Kautz Glacier Climb Route Conditions and TR - 5/19

[Major Major]

Ben, Astrov, and I Started early Saturday (7/18) to cross Nisqually and began heading up the fan. Against the advice of the climbing rangers, we took the fan, as none of us could justify walking the extra miles/2,000k feet to take Van Trump. The fan and the Nisqually presented no issues in the crossing. We then took our time ascending via the typical Wilson Glacier/Turtle Snowfield route, getting to the higher camp before dinner time.

 

Around 3:00 a.m. (7/19), Astrov and I descended the fixed short rope onto the lower Kautz ramp and began pitching the climbs. There are two major ice falls, both of which presented comparable challenges. The second ice fall is steeper. The rotted top layer of ice was the only challenge here, forcing me to kick in steps to gain purchase on more solid ice below the surface.

 

But after reaching the top of the second ice pitch it was time to navigate the upper Kautz and its crevasses. Having done the climb before, I anticipated a slow steady slog around obvious crevasses. This assumption proved wrong. Astrov and I spent notable time analyzing each crevasse and turn. The heavy penitentes made this harder than expected. The crevasses dictated our route, and thus we did not cross over the cleaver toward the Nisqually. We instead zig zagged up to the upper Kautz at the base of the upper ice features (on the East side), skirted the ice feature over the only apparent crossing (around 13,500 feet), and then traversed West. To make matters worse, we found ourselves higher up walking over an ice sheet with water flowing underneath surrounded by sharp penitentes. Finally, we decided to make a B-line straight up the upper Kautz glacier, reaching the plateau at 14,000 feet. This put Point Success a short distance to our West, and the summit crater within grasp. The summit was the usual summit, nothing to note.

 

We also descended the DC route. Although our initial objective was too descend Kautz, the difficult ascent made us reconsider this option. The DC route is now sewn together by ladder bridges and rerouted through Nisqually. In some ways it's more enjoyable, but I can't image it during heavy traffic. We descended it in early afternoon.

 

The point of this TR is both for inquiry and an update. Based on the route that we took, I do not recommend climbing the Kautz Glacier for the remainder of the climbing season. At one point, Astrov punched through an undetected crevasse around 13,600 feet, and there were others that were still in transition yet very open. That said, I'm wondering if the traversing from Kautz to the upper Nisqually is still possible. If so, then the route is still reasonably doable. This is all based on observations over the weekend. But I hope this beta is helpful. The Ranger at Muir mentioned Climbing Rangers would be assessing Kautz that same day, so we'll see.

 

Final note on gear: five ice screws and two tools. I used it all.

 

Here are some pics of sunset and sunrise. Astrov and Ben probably have better pics and probably better memory of the details.

 

 

Edited July 20, 2015 by Major Major

[Ben Beckerich]

Not too much relative to conditions or the tale, but here's some I liked, just to spice up ur TR

 

 

I hadn't been to altitude in over a year, so the trek up to Hazard on day one was 'nuff for me. I descended whilst the bros ascended.

[astrov]

yellow bottle of oxygen?

[Ben Beckerich]

I will actually add a note on approaching the Fan, however - the rangers are diverting people away for sake of the jacked up icy debris pile and cut up chunk of glacier... it's definitely not impassible for determined and sure-footed climbers, but it would easily scare away the less resourceful. We approached the bottom of the ramp from climber's right on the up, and traversed super slippery frozen mud-covered chunks to land on the piece of cleanish glacier directly guarding the Fan.. it worked OK, but was mildly hazardous and messy. For descent, I went skier's right, around the other way, and I'd say it was definitely less hazardous, but dirtier and slightly more laborious. If you chose to go that way (climber's left, on approach), cut straight across the shit pile toward what looks like the left edge of the fan's mouth, then scramble the scree above the crevassy glacier until you get to about the last two cracks... now you can walk straight across to the bottom of the Fan.

 

BUT - stay away from the area directly over the creek, unless you rill thirsty:

 

[Ben Beckerich]

yellow bottle of oxygen?

 

amidst other plane crash wreckage - probably from the Marine transport in '46... the fuselage pieces had the same green camo paint

[Ben Beckerich]

Hmm.. probably not that one, according to this article. I'll have to investigate other crashes

 

http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=7820

[JBC]

I think that wreckage is from the 1968 Air force T-33 trainer crash.

[Ben Beckerich]

Know where that one hit?

 

I found this pile on the Nisqually.

 

This is one of the pieces I found up on the Turtle couple years ago:

[Ben Beckerich]

AAhh.. Wapowty Cleaver.... (about 1/3rd of the way down) http://www.mountrainierclimbing.us/sar/queryfatalities.php?activity=Flying

 

Totally. That would explain both sets of debris, and why the parts look to match.