Rock Climbing – Ice Climbing – Ski Mountaineering
The Alpine Peanut remains motivated to earn her turns well into May. The weekend of May 11th and 12th we skied the East Face of Rockchuck Peak and one of her season projects, the South Face of Taylor Mountain, in perfect corn!
A short trip report of a unique day summitting Peak 11,840 for my first time and skiing the seductive Southeast Couloir, after bailing from grander objectives due to foul weather.
On April 24th, 2024 I rose early and kept an open solo itinerary that resulted in a link-up of routes on the Dike Pinnacle, South Teton and Wanda Pinnacle. All three routes had been on my radar for years, and it was especially meaningful to link them in a single logical push.
On our third attempt over two seasons Reed Finlay and I finally made a successful ski descent of Mount Wister's Northwest Couloir. The line may be be small and obscure, but packs a mighty punch.
On April 14th I did an unexpected link-up, including a rare summit ski descent of Fairshare Tower's Northeast Ridge, and the Sentinel (not Red Sentinel) and Tallboy Couloirs, some 7000 feet of excellent spring skiing.
The West Couloir of Teewinot Mountain is a stellar 5000 foot technical ski adventure on the dark side of the Owen-Teewinot Cirque. On April 11th, 2024, Mike Parri and I caught this elusive line in excellent, nearly ski-through, spring powder conditions.
I've stared at this couloir nearing a decade - a beautiful winding dance down the improbable North Face of Peak 10,696. I naively kept skiing lower hoping the snow would get better... an exercise in edge control.
The North Face of Mount Wister was a visionary ski descent first accomplished by Adam Fabrikant, Billy Haas and Micheal Gardner in the spring of 2023. On April 4th, 2024 I made the second descent, and first solo descent, of this incredible line that will hopefully attract more eyes. This was one of my finest days in the mountains to date.
The Bubble Fun Couloir is on the short list of most demanding steep ski descents in the Teton Range - an 1,100 foot masterpiece that holds 50 degrees for hundreds of feet, pushes 60 degrees in hallway width chokes, and hangs dramatically above Avalanche Canyon with an eerie 200+ foot exit cliff. The stuff of dreams - or nightmares.
On Wednesday March 20th, Hayden Evans and I climbed the Direct South Ridge (5.7+, III) on 11,901 foot Nez Perce, and made a powdery ski descent of the North "Spooky" Face into the East Hourglass Couloir and Garnet Canyon, one day removed from a "calendar winter" ascent.
Ten Thousand Too Far 