Rainier - Gear for Kautz

I'm heading to Rainier in early July for the first time. We are a two man team, unguided. I'm looking for input on the following items:

Protection and hardware, is this about right for the two pitches of ice/snow?
Pickets (2 per person)
long ice screws (5 total for team)
alpine draws with biners (3 per person, singles and doubles)
V-thread tool (1 for the team)
Locking biners (3 per person, allows for drop loop style crevasse rescue)
Extra regular biners (1 per person)
No Cordelette

Stove:
MSR Reactor 1.7L. I had one on Aconcagua and it sucked, but Rainier is not as cold eh?
The heavier choice would be an MSR Whisperlite Universal, with a canister that can be turned upside for a liquid feed. I'm trying to avoid my XGK.

Sleeping bag:
Debating between Feathered Friends 15F, 30F, or hybrid FF Vireo bag 25/45F (light but wets out easier with the 900 fill power, requires me to sleep in my FF Helios jacket which I will bring regardless).

Boots:
Scarpa Phantom Guides
Trail Runners for the lower mountain?

Sound about right???

A couple of pickets and 3 screws is enough gear. The two ice pitches are not that steep, at best 45 degrees. They go quick and certainly do not require two tools. Years ago when we did it, on the first pitch we used no screws and two for the second. At the time, it was hard ice but sun cupped. Which is probably what you will find.

As for sleeping bag go light, I usually bring my 30 degree FF bag. FWIW the bivy area, which is 200 feet below Camp Hazard is often dry so bring some bags to put snow in. Also once above the ice steps most folks head right to the top of Wapowety Cleaver and the upper Nisqually. However, if you stay to the left of the Wapowety Cleaver you will top out very close to Point Success which is the least visited of the three summits. It is an easy walk over to Columbia Crest.

You will not not need trail runners lower down as you will be on snow very quickly especially after Glacier Vista. Also consider going up and over. It makes for a fast descent on the DC. Unless staying at Muir or the Flats we always go up and over. So much easier and faster.

Before dropping down on to the Nisqually, take a good look at your ascent route to the Turtle. More often than not folks are going up to the head of the Nisqually then up on to the Wilson Glacier rather than via the fan which is a pin ball alley.

The other item that is worth considering is making it a two day affair to get to high camp. One can leave Paradise mid day and make to below the Turtle and bivy there, ~8500. Then take leisurely stroll up to Hazard the next day.

I'll preface this by saying that I haven't climbed Kautz, but I'll comment on the general gear...

Why no cordalette? Weighs next to nothing, and handy in crevasse rescue situations...

Reactor should be fine, I've used mine down to -10C at elevations to 2600m melting snow no problem. There's many more people who use it in worse conditions. Keep the canister warm before using and away from wind, and you'll be fine.

If you're bringing a helios jacket then bring the vireo and sleep with the helios on. Saves weight.

Markuso wrote: Why no cordalette? Weighs next to nothing, and handy in crevasse rescue situations...

I was debating this. I figured any anchor I would build would be with a picket or screw, so there shouldn't be any weird configurations like you might have with rock pro. I was counting on slings instead. I will have prusik loops for sure.

Also, it sounds like the camps could be on rock or snow so I need tent stakes for both. Doh!

No, you do not need tent stakes. If on snow, use your ice axe and ski poles. You are bringing ski poles right?? Cause if not glacier travel can be rather hateful. If on bare ground use rocks.

I haven't done the Kautz route, so I won't comment on technical gear needed. I can tell you that I've been quite happy with my vireo and montbell mirage parka on Rainier. Ditto on the reactor.

Has anyone been up there recently enough to know if there is a fixed line in place from Camp Hazard down onto the glacier?

Also going to do a 2 day carryover of the Kautz, unguided two man team. We are definitely not bringing more than 1 picket per person, but we are planning on 6 screws. Now I'm thinking we will take 4... both of us are experienced waterfall ice climbers so I don't expect much technical challenge.

EDIT: Skip the V thread tool. I can't believe people still carry those... you can easily do the exact same thing with a standard skinny dyneema sling.

Nick Sweeney wrote:EDIT: Skip the V thread tool. I can't believe people still carry those... you can easily do the exact same thing with a standard skinny dyneema sling.

Could you expand on this? How do you use a sling to hook the cord or rope? Is there a slipknot or clove or something involved? Or do you just thread the rope/cord through the sling and pull it through?

I've climbed it twice. Both ~20 years ago in July. The penitentes were big enough to weave the rope through thus offering protection. It was icier the second time, I placed one screw. I was leading both times. There were some gigantic crevasses above the steep section once it flattened out. The first trip up it was my first time up Rainier; we hiked it car to car in about ~16 (?) hours...we started in the evening and napped in a bivy tent for a few hours. Whiteouts on the way down the DC route gave us pause as navigation was uncertain. I was glad that we had emergency bivy gear just in case.

Xam wrote: Could you expand on this? How do you use a sling to hook the cord or rope? Is there a slipknot or clove or something involved? Or do you just thread the rope/cord through the sling and pull it through?

Checkout this video.

youtube.com/watch?v=5AgBYba…

Jesse Toedtman wrote: Checkout this video.

Got it. Twist...very clever! Thanks!

We just climbed it this past weekend. There was still snow on the approach, we wore mountain boots, no trail runners. The ice gully had waist deep snow, we had to climb to the right on the side of the serac, making the ice climb much longer.

