My sixth ski descent of, and third consecutive year ending my ski season on, the Grand Teton. This time I was accompanied by first time Grand Teton skier Connor Reithmayr, and we caught the Ford Couloir in nothing short of perfect corn.
Documenting the Ford-Stettner Couloir route on Ten Thousand Too Far is reaching a certain degree of monotony. This was my sixth ski descent of the big stone, and fifth via the Ford-Stettner. The punchlines which made this experience distinctly unique were two-fold. One, I was joined by third year skier, and first time Grand Teton skier, Connor Reithmayr. Yep, you heard that right, this dude learned to ski a piddly three years ago. Second, the ice conditions in the Stettner and Chevy were about as poor as they come, with water running over and under the ice, and certain segments entirely missing – stripped to bare granite. Our original intentions were to traverse the Grand, Middle and South Tetons – the “Teton Trifecta” – but the tenuous climbing conditions absorbed too much time for such multi-peak foolery beneath an unforgiving June sun. This will almost certainly be my last ski of the 2024 season, and was my third consecutive year making my final ski turns on the Grand Teton.
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We left the car at 1:30AM and traveled swiftly on foot to the Meadows, where we changed into ski boots and immediately began climbing in crampons up the steep headwalls of Garnet’s North Fork – skins and ski crampons stayed in the car. Clear skies allowed a solid freeze despite 38 degree lows at 11,600 feet, providing excellent front-pointing conditions. Teepe Glacier once again defied all logic, remaining isothermal for dreadfully punchy uphill thrutching. We reached the Stettner around 6:30AM and stashed no gear, as we intended to exit from the mountain a different way.
It was Connor’s first time swinging tools this winter, so our rough plan was to solo the trivial Stettner ice but rope for the steeper WI2+ bulges of the Chevy. Having skied the Grand two other times in June I didn’t bother bringing ice screws, as usually by late spring the climb is baked rotten. Because we were intending to continue up the North Ridge of the Middle Teton, and escape the Ford Couloir via a traverse to Exum Ridge that neither of us had done, three cams, five nuts, one pink tri-cam and a few slings made the packing list. I never thought we’d use the gear on initial ascent, as I intended to solo any ice where Connor desired a belay, trail a tagline and use one of the million fixed anchors to bring him up, but as soon as we encountered the first significant ice bulge in the Stettner, completely rotten and gong-hollow with a massive hole of running water the size of a coffin in the middle, I realized this puny rack was about to play an integral roll in our adventure. We belayed four pitches through the Stettner and Chevy, as each section offered ice that seemed awfully devious and at serious risk of delaminating. The cruxes were an 80 degree, 10 foot waterfall in the Stettner where I had to swing and kick through a few inches of running water to connect with the ice beneath, and another column of ice about three feet wide that provided the only viable passage through the crux bulge of the Chevy. Most everywhere the climbing got dicy I was able to find solid overhead rock protection, though our lead system was only a single strand of 6mm cord, so the vibe remained serious. We built many of our own anchors, as some of the fixed anchors were unable to be reached due to open water over polished granite. All in all the climbing was actually quite fun, with more ice exposed than I can remember from past descents, and the echoing background noise of running water provided an elevated level of ambiance. We reached the Ford with soggy socks but booming smiles around 9:30.
At the base of the Ford we stashed everything save for pocket snacks, water and a light jacket, mutually agreed to throw on the headphones, and made an expedient climb up mostly bullet hard snow to a 10:40 summit. Crystal clear skies provided the classic Grand Teton views dreams are made of, yet we took little haste in celebrating as the Ford was beginning to receive direct sunlight, and come June things heat up quickly. We were able to ski from a mere 10 feet below the summit, and save for a bit of breakable punch off the windswept top enjoyed a descent of perfect, fast, first-knuckle corn. I was equally impressed by Connor’s ability to throw confident jump turns at 13,775 feet above major exposure, as I was with his humility realize when side-slipping was pertinent. As someone who’s been skiing for 26 years, it’s pretty hard to imagine skiing off the Grand Teton with only three years on the belt. Personally, I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of the spectacular positioning of this classic route.
From our gear stash at the base of the Ford we made a short attempt at the new-school “Gentleman’s Exit” – traversing from Petzoldt Col to the Wind Tunnel on Exum Ridge, and rappelling from the top of the Golden Staircase to Wall Street – but found dangerous isothermal snow on hot granite above big exposure. We quickly pivoted to the standard descent, using three 60M rappels intermixed with down-climbing to the bottom of the Stettner. Hours earlier I dropped my rappel device, so I crafted an improvised ATC with a steel quick-link and single locking carabiner. Combined with a friction hitch and relatively low-angle terrain I was able to achieve adequate friction without the horrendous rope twisting that accompanies the trusty munter hitch. In fact, my improvised system worked so well it had me imagining the possibilities for ultra-light rappel systems made from aluminum descent rings and a single locking carabiner. Full disclosure – this hypothesis has tremendous capacity for disaster and remains untested.
Besides the always isothermal Teepe Glacier the snow remained supportable for slow-boat corn skiing to the Meadows. Bailing on our original Teton Trifecta concept seemed ever pertinent given the now unfiltered and merciless afternoon June sun, and the fact we probably wouldn’t summit the Middle Teton until at least 3:00PM. While my prevailingly “Type A” mindset struggled with accepting defeat, my rational side countered with a more balanced and practical response: “we just skied the Grand Teton in perfect corn, quit complaining!” Perhaps this is a fitting sentiment to cap my season, a season laced with unprecedented personal drive that has produced some remarkable experiences, but at times obscured the most integral part of wilderness adventures – preserving gratitude, no matter the outcome. As we transition into summer and build momentum for another best winter ever, I aim to lead with gratitude. Hats off to homie Connor for his incredible achievement!
For those who are seeking more detailed content on Grand Teton ski descents, check out the trip reports below:
- May 27th, 2023 – Ford-Stettner
- June 8th, 2022 – Ford-Stettner
- March 30th, 2022 – Southeast Ridge (solo)
- January 19th, 2022 – Ford-Stettner
- May 15th, 2020 – Ford-Stettner
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Ten Thousand Too Far is generously supported by Icelantic Skis from Golden Colorado, Range Meal Bars, The High Route, Black Diamond Equipment and Barrels & Bins Natural Market.
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DISCLAIMER
Ski mountaineering, rock climbing, ice climbing and all other forms of mountain recreation are inherently dangerous. Should you decide to attempt anything you read about in this article, you are doing so at your own risk! This article is written to the best possible level of accuracy and detail, but I am only human – information could be presented wrong. Furthermore, conditions in the mountains are subject to change at any time. Ten Thousand Too Far and Brandon Wanthal are not liable for any actions or repercussions acted upon or suffered from the result of this article’s reading.
Ten Thousand Too Far 
Man, this really spoke to me. The way you handle that kind of terrain, with all the risk and reward, reminds me so much of the feeling up in the Himalayas — especially around Everest. That mix of beauty and seriousness. I truly respect the way you move through the mountains and share it so honestly.
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Thank you for the kind words! I’m glad my message resonates with you. One day I aspire to climb and ski in the Himalaya
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