As the 2022/23 winter is slow to ramp up, and I'm still spending time digesting my Thanksgiving meal with family, I figured I would add this short bight from what was perhaps my first "real" Teton ski mountaineering descent - the famed Spoon Couloir on Disappointment Peak - circa 2018. Are you ready? (trip report... Continue Reading →
Corn on the East Face! – Teewinot Mountain, GT Nat. Park (05.18.2022)
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 →
A Closer Look: Reducing Congestion on the Grand Teton’s Most Popular Ski Route [opinions]
In 2015, David Gonzales wrote a popular article for POWDER Magazine titled "Is There A Better Way to Ski the Grand Teton?" - in which he discusses the perilous and increasingly pressing issue of congestion on the Grand Teton's most popular ski route, the Ford-Stettner. This article will double down on Gonzales's work, putting a... Continue Reading →
First Winter Grand Teton Solo – East Face/Starr-Workman Variation, Ski Descent – Grand Teton Nat. Park, WY (03.30.22)
On March 30th, 2022 I completed my first solo climb and ski descent of the Grand Teton, with ropes used for rappel. I used the traditional Stettner & Chevy Couloirs (WI2+, steep snow) for ascent, but climbed a new (to me) variation of the Ford Couloir - the "Workman-Starr Sneak" - to access the summit... Continue Reading →
January on the Grand – Ford-Stettner Couloir, Grand Teton – GTNP, WY (01.19.22)
The Ford-Stettner route on the Grand Teton is arguably the range's most classic and sought ski mountaineering descent. On January 19th, 2022, I completed my second successful climb and ski descent of the Ford-Stettner, this time with a brand new partner. In classic Grand Teton fashion we battled copious unknowns, learned many lessons and returned... Continue Reading →
Loving Life in the Amor A’ Vida Couloir – South Teton – GTNP, WY (Apr. 2018)
The Amor A' Vida Couloir is an ultra-classic Teton ski mountaineering objective on the south face of the South Teton. The full technical descent into Avalanche Canyon is nearly 3,000 feet - the first 900 on a vast and airy alpine face, and the latter 2,000 in a continuous, unique and especially aesthetic couloir.
Skiing the East Face of Teewinot – By the Skin of Our Teeth (03.01.20)
Rising a staggering 6,000 feet directly from the foothills of Grand Teton National Park, the East Face of Teewinot Mountain is a prized ski mountaineering descent sought far and wide. Instead of the usual Teton technical couloir shenanigans, the East Face resembles primetime descents in the Montana Rockies and High Sierra - steep bowl skiing... Continue Reading →
The Undercover Giant – Skiing the East Face of Mount Wister (Feb. 2020)
During a high pressure cycle in late February 2020, Sam Johnson and I set our sights to Mount Wister, the criminally overlooked 11,455 foot giant lurking deep in the heart of Avalanche Canyon, Grand Teton National Park. The East Face is the peak's test-piece descent, requiring a long (for the Tetons) approach and several thousand... Continue Reading →
The Deadliest Route in the Tetons – East Face of Teewinot Mountain – Grand Teton Nat. Park, WY (08.2021)
The East Face of Teewinot Mountain is the deadliest route in Grand Teton National Park. But why? After my third lap on the 12,326 foot beauty, I believe I have a good idea. This article doubles as both a trip report and a discussion of "mountaineering in the information era" - a.k.a. 2021
My First Teton Classic – Middle Teton – East Face/Glacier Route – Grand Teton N.P. (Apr. 2018)
Refurbished and re-posted from my old blog, this is the 2018 story (and relevant beta) from a solo journey to conquer my first Teton classic, the East Face of the Middle Teton.