The Kautz Glacier is a stunning ski descent from the summit of Mount Rainier and one of the biggest lines in the Cascades. I was contacted by Amar Andalkar who was interested in finding a partner for the route. Soon enough we were packing our bags and driving out to Paradise so we could do an overnight trip from Camp Muir.

Climbing Mount Rainier via the Ingraham Glacier Route and Descend the Kautz Glacier

The first afternoon we packed our glacier travel and sleeping gear in our back packs and made our way up to Camp Muir at a brisk pace. From Glacier vista we had a clean view of the Kautz Glacier and the other main routes on Mount Rainier before pushing up the Muir Snowfield. It was a perfect day as we climbed enjoying sunshine with no wind.

Once at the Muir Shelter we hung rested while the sun dipper under Mount Rainier. Our plan was to get up at 5 a.m. and as the sun came up we would start heading up the Ingraham Glacier.

Day 2 and an Attempt at the Kautz Glacier

The next morning we woke up and watched the sunrise as we packed our bags. The plan was to make a ski descent around noon so we could make our way up in a relatively slow pace. By now all the climber were gone for hours and should have been near the summit. We would meet them coming down as we pushed up the glacier. Late starts is one of the benefits of ski mountaineering.

Heading up the Ingraham Glacier

Soon we were up on Cathedral Gap and looking at our route up the Ingraham Glacier. There was a well beaten in track so we would be able to move at a fast pace if we wanted to. From our perspective the route seemed to be direct.

Climbing up went fast as we passed the climbers heading down and wondering why we were so late. After explaining that we need the snow to soften in the wind they looked at us like we were crazy. The biggest thing that climbers fear is what we were there for, soft snow.

Riding Down the Kautz Glacier

Once on the summit we walked over to the high point and waited. We sat there for 2 hours taking in the views from the summit crater. Both of us had been on the true summit numerous times so we didn’t want to hike the additional mile. Before long the clock hit 1p.m. and it was time to take our first turns down the Kautz Glacier.

We had timed riding the Kautz Glacier perfectly as it rolled over to steeper slopes. A storm had made its way through leaving new snow on the upper slopes that had transitioned to a smooth surface. Looking down it would be intimidating but we had snapped some photos and from them knew that the route was clean.

The upper slope was a nice steep pitch that was straight foreword as the bergschrund had a clean snowbridge. We felt like we were hanging in the area as we knew at the bottom of the Kautz Glacier it terminated in a 300 foot ice cliff.

Making our way to the Lower Lobe of the Kautz Glacier

The main reason that we were there was because the main choke of the glacier was still in. Soon this area would be horrible glacial ice but at the moment it was still rideable. By now the slopes had gotten steeper but the snow was perfect, being super edgeable corn.

Heading towards the ice cliff it was time to do the traverse over to the Turtle. We were at the base of the Kautz Glacier making our final turns on the steep face. In a few minutes we would rope up and after a quick traverse off the ice fall would be riding down the wide open slopes again.

Above the Ice Cliff we traversed over to the edge and roped up. With a few well placed steps we would be back on solid ground.

Exiting via the Turtle

After a quick down climb we were done with the second crux and ready to ride towards the Nisqually bridge. While we would have a few crevasses here and there we wouldn’t have to worry about steep ice cliffs.

It was time to do our final descent down to the Nisqually Glacier. Although we had already lost a few thousand vertical feet the snow was still perfect corn. Finally we could start opening up without the concern of making a fatal error.

As we made our way down we looked back up to scope out the Fuhrer Finger. The route was out for the season but being a thin strip of snow with a runnel running down it. We had scored one of the last rideable lines of the season on the Kautz Glacier and happy to be out there.

Our Exit to the Nisqually Bridge

Soon enough we were riding down the Nisqually Glacier and heading towards the Nisqually Bridge where our car was waiting. Being at 3,200 feet we were at the end of a 11,200 foot fall line run. While the snow was getting really soft we were able to ride it fluidly all the way to the bottom. 10 minutes later we were at the Parking Lot and making our way back to civilization. It had been the perfect day getting turns on the Kautz Glacier.

I was super fortunate to be contacted by Amar for the trip as it was a new route for me on Mount Rainier. We had perfect weather and conditions and as always he was a great and super knowledgeable partner.

Thank you for reading this trip riding the Kautz Glacier. If you want to see more ski tours within Mount Rainier Backcountry check out this link.