Rock Climbing – Ice Climbing – Ski Mountaineering
On July 4th, 2024, Chase Krumholz and I completed the first ascent of Chilly Dogs (5.10-, III), a six pitch extension of Hot Dogs (5.9, I) on the south face of Storm Point. The route features nice selection of exciting and adventurous pitches in an accessible area, with a streamlined descent.
A bike-ice-bike kickoff to the Grand Teton National Park ice season in Cascade Canyon- a proper pump before a Tofurky feast on Indigenous People's Day.
Vieux Guide is a five pitch alternative to the standard Guide's Wall route, meeting the classic Flake Ledge after 4 pitches up to 5.9, and tackling a burly 5.10 roof crack before traversing to the final Guide's Wall pitch. Though established by "two highly regarded climbers" of the previous generation, I was disenchanted by this pretty contrived route - but a few gems are worth noting, as they can be accessed and enjoyed without climbing the entire route.
The Snake is a challenging four pitch outing in the deep caverns of Cascade Canyon, defended by a 6.5 mile trail approach that deters most parties for the length of the route. That said, it's a logical and attractive line on mostly sound rock, with two pitches of difficult 5.10 climbing.
On Saturday June 24th Bobbi Clemmer and I got benighted on a wild ascent of a wet Trinity Buttress (a.k.a. Symmetry Crag 4). Originally graded 5.9 by Yvon Chouinard and T.M. Herbert in 1970, the climb ascends two-thirds of the major rock buttress west of the popular Guide's Wall with a few stellar, and a few not so stellar, pitches.
Hot Dogs, first established by Paul Gagner and Jim Woodmency in July of 1986, is an excellent single pitch 5.9 crack climb on the south buttress of Storm Point, about 100M east of Guide's Wall - perhaps the best 5.9 pitch I've climbed in Grand Teton National Park. If you're in the area and need another pitch, don't miss this!
The Tallboy Couloir is an underground classic in the Teton steep skiing scene. 4,000 feet of fall-line vertical relief, uber-exposed entrance, 1,000 feet of sustained 50 degree skiing in a commanding, narrow and consequential upper couloir, all in the shadows of two of the Teton's finest peaks, Mount Owen and Teewinot Mountain - need I... Continue Reading →
This past weekend Carl Osterberg, Ryan Corley and I made an unintentional descent of a rarely skied line on the north side of Peak 11,840 while looking for the renowned Tallboy Couloir. The Tallboy's Evil Twin, also known as the Just Enough Couloir, begins at the saddle separating Teewinot Mountain and Peak 11,840, dropping over... Continue Reading →
The Symmetry Couloir, as defined in Connor Miller's Black Book, is the large avalanche path directly south of Symmetry Spire, north of Storm Point, on the opposite shore of Jenny Lake. On February 6th, after almost a month of minimal to no snow, Chase Krumholz and I set off for this obscure line in hopes of harvesting untracked turns.
Ten Thousand Too Far 