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Is the Owen-Spalding dry?

Original Post
Dallin Carey · · Missoula · Joined Aug 2014 · Points: 177

A friend and I are planning on doing the Grand via the Owen-Spalding this Saturday and we are on the fence about this being an approach shoe day, or a mountaineering boot/crampons/technical tools day. Any info would be appreciated.

drock3 · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 13

Looks like boots and crampons

tetonclimbinggrand.blogspot…

Jim Fox · · Westminster, CO · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 50
Jim Fox · · Westminster, CO · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 50
DCarey wrote:A friend and I are planning on doing the Grand via the Owen-Spalding this Saturday and we are on the fence about this being an approach shoe day, or a mountaineering boot/crampons/technical tools day. Any info would be appreciated.
Did you climb it last Sat? How were conditions?
Dallin Carey · · Missoula · Joined Aug 2014 · Points: 177

The route is probably 90% dry. Any snow/ice is easily avoidable or has a solid boot pack going through it. Some of the rock (the Catwalk for example) is wet from melt water but that was not a problem. The snow field right below the lower saddle is still in but there is also a solid boot pack going up that. I did not feel that an ax was needed but those less comfortable with snow travel might want one. Happy climbing.

Jim Fox · · Westminster, CO · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 50
DCarey wrote:The route is probably 90% dry. Any snow/ice is easily avoidable or has a solid boot pack going through it. Some of the rock (the Catwalk for example) is wet from melt water but that was not a problem. The snow field right below the lower saddle is still in but there is also a solid boot pack going up that. I did not feel that an ax was needed but those less comfortable with snow travel might want one. Happy climbing.
Thanks. Glad to hear it.
We are climbing Upper Exum the end of July & I expect it will be in pretty good condition by then.
I've been watching the ranger's blog and was getting a bit worried, so I appreciate your report. Planning to go as light as we can get away with & don't want to carry boots, crampons or axes
Alex Vidal · · Durango, CO · Joined Feb 2012 · Points: 40

Yesterday the OS was 100% wet with some patches of snow and a fair amount of running water. I suspect much of this will dry with a few warm days.

Jim Fox · · Westminster, CO · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 50

Anyone been up there lately? Ranger's blog somewhat discouraging:

tetonclimbinggrand.blogspot…

benb · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 0

Jim - I too am watching the weather in the tetons for an attempt on the Grand (via lower or upper Exum, descend OS like everyone) and have been watching these threads. PM'd a few folks last week who have been posting on the blogs here. Super helpful responses, mostly late last week - thanks again to all. Here's a helpful one with some specific info that hasn't been copied to the forum:

"We didn't get to make an attempt. We got shut out by weather. Conditions on the peak, according to the climbing Rangers were speed to be pretty good though. They still recommended having an ax for the winter approach to the lower saddle, although the line was out and usable on the headwall as an alternative. When we were there Sunday was looking like the best day, but it appears weather had changed again. Rangers said the OS route still had ice on it, so if that is the route you want to ascend, then you'll want at least ice tools and probably crampons (as of Tuesday). If you get a day whee the weather doesn't tool in till noon, go for it. Bummed we didn't get an attempt, but it's not going anywhere. Good luck."

That sounded ok and we were gonna try last weekend, but with the storms, pushed it off a couple more weeks. My brother is in Idaho Falls and it was pouring rain there on Friday morning (7/10), and cold. I'm in Salt Lake and ran a peak on Saturday morning, and even at 2,500 feet lower than the Grand and hundreds of miles further south, and not precipitating, it was pretty chilly. Thus, not surprised at the reports of all the ice.

Seems clear that the routes are moving toward becoming dry rock, as usual at this time of year, but it'll completely depend on specific weather over the next couple weeks, again as usual. Pretty tough to predict specifics weeks in advance. The blogspot has pretty good info and updating, though. I suspect the probabilities for late July are more or less as follows: there's a good chance things will be quite dry; also a good chance they'll be somewhat wet/icy but fairly clear; and a smaller chance they'll get hit again by snow and ice. Not exactly a clear picture :) but consistent with my experience up there.

