On December 27th 2021, I remotely triggered an avalanche of serious destructive magnitude while traversing a north-to-south ridgeline, at approximately 9,600 feet in the west Teton backcountry, on skis. The deep persistent slab avalanche broke with a 6-10 foot crown, ran 1,400 feet, uprooted many trees and failed on the "December 5th weak layer". Read... Continue Reading →
Fossil Mountain & The Ice Cave Couloir – Waist Deep November Pow & The State of the Teton Snowpack (Nov. 2021)
Fossil Mountain is a remote 10,921 foot peak located deep in the central Teton Range. The Ice Cave Couloir is a short, steep and seldom skied couloir that will only be relevant to enthusiasts of the obscure. While hardly worthy of its' own mission, the "Ice Cave" made a great addition to Carl Osterburg and... Continue Reading →
Human Powered “Big Four” Traverse (Fossil Mountain, Mount Bannon, Jed. Smith, Meek) – Tetons West (April 2020)
Pre-Sunrise view from the saddle of Darby Canyon's South Fork I first heard mention of the Big Four Traverse, albeit not by that name, five years ago while picking the brain of a veteran lift mechanic over morning coffee at Grand Targhee Resort. He spoke of the four remote, seldom skied and closely grouped peaks,... Continue Reading →