Mount Rainier 4 Day Kautz Climb

Mount Rainier 4-Day Climb of the Kautz Glacier With Alpine Ascents

Climb Rainier as part of a Course! Consider our 8 Day, 9 Day, and 10 Day programs.

The Alpine Ascents 4 Day Rainier Climb of the Kautz Glacier is a great next step for climbers who have completed a mountaineering course and want a more relaxed climbing schedule that allows for an additional night to enjoy the mountain. This instructional course/summit climb travels as a fully contained climbing expedition (with up to four guides and eight climbers). We carry our camping, cooking, and climbing kits, meaning that each person’s pack weight is significantly heavier (65 lbs.) than climber’s packs on the Muir route (40 lbs.).

Mt. Rainier (14,410 ft), originally named “təqʷuʔməʔ” (Taquoma), is the highest volcano and largest glaciated mountain in the contiguous U.S. This alpine giant is famous for its superior climbing as well as its pristine wilderness. The vast glaciers and alpine ridges of Mount Rainier offer challenges for novice and veteran climbers alike. Alpine Ascents provides a diversity of climbs led by renowned professional guides to accommodate climbers of all skill levels.

The program was professional from start to finish – gear check to to return home. The clients’ interests were first and foremost – after being an Alpine Ascents client on 4 previous occasions I have come to expect high quality of service and my expectations were met on Mt Rainier.

Climbing Skill Level
This route is for those climbers who performed well on the Emmons Glacier climb or have successfully completed the 8 Day Rainier (Emmons Glacier) Course or the 6 Day Mount Baker (North Cascades) Mountaineering Course, or who have had equivalent training.  The 3-Day Alpine Ice Climbing Course is excellent preparation for this challenging objective and highly recommended for all climbers without significant ice climbing  experience.  This four-day trip is extremely rigorous and being in excellent physical condition is mandatory. One day of skills review is included in the climb. Please note, the guide retains the right, at any point, to determine whether a climber is sufficiently fit to continue the climb

Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge we gather upon the ancestral lands of the Muckleshoot, Puyallup, and Nisqually Tribes. These communities have lived on and stewarded the lands surrounding təqʷubəʔ (tah-ko-bah) since time immemorial, and continue to do so today. We recognize that this land acknowledgement is one small step toward true ally ship and we commit to uplifting the voices, experiences, and histories of the Indigenous people of this land and beyond.

History of Tahoma

For the last century, the highest volcano looming over the PNW has been known widely as Mount Rainier. This name, coined by a European explorer, holds minimal significance to the rich history of the land and culture existing in this space since time immemorial. Although it has grown to hold meaning today, the aim of the history presented here is to educate about the local Native American history on and around Tahoma (Mount Rainier).

Tahoma, just one of the many names for the highest volcano in Washington state, means Mother of the Waters. Native American stories tell of a time when the mountain we know today as Tahoma lived in the Olympic mountain range. The range became too crowded, so Tahoma decided to move out and into less populated lands. She told her son- “Taquotma” Translation: Don’t forget the water. Her son brought the waters out East with them, which is why Tahoma- The Mother of Waters- serves as the headwaters for many rivers in the area.

Within the last century, archeological studies have found evidence of Native American tribe activity dating back thousands of years. Archeologists predict Native American communities lived in the plains surrounding Tahoma as early as 15,000 to 10,000 years ago. Since then, when glaciers began to melt, communities moved higher up the mountain as flora and fauna began to thrive within the area. More recent archeological studies have found remnants of tribe’s rock shelters and foraging materials such as food, tools, and fire pits dating back 1,200 years. For more information on the archeological history of Tahoma visit the NPS Mount Rainier Website.

History of Western Washington Tribal Lands

Since time immemorial, native tribes of Washington have inhabited the land on and around Tahoma. The Cowlitz, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, Puyallup, Squaxin Island, Yakama, and Coast Salish tribes are those that call parts of Tahoma home today. There are many different names for the mountain, Tahoma being one well known throughout the region. Tribes coexisted upon the land for centuries. Within the last 200 years, European colonizers arrived and began commandeering the land. In 1854 The Treaties of Point Elliott and Medicine Creek were instituted, allocating small plots of land for tribes to live upon and continue their traditional practices. Throughout the early 1900’s, tribes watched their ancestral lands quickly diminish even further – often left with just a few acres to call home. Settlers continued to seize their homelands. Throughout the early 2000’s, tribes such as the Muckleshoot and Puyallup began reclaiming their homelands, slowly buying back the land that had been sold to non-Indians throughout the early 1900’s.

Western Washington Native American Educational Resources

For further education on the indigenous communities that live in the Tahoma area, visit their respective websites for specific tribal histories. We also have provided Native history books on our reading list:

Muckleshoot

Nisqually

Cowlitz

Puyallup

Squaxin Island

Yakama

Coast Salish

Reading List

This is a highly recommended shortlist and we would be happy to pass on a longer reading list for those interested. These links will bounce to Amazon.com with reviews.

Mount Rainier: A Climbing Guide
by Mike Gauthier, Bruce Barcott, Mountaineers Books
Glacier Travel & Crevasse Rescue
Andy Selters, Mountaineers Books
Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills
Don Graydon (Ed.), Kurt Hanson (Ed.), Mountaineers Society, Mountaineers Books

I LOVED MY EXPEDITION. THE KAUTZ ROUTE GAVE ME A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING; HIGH ALTITUDE GLACIER MOUNTAINEERING, ICE CLIMBING, AND EXPEDITION CAMPING. ALL FOUR GUIDES HAD GREAT LEADERSHIP SKILLS.

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