If things don't dry out enough in July, there's always August or the possibility (albeit unlikely) of late season; I did the Middle one year on Sept. 20 and it was totally dry.

And hey- at least we weren't on Half Dome RNF over the 4th, right?

Jim Fox · · Westminster, CO · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 50

. And hey- at least we weren't on Half Dome RNF over the 4th, right?

LOL. Yeah, things could be worse.
Thanks for the update. I'll keep watching the ranger's blog and hope for a couple weeks of good weather
I'm guessing that the routes should be fairly dry by the end of the month but anything's possible at this point. We are planning to climb on the 31st.....

Chris Rice · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 55
Jim Fox wrote:. And hey- at least we weren't on Half Dome RNF over the 4th, right? LOL. Yeah, things could be worse. Thanks for the update. I'll keep watching the ranger's blog and hope for a couple weeks of good weather I'm guessing that the routes should be fairly dry by the end of the month but anything's possible at this point. We are planning to climb on the 31st.....
We don't have a permit yet - but we'll probably be just a few days ahead of you Jim.
benb · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 0

We are hoping to go up the 24th and 25th, unless the conditions totally fall apart. No permit yet either, so we shall see. I would like to avoid the no sleep hike, although carrying camping gear up there is also its own brand of painful... Go with the flow, eh?

Jim Fox · · Westminster, CO · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 50

Weather report looks hot and dry after this coming weekend, so hopefully the route will dry out soon

weather.com/weather/tenday/…

Chris Rice · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 55

The first time I did it was over 30 years ago. A friend once told me that mountains tend to grow about a 1000' feet a decade in perceived difficulty - that means the Grand will seem about 16000' high to these old bones :).

Jim Fox · · Westminster, CO · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 50
Chris Rice wrote:The first time I did it was over 30 years ago. A friend once told me that mountains tend to grow about a 1000' feet a decade in perceived difficulty - that means the Grand will seem about 16000' high to these old bones :).
Yeah- this will be my 2nd ascent. 1st was 21 years ago, so I'm sure it will feel Himalayan this time around....
benb · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 0

Funny gents. 30 years for Chris, 20 years for Jim, and I last did the Grand 10 years ago. Sounds like my kind of group up there toward the end of July. We (well, maybe just me) will just have to stick out a trekking pole and trip up the whippersnappers sprinting past us.

Jim Fox · · Westminster, CO · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 50
benb wrote:Funny gents. 30 years for Chris, 20 years for Jim, and I last did the Grand 10 years ago. Sounds like my kind of group up there toward the end of July. We (well, maybe just me) will just have to stick out a trekking pole and trip up the whippersnappers sprinting past us.
LOL.
Sad part is, I was older than you the last time I climbed it.....
Chris Rice · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 55
benb wrote:Funny gents. 30 years for Chris, 20 years for Jim, and I last did the Grand 10 years ago. Sounds like my kind of group up there toward the end of July. We (well, maybe just me) will just have to stick out a trekking pole and trip up the whippersnappers sprinting past us.
I'll be two weeks from my 67th birthday - how about you guys? I'm hoping to lasso one of those younguns and get a short rope going :)
Jim Fox · · Westminster, CO · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 50
Chris Rice wrote: I'll be two weeks from my 67th birthday - how about you guys? I'm hoping to lasso one of those younguns and get a short rope going :)
I'm a relative youngster-will be 59 next month....
benb · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 0

You guys are awesome, and inspiring. As Jim noted I'm a bit younger. But it is still weird for me to be looking at 40 in a few years, you know? Especially when my mind still thinks that I am 20...until I start trying to do something hard. Regardless, when I'm 67 (or 57) hopefully I'm still loving it up there.

I agree that getting a young gun, all of whom seem to have infinite endurance and fitness that they can maintain by sleeping 2 hours a night and drinking nonstop, to short rope me up would be awesome. Bet you can pick up a lasso easily anywhere in western Wyoming, along with some spurs to encourage your new steed up those ridges.

Chris Rice · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 55

I'm still having as much fun now as I did 30 years ago.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Wyoming, Montana, Dakotas
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