Rock Climbing – Ice Climbing – Ski Mountaineering
The Bubble Fun Couloir is on the short list of most demanding steep ski descents in the Teton Range - an 1,100 foot masterpiece that holds 50 degrees for hundreds of feet, pushes 60 degrees in hallway width chokes, and hangs dramatically above Avalanche Canyon with an eerie 200+ foot exit cliff. The stuff of dreams - or nightmares.
On Wednesday March 20th, Hayden Evans and I climbed the Direct South Ridge (5.7+, III) on 11,901 foot Nez Perce, and made a powdery ski descent of the North "Spooky" Face into the East Hourglass Couloir and Garnet Canyon, one day removed from a "calendar winter" ascent.
On Sunday March 17th, 2024, Chase Krumholz and I played with some ski alpinism tactics - linking a climb of the famous Irene's Arete (5.8, III) with ski descent of the classic Spoon Couloir on Disappointment Peak. Rock climbing with skis - get weird!
On March 9th, 2024, Bobbi and I were joined by three friendly Minnesotans for a long walk in the high alpine. Many people forget that a ski descent from 12,000+ feet in the Tetons actually can be mellow. This was also Bobbi's first ski descent from above 12,000 feet, exactly one year to the week from her 2023 partial ACL and meniscus tears!
The Painted Lady is a rugged, seldom skied novelty descent on the west face of Treasure Mountain - a 2,200 foot descent that involves a gigantic 230+ foot rappel into a narrow slot, and a mandatory air over an ice fall... or epic butt slide. Something like canyoneering, on skis.
My second ski descent, first published on 10K2Far, of a unique, seldom skied, 2,500 foot fall-line adventure on the rugged north face of Treasure Mountain, involving a little rope work, with new partner Hayden Evans.
On Friday I got out and enjoyed my first GTNP high country ski of the season in Okie's Thorn Couloir, a unique and seldom visited line just northwest of the popular Dike Snowfield.
Sheep Creek Peak, not to be confused with Sheep Mountain, is the king of the Little Elk drainage in Idaho's Palisades Range, standing just shy of 10,000 feet and boasting ~4,300 feet of quality skiable vert above the Palisades Reservoir - a true skier's mountain.
On May 27th Vinny Gwinn and I climbed and skied the Ford-Stettner route on the Grand Teton, the likely punctuation to another phenomenal ski mountaineering season in the Tetons.
Albright, Static and Buck is the classic, but I think this one might be more logical, at least for skiing. A ~7000 vertical foot day, somewhere in the realm of 10-13 miles, on the three peaks that crown the Stuart Draw drainage - one of the best this season.
Ten Thousand Too Far 