I had 8 screws, used them all. We pitched out a 35 meter steeper section of ice.
20 F sleeping bag would have been warm enough, I brought a 0, but was overkill
bring glacier rescue - pulleys, prussiks. There are HUGE crevasses with snow bridges. If they collapse you will need to get back out. My partner fell in 2 small crevasses that were hidden.

I agree with a previous poster, make this a 3 day affair. 2 days is tough, and I have no problem doing North side Shasta routes in a day.

So maybe this a dumb question, but how does one get back up the rappel to Camp Hazard on the descent? It sounds like there is a fixed line, but I wasn't planning on bringing an ascender.

C Brooks: nice report on your blog. The seracs at high camp look sketchy to sleep under, I hopefully the lower camp is safer.

MyFeetHurt wrote:So maybe this a dumb question, but how does one get back up the rappel to Camp Hazard on the descent? It sounds like there is a fixed line, but I wasn't planning on bringing an ascender. C Brooks: nice report on your blog. The seracs at high camp look sketchy to sleep under, I hopefully the lower camp is safer.

The modern bivy spot is a couple of hundred feet below Camp Hazard. One can descend from Camp Hazard with an easy scramble down whereas from the bivy spot it is 20-30 foot drop. So one can rap down or go up and around. To reverse one scrambles up to Camp Hazard.

I'm interested in what you all have to say about clothing - I am bringing my Atom LT jacket for sure, but am debating between bringing my TNF Thermoball for additional insulation or my super warm Black Diamond Stance Belay Parka. I'm leaning towards the parka, but it's going to suck lugging that thing around... it weighs almost two pounds and is not very compressible.

Nick Sweeney wrote:I'm interested in what you all have to say about clothing - I am bringing my Atom LT jacket for sure, but am debating between bringing my TNF Thermoball for additional insulation or my super warm Black Diamond Stance Belay Parka.

Check the weather right before you go, if the forecast is for 15-20 degrees at 10-11K, bring the heavier coat just in case, If its warmer than that, you likely will only need your thermoball.
My layers
-light merino base layer
-R1 hoody
-softshell, OR ferrosi
-hardshell
-patatgonia ultra-light down hoody or Rab Neutrino endurance, depending on forecast.
I

C Brooks wrote: Check the weather right before you go, if the forecast is for 15-20 degrees at 10-11K, bring the heavier coat just in case, If its warmer than that, you likely will only need your thermoball. My layers -light merino base layer -R1 hoody -softshell, OR ferrosi -hardshell -patatgonia ultra-light down hoody or Rab Neutrino endurance, depending on forecast. I

ive always carried my rab neutrino endurance, even during an august climb on rainier. never felt it was too warm.

have you ever felt like you regretted carrying it? its pretty light (22oz) and packs down well.

heading out there again a week from tomorrow with a couple buddies. super excited.

Nick Sweeney wrote:I'm interested in what you all have to say about clothing - I am bringing my Atom LT jacket for sure, but am debating between bringing my TNF Thermoball for additional insulation or my super warm Black Diamond Stance Belay Parka. I'm leaning towards the parka, but it's going to suck lugging that thing around... it weighs almost two pounds and is not very compressible.

You're welcome to borrow my montbell Mirage, ~15oz total with 5.3 ounces of 900 fill down, box baffled. It's a large for going over everything during breaks skiing.

Conditions are snowy this year, be careful and aware of avalanche danger!

I would take (2-3) 16cm screws per rope team plus (1) 19 or 22 for V-threading. Conditions this year are not the same as I have experienced but the ice chutes are low angle. If you can top rope WI3, you'll be fine on lead without placing much. That being said, I've done the chutes with a second tool.

Markuso wrote:Why no cordalette? Weighs next to nothing, and handy in crevasse rescue situations...

20' of 7mil is 6.2-ish ounces, if you wanted to round up you could say, almost a 1/2 a lb....That's kind of heavy for an item you don't need.

MyFeetHurt wrote:So maybe this a dumb question, but how does one get back up the rappel to Camp Hazard on the descent? It sounds like there is a fixed line, but I wasn't planning on bringing an ascender. C Brooks: nice report on your blog. The seracs at high camp look sketchy to sleep under, I hopefully the lower camp is safer.

The last 2 years there has been a fixed line. It is easy to jug up with a prussik/klemheist. Even if there's not a fixed line, the climbing is pretty easy (fun). I've climbed out both time without using the fixed line but I was on belay from above both times.

Nick Sweeney wrote:I'm interested in what you all have to say about clothing - I am bringing my Atom LT jacket for sure, but am debating between bringing my TNF Thermoball for additional insulation or my super warm Black Diamond Stance Belay Parka. I'm leaning towards the parka, but it's going to suck lugging that thing around... it weighs almost two pounds and is not very compressible.

I use a base, softshell, hardshell and an Atom SV which works for me unless it's going to be abnormally cold.

B-dog wrote: I would take (2-3) 16cm screws per rope team plus (1) 19 or 22 for V-threading.

I would not have been comfortable with only a handful of screws on the ice I encountered. But then again, I'm a big wuss, and from California, so only ice climb a couple times a year.

Jake, I often carry the Rab, but it rarely comes out. But like you said its pretty light, and in a stuff sack packs down pretty small. Great coat IMHO