ACR ON LOC DME BACKCOURSE APCH AT NIGHT HAS GPWS ALERT. CLBS.

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WE WERE ASSIGNED 9000 FT; AND AN INTERCEPT FROM THE E FOR RWY 34 LOC DME (BACKCOURSE) IN RNO. HEADED APPROX AT WAGGE. NIGHT VISUAL CONDITIONS WITH A FEW SCATTERED CLOUDS. WITH ARPT AND RWY IN SIGHT LEVEL AT 9000 APPROX 17 DME ON INTERCEPT HDG (FO FLYING WITH MAP DISPLAYED; I HAD RAW DATA DISPLAYED AND LOC IN MANUAL MODE). WE HAD DISCUSSED THE TERRAIN PRIOR TO AND AGAIN ONCE WE WERE IN THE DSCNT. AT THIS TIME WE RECEIVED A TERRAIN WARNING. WE TOLD APCH WE WERE GETTING THE WARNING AND WOULD LIKE TO CLB TO SILENCE THE WARNING. WE VISUALLY HAD THE TERRAIN BUT SINCE IT WAS NIGHT I WAS NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THE SITUATION. THE WARNING CHANGED AS I WAS ASKING FOR ALT RELIEF. I COMMANDED THE FO TO START A CLB. AT 9350 FT THE WARNING CEASED WE WERE THEN CLRED FOR LOC DME 34 BC/VISUAL APCH. REST OF APCH/LNDG UNEVENTFUL. WHEN I TOLD APCH CTL THAT WE WERE CLBING THAT I COULD NOT IGNORE MY COCKPIT WARNINGS; HE INDICATED THAT 'THAT WAS TOO BAD' THAT IT WAS 'PROBABLY THE TWRS' THAT SET OFF THE WARNING. HE DID NOT INDICATE THAT OUR CLBING TO 9350 WAS A PROBLEM.