Need info for Kautz Cleaver on June 24/25th

[Alex_Mineev]

Appealing to common wisdom

Will this route still be in reasonable shape in three weeks?

I plan to take a newbe thru some uncrowded line, KC seems a good choice. Am I wrong? any opinions would help

 

Thanks!

[treknclime]

Have done it a couple of ways...from Paradise & Van Trump. Paradise up the Fan is easy enough. Traverse into the cirque at the base of K Headwall from about the base of the Turtle. Traverse further L onto steep ground and up from the cirque and gain the cleaver (if there's enough snow).

 

From Van Trump, there's a buttress at around 8.5k, and then a traverse across the K Glacier...a little bit of an icefall some years here. Gain the cleaver by climbing up a face/fingers of snow. Three weeks...likely enough snow, and if not, careful for the rockfall, fer sure. If you go via Paradise...preview the route on the drive up...if you can...then if there's not enough snow as judged from the road or on the approach...bail to K glacier.

 

The upper Success/Kautz cleavers are prolly some of my favorite routes. Lots of exposure, and a little rock. If there's enough snow, you can thread through these sections without much trouble. The rock goes easy and is fun, if you end up on that stuff. The view down from Pt. Success rocks...worth the walk over from C crest, sometime...if there's time (about 45-1hr each way).

 

IMHO that's one way to handle things.

[Pandora]

The Kautz Cleaver is a fun route that should still be in shape for the rest of the month. And you're right about it being uncrowded! The time I climbed it (July '03), our team saw only a single footprint (not sure how that works out).

 

As for the approach, my personal preference is leaving from Van Trump - you start lower, but it's nice to hike through the trees and watch the views begin to open up. Plus it's more straightforward, none of that traversing and losing elevation as with the Paradise approach.

[Alex_Mineev]

thanks guys