Kautz Glacier 

The amount of ice on the Kautz apparently varies quite a bit depending on the time of the season. On 9-July-2006 the first pitch was all snow and maybe 45 degrees at most, while the second pitch was about 40m of 50 degree ice. We pitched out this section and I led it with one tool and one axe. Very featured.

On the descent there was a fixed anchor about 70m above the start of the second pitch (probably a buried picket). Be prepared to make v-threads, rap off ice horns, etc.

Conditions updates can be found on the head climbing ranger's blog site :
mountrainierclimbing.blogspot.com

The condition of this route seems to have changed a lot in the last ten years. I did this in relatively safe style in late August of '97 or '98 with a single alpine axe and no rappels or fixed lines. The "chute" appears to be more of a proper ice climb these days.

Pitching tents at Camp Hazard during warm spells is pretty risky. We did so and nervously watched as blocks broke off the sun-baked upper Kautz Glacier every hour or so. Most of it funneled down the gully the route crosses just west of the camp but one big fall let loose directly above the tents and sent washing machine sized ice boulders rolling through camp. It was pretty terrifying and one of the closer calls I've had in the mountains. Amazingly no tents or people were hit with big stuff.

In retrospect it was a comical scene. Most of us were awakened from afternoon naps by the crack of the ice fall and watched in what seemed to be slow motion as the glacier broke up and trundled towards the tents. Realizing that it wasn't going to miss the camp, people started running for cover behind boulders in their underwear.

The irony is that Camp Hazard is named for an individual and not for its location below a south facing ice cliff. Needless to say, the name fits.

This is a great route. The ice pitches were great fun. The first was not much more that a 40 degree step ladder, but the second pitch was steep enough for 2 tools. We fired the route in 2 days car to car. A classic route for the climber seeking to stay away from crowds and wanting a more challenging route.

Summited July 4th. 1st ice pitch a walk-up after the first semi-vertical 40', 2nd required one tool but quite a bit of front-pointing. Felt like solid Grade 3. There were loops of webbing left on the penitentes which made good anchors.

Was cool at the end of the day to sit in camp 2 and watch the fireworks all around.

Got up the route on 4 July 2011 from comet falls trailhead. Conditions were good. The icefall was stable especially compared to the recent activity on the nisqually. We accessed the ramp via the chute from below camp hazard at 11,200 ft, and it was a simple descent down around the horn of the western icefall. If you want to do the rappel you should head west at 10,450 ft and follow the ridge to about 10,850 ft. The rappel poit is easy to miss. Very few crevasses on the upper glacier and good snow bridge across the kautz/ nisqually transistion at 12,500 ft. Upper mountain was dense hardpack snow and we skied up most of the way to the crater. Recommend taking wands if descending this route as it is not well marked right now.

Descent was the standard dissapointment cleaver route. Large suncups made ski descent difficult. Several large crevasses are open on the upper ingraham glacier making the route traverse back towards emmons glacier. Well marked and tracked.