Kautz Ice Chute

The Kautz Glacier is the third most popular climbing route on Mount Rainier, and in the right conditions its famous ice chute can be descended as part of a ski descent.

The Kautz Glacier Route is a classic moderate alpine climb, providing a step up in difficulty from the traditional Disappointment Cleaver and Emmons-Winthrop. Its technical crux, an AI2-AI3 ice climb, is often buried in skiable snow in the spring creating an intuitive descent option. 

The steep Kautz headwall can be descended directly off of Point Success, but more likely parties will choose to follow the upper mountain section shared with the Fuhrer Finger down the upper Niqually, diverging off at the more moderately angled portion of the upper Kautz glacier. The slope rolls over through the center of the ice chute, a sustained pitch of steep turns through a very unique feature. A traverse left and short rock step leads out to the Turtle snowfield, with various lower mountain exit options back to Paradise, the Nisqually Bridge, or the Comet Falls Trailhead.