An unpublished account from a two week trip to Joshua Tree National Park in January and February 2024. Two new crack climbers set to work in splitter granite paradise, covering as many moderate classics as possible, and getting sandbagged along the way. A full tick list and recommendations is included for new Josh climbers. A... Continue Reading →
Teton Canyon Ice Report & Landslide (WI4, II) Trip Report (December 14th, 2024)
Surf's up in Teton Canyon. On December 14th I climbed Landslide (WI4, II) with Bobbi Clemmer and Brian Emory. Alongside this very short trip report is a full ice report from the canyon, where most routes are in good shape.
Still Classic – Prospector Falls (WI4, II) with Bobbi! – Death Canyon, GTNP (11.24.24)
The Alpine Peanut has become an ice climber, so we headed to arguably Grand Teton National Park's most classic winter ice route - Prospector Falls. We worked our way up the main flow at solid WI4.
2024 GTNP Send Off – Reticent Wall (5.8, III) and Baxter’s Pinnacle (5.9, II) – GTNP, WY (10.26 & 10.27, 2024)
On October 26th and 27th, 2024, Bobbi Clemmer and I did a Saturday/Sunday double dip in Grand Teton National Park, climbing the Reticent Wall (5.8, III) on Saturday and joining Lainey Fellows and Will Dietz for a classic Baxter's Pinnacle lap on Sunday. It's been another wonderful, intense and memorable alpine climbing season in Grand... Continue Reading →
Ship’s Prow Triple – Cardiac Aretes, Annals Of Time and Dihedral Of Horrors in a Day (5.9, IV) – Grand Teton Nat. Park, WY (10.17.24)
On October 17th Lainey Fellows and I linked Cardiac Aretes, Annals Of Time and Dihedral Of Horrors for an absolutely classic day on three of Death Canyon's finest 5.9 routes - The Ship's Prow Triple.
A Paradigm Shift at the Elephant’s Perch – Astro Elephant (5.10, IV) and Super Slab (5.9, II) – Sawtooth Range, ID (10.10 & 10.11, 2024)
A manic two day strike to "Idaho's El Capitan" with Jed Porter. Astro Elephant was astronomical - Jed called it Steck-Salathe and Epinephrine caliber - I've never climbed anything quite like it. On the way we climbed an excellent unnamed 7 pitch 5.9 slab on the Super Slab. The Elephant's Perch is a monolithic 1,000... Continue Reading →
Birthday Scrambles – Bell Mountain NW Face (4.0) and White Mountain SW Ridge (3.0) – Lemhi & Salmon River Ranges, ID (Oct. 4-6, 2024)
We've been climbing in the Tetons all summer - it was time to head west. Bell Mountain's Northwest Face stole the show as an excellent sustained fourth class scramble on a remote and gigantic Idaho Peak, and White Mountain brought a long enduro ridge traverse to the tallest peak in the Salmon River Range.
Chasing Beyer – Vas Defrens (5.9+ R, IV) – Cathedral Rock – Grand Teton National Park, WY (09.21.24)
On Saturday September 21st, 2024, Greg Gwinn and I attempted to repeat the long forgotten Vas Defrens on Cathedral Rock, a 1000 foot "5.9 R" established by the legendary Jim Beyer and Buck Tilly in 1978.
Progress – Revisiting The Snaz (5.10-, IV) – Cathedral Rock – Grand Teton Nat. Park, WY (09.15.24)
On September 15th, 2024, Chris Morelli and I thrutched, wormed and grunted up the Snaz, an old-school, mega classic, ten pitch 5.10- on the commanding 1000 foot wall of Cathedral Buttress. I led all the crux pitches, and eight out of nine total pitches, which provided a far different challenge than swinging leads on the same climb two summers ago.
Peanut Swings Leads on the Buckingham Ridge (5.7, III) – Middle Teton – Grand Teton Nat. Park, WY (09.08.24)
On September 8th, 2024, Bobbi Clemmer and I climbed the classic Southeast "Buckingham" Ridge on the 12,809 foot Middle Teton via an overnight camp in the South Fork of Garnet Canyon. It was Bobbi's first time swinging leads on an alpine climb, at pretty darn high elevation no less.