Yeah, he had a few years mountaineering experience but for the life of me I don't know why he attempted it in late January.

My only experience with the PNW was a few weeks in September of 2017 spent taking photos along the 101 in Washington and Oregon, but it definitely fit the stereotype then. Don't know that I'd go so far as to call what it was doing 'raining' but it was persistently wet. Once you got past the coastal range though, everything was on fire. 5 months without rain? Goddamn, everything is going to burn now.