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 →
Rainy Couloir Stoke – Skywalk and Chuter Buck Couloirs – 25 Short/Avalanche Cyn. – GT Nat. Park, WY (04.21.22)
The Skywalk Couloir is a seldom skied and deceptively steep 500 foot technical couloir on the west side of Peak 25 Short, just left of the popular Moonwalk Couloir. Chuter Buck is a striking 800 foot technical couloir diving north from the bench beneath Buck Mountain and Peak 10,696. After scoring the MoonWALK in great... Continue Reading →
April Powder in the Moonwalk Couloir – 25 Short – Grand Teton Nat. Park, WY (04.20.22)
Today I had the pleasure of skiing the Moonwalk Couloir with Reed Finlay and Brian Ladd. Instead of a full beta bomb, this will be a quickie with a few photos, mostly for a conditions update. For a deep dive into the Moonwalk Couloir, click here. Peak 10,696 viewed from the ridge of 25 Short.... Continue Reading →
Bobbi Chutes The Moon! – Chute The Moon Couloir, 25 Short/Peak 10,696 – Grand Teton Nat. Park, WY (04.16.22)
This weekend I had the pleasure of joining Bobbi Clemmer on her first ever... ever... couloir ski descent - and I'm happy to report she knocked the ball out of the park! Chute The Moon was the name of the game, one of the few and finest "entry-level" couloirs in the Tetons. Load the beast... 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's most popular ski route, the Ford-Stettner. This article will double down on Gonzales's work, putting a microscope to the Workman-Starr Sneak and its potential to reduce overhead hazard when multiple climbers/skiers are on the mountain.
Unintentionally Rowdy – Skiing The Tallboy’s Evil Twin – Owen/Teewinot Cirque, Grand Teton Nat. Park (04.09.22)
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 →
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 →
Straight Bananas! – Banana Couloir – Prospectors Mountain – Grand Teton Nat. Park, WY (03.25.22)
The "Banana Couloir" is more of a massive gully than a true couloir, providing 3,300 feet of moderate fall-line skiing on the most commanding east face of the southern Tetons. Beginning at roughly 11,000 feet, "the Banana" maintains an average slope angle above 30 degrees for over one whole skiable mile (take a second to... Continue Reading →
North End Recon & Beta Bomb – Eagles Rest (almost) In A Day – Waterfalls Canyon, Grand Teton Nat. Park, WY (3.16.22)
Eagles Rest Glacier? Waterfalls Glacier? I'm not sure how this thing doesn't have a name, but someone should call USGS and tell them there's a huge glacier separating the twin summits of Eagles Rest Peak, deep in the confines of Waterfalls Canyon, needing a title. Either way, first time partner Nick LaToof and I skied... Continue Reading →
Truly Magical – Knee Deep Powder in the Ellingwood Couloir – Middle Teton – Grand Teton National Park, WY (03.14.22)
According to the late great Steve Romeo, acclaimed Teton ski mountaineer and founder of TetonAT.com, "The Ellingwood Couloir on the Middle Teton is one of the most classic steep descents in the Teton Range", and if Romeo deems it a classic, I'll give it my humble blessing too. The Ellingwood is one of the very,... Continue Reading →