Mount Rainier Backcountry Ski - Kautz Glacier - Success Couloir

I was fortunate enough to team up with Wa State super shredder Erik Svege on July 11th - 13th. We headed into high camp around 4pm from the Paradise parking lot and traversed the Nisqually Glacier to our base camp @ 8100ft. We set up camp and Erik cooked the most delicious high mountain pizza I have ever had. It was covered in cheese, fresh veggies and was cooked to a crunchy perfection. After dinner we were off to bed but sometime in the night the winds picked up something fierce and the tent managed to slap me around most of the night. Our 5am departure time was pushed back because we anticipated 60mph winds up high. I assumed the day would be a weather day but the high winds started to mellow around 11am so we thought we would have a look around.

The late start didn't seem to matter much since the sky was clear and the snow seemed to maintain its softness. We decided to give the Kautz Glacier route a try. The Kautz is a really neat line that wanders around deep blue seracs and into a great couloir which is followed by the upper mountain. Everything seemed to go really well but when we were at an elevation of 13.5k @ 5pm we thought it might be best to head back to camp before the soft good snow turned icy. The upper mountain was quite firm due to the 12k freezing level but the crux of the route was soft buttery goodness with no sun cups.

On the 13th @ around 6am we started the traverse over to the Success Couloirs. Seemed to go really fast while the snow was firm and hard. After an hour or so of traversing we found ourselves below the couloirs and they looked fully awesome! We climbed up to an elevation of 13k and skied from there which is 1 rock band away from the upper pitches of Point Success. The snow was as good as it gets from 13k all the way down to the Paradise parking lot. Huge thanks to Erik for taking a couple days off work and for cooking the best pizza I have ever had!

Erik Looking into the Nisqually Glacier.

The approach from Paradise.

 

 

 

 

Yes, the winds are gone!

 

 

Around 13k on the upper mountain.

 

 

 

The Kautz crux just below.

Erik Shredding the Kautz Couloir!

 

 

 

 

 

The water refueling station.

 

The Moon.

A look at camp on day 3 @ 6am.

 

Sunscreen time...

First look at the Success Couloirs look good and smooth.

Just after the schrund crossing on the lower pitches of Success.

Little sun cupping for 100 yards or so.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time for home...