Addendum: Irene’s Arete Variations, and a Direct Start! – Disappointment Peak – GTNP, WY (06.19.25)

On Thursday June 19th, 2025, I climbed Irene's Arete with new-to-the-Tetons desert coworker Kenzi Stemp, including a two pitch direct start which has surely been climbed before, but is undocumented and often skipped. Higher, we explored a few harder variations with pleasant rewards. This article will focus solely on the variations we climbed, and others I've climbed over the years, which add tremendous value to this already great route.

Moving Light and Fast on the Grand Teton’s Upper Exum Ridge (with a 30M rope!) – Notes from my Third Ascent – Grand Teton Nat. Park, WY (08.15.24)

On August 15th Drew Grasso and I scurried the Upper Exum Ridge (5.5, II) for his first, and my thirteenth, Grand Teton summit. This was my third time on the route, but only the second with a rope. On this day we aimed to find the perfect balance between minimalism and security for a roped ascent. Here lies an exceedingly nerdy article oriented towards climbers, detailing our light rack and specific techniques for moving through this notoriously long 1000' route with a short 30 meter rope.

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