On Wednesday April 12th, Connor James and I got caught in a storm atop Mount Owen's Northeast Snowfields. We down-climbed the lower East Ridge and made a successful ski descent, my second and partner's first, of the Diagonal Couloir into Cascade Canyon.
Early season ice on the south side of Teton Canyon with Connor James - Lehman's Lament (WI3R) and Green Pea (WI4+)
A first for Ten Thousand Too Far, this is not a trip report - but a simple conditions report on the main ice climbs at the mouth of Death Canyon in Grand Teton National Park, after a futile ice trip on November 10th, 2022.
A week before the onset of winter 2022, Connor James and I connected the dots on a more sustained variation to the traditional, and somewhat classic, Cardiac Aretes (5.9/5.10-, II) on Omega Buttress. Our line followed the lower half of Man O’ War (5.8, II) for two pitches of adventurous and varied, albeit discontinuous climbing... Continue Reading →
The Chouinard-Frost Chimney (5.9, IV) is a notoriously old-school rock route on the north face of 11,623 foot Disappointment Peak in Grand Teton National Park. Run-outs, loose rock, visionary traverses and a very real sense of adventure characterize this "classic" Teton route.
Sifting through half written blog drafts from this past winter, I decided to finish up this short trip report for the sake of completeness - and to share some of my favorite pictures. Though far from a destination route, Boy Scout Falls provides an excellent moderate multi-pitch ice experience with easy access from the "Idaho... Continue Reading →
May 18th, 2022 saw my second summit ski descent of the East Face of Teewinot Mountain. Sustained 45+ degree face skiing above terraced cliffs and a 400 foot wide upper bowl funneling through a ski-width choke characterize this extremely classic Teton ski mountaineering objective. Connor James and I took advantage of the newly cleared Lupine... Continue Reading →
The V Couloir is a lesser skied 1,000 foot technical couloir on the north side of Prospectors Mountain. Mid-fifty degree skiing above exposure, a mid-run ice fall and likewise rappel, and notorious overhead danger characterize this exceptionally scenic yet serious ski mountaineering descent. On April 28th Connor James and I tackled the beast in iffy... Continue Reading →
The Lake Louise Ice Gully is a 3-4 pitch alpine ice climb situated stunningly above Lake Louise on the eastern flank of Wyoming's Wind River Range, easily accessed from the small town of Dubois. The very wide flow is considered classic for the area and has many variations, ranging from rambling WI3 to firm WI4,... Continue Reading →
The Sentinel Ice Couloir is a two... or three... or four pitch moderate ice climb on the southern aspect of Albright Peak (north side of Death Canyon). While hardly a classic, this quirky route provides an alpine style climb in a very dramatic setting, and probably the easiest accessed pitch of grade four water ice in Grand Teton National Park. Despite the Tetons receiving a walloping of snow the past week, Connor James and I set out determined to make this long planned mission happen, no matter the powder that stood in our way.
Ten Thousand Too Far 