed along the Pacific Coast, Mount Rainier is the noblest.” So said the naturalist, John Muir.