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Winter Attempts of Grand Teton

Original Post
Dylan Ring · · Utah · Joined Aug 2015 · Points: 137

Looking for any information people can give on a winter attempt on Grand Teton. Route? Weather? double boots or not? or if any one has a good source of information for these questions?

Double J · · Sandy, UT · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 3,931

Easiest would be the stetner/ford/Chevy to the top. It's the most common ski line on the mountain, but lots of other routes have been climbed and attempted on the mountain in the winter.

Kevin Hansen · · Melba Idaho · Joined Apr 2008 · Points: 130

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcsQG3HZkYU

A little stoke for you.
For me just climbing the Otter Body couloir would be awesome.
I've tried to climb it twice in the Winter and failed both times.
Sometimes it was the group we were with that turned us around, sometimes it was the route finding problems we faced down low in the dark.

Larry · · SoAZ · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 50

Obviously, the weather -- both during your climb and the week or so before -- is key. There's really no substitute for living locally to be able to strike during good conditions.

I would stick to ridges myself during winter, rather than couloirs. Unless you have a really, really good handle on the snowpack.

Ty Falk · · Huntington, VT · Joined Nov 2011 · Points: 280

The easiest route like Jon said is the Stener/Ford/Chevy which is a amazing route. Any route going to the top will put you into serious avalanche paths so be on top of that. Although I have not done the OS in winter it seams about as hard as the ski route (probably more rock but less steep snow). I think double boots seam a little overkill for most days up there although I have had to bail due to cold feet in January on the Setner before, although that was with lightweight ski boots. If your not skiing I would probably use a 1&1/2 boot like the La Sportivia Batura. I have had good success on the Grand Teton in April before. It seams like that might be the best month to hit it with the combination of good weather and consistent snowpack to the valley floor.

ChrisN · · Morro Bay, CA · Joined Oct 2014 · Points: 25

What is the status of the park roads in April/early May?

Ie where do you park to access Garnet Canyon? Is Lupine Meadows TH open?

Zac St Jules · · New Hampshire · Joined Dec 2013 · Points: 1,188

Interested. following

luke smith · · Salt Lake City, Utah · Joined Feb 2012 · Points: 121

Obviously the Bridger-Teton avalanche forecast ( Jhavalanche.org ) will be extremely helpful as well as just calling the ranger station and Exum guides office for info. A better option would be to know or meet some locals and/or guides up there personally. They maintain a high camp in winter for skiing and mountaineering. A more important question than double boots is how do you plan to go up there? Any approach is long and crosses under or through significant amounts of avalanche terrain just to reach the base of the Grand. It seems the guides prefer the OS route in the winter too, as well. I guess it depends if you want to just climb it or ski too. Most winter/spring info in the Tetons is somewhat guarded and requires talking to people who have done stuff and just putting in time and effort in the range to gain experience.

Allen Sanderson · · On the road to perdition · Joined Jul 2007 · Points: 1,203
Chris NH wrote:What is the status of the park roads in April/early May? Ie where do you park to access Garnet Canyon? Is Lupine Meadows TH open?
You park at Taggart Lake and go from there.
Brian in SLC · · Sandy, Utah · Joined Oct 2003 · Points: 21,711

Went to do it years ago...way too cold for us (-20F as a high).

I think if you timed it right, a sunny ascent of the Exum would be pretty reasonable. A friend climbed it in the winter on a calm day in rock shoes. Said it was a snap.

I've done the Stettner to Ford in the early summer on a big snow year. In good conditions, climbs super fast. I'd want to know what the snowpack had been up to for a winter ascent.

Kevin Hansen · · Melba Idaho · Joined Apr 2008 · Points: 130
Brian in SLC wrote: I think if you timed it right, a sunny ascent of the Exum would be pretty reasonable. A friend climbed it in the winter on a calm day in rock shoes. Said it was a snap.
Odds are low for this, but totaly possible for a few magic days each year. It would be a dream to hit the Exum Complete in one full sunny day, in Jan. You'd just have to watch for a high pressure system with 'high' temps.
It's quite normal for the area to experience an inversion where the 'cold' air sinks down into the valley bottoms occasionally producing Katabatic winds. The result is 'warmer' air up high. This was the case a few years ago when the first Grand Traverse was accomplished in the winter. (Hat's off to those guys!)
climbing.com/news/grand-tra…
"According to a story in the Jackson Hole News & Guide, Newcomb said completing the traverse was harder than climbing the Cassin Ridge on Denali."
Also on my bucket list. The Cassin, not the Traverse in Winter.

[why'd I put 'quotes' around the temps? It's all relative. 25 degrees could be 'warm' for Jan]
Allen Sanderson · · On the road to perdition · Joined Jul 2007 · Points: 1,203
kevinhansen wrote: Odds are low for this, but totaly possible for a few magic days each year. It would be a dream to hit the Exum Complete in one full sunny day, in Jan.
Years ago my friend Mike Vanderbeek and I managed to do the complete Exum from the valley floor in a day. It was not a winter ascent as it was the first weekend in April.

It was a warm sunny day. In fact we did the whole route in about 4 hours starting at about 1pm. Mike lead the Lower Exum as he brought rock shoes as he skied up on rando gear. I skied and climbed in leather tele boots. We did the lower part in two blocks. We soled after Wall Street. The friction pitch was interesting being all covered in about 6"-8" of snow. Because of storm coming in we did not go to the true summit but to the summit ridge before rapping down the OS. We bivied in the meadows as the storm blew.

Another friend was up there one winter when the winds blew the old Exum quonset hut down. He said it was terrifying. Not because of the winds but because of the flying sheet metal. Fred's slides of the event were great.
Dylan Ring · · Utah · Joined Aug 2015 · Points: 137

Thank You all for the great advice. I am still hopping to attempt Grand Teton this winter but it will be highly dependent on conditions as the winter progresses, as well as some my own level of physical fitness as the approach sound to be quite long. Thank you again and good luck on your own winter goals.

JaminT Rossetter · · Gloucester, MA · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 0
go-further-explore.tumblr.c…

Why go up if you can't ski down? Personal opinion, I know, but its way more fun.
Dylan Ring · · Utah · Joined Aug 2015 · Points: 137

I was planning on skinning in so skiing down would make sense. However my skis are only 100mm at the waist and I am no pro-skier. It will depend on how I feel come the day and conditions.

JaminT Rossetter · · Gloucester, MA · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 0

100mm is more than wide enough. my ski mountaineering skis are 95 underfoot, and only 176cm long.

I met some folks on route last winter who had skinned up to the base of the TeePee Glacier and then left the skis and booted up the glacier and then climbed the Ford-Stettner. I met them as I was descending the Ford, and though they seemed happy with their mode of ascent, they were planning on booting back down the Ford and then rapping in order to get their skis; that'd be a scary down climb to me. I think if I were not to bring skis I'd rather down climb and then rap the OS.

That being said, the extremely steep and exposed parts of the descent of the route can be rapped instead of skied. While the upper Ford is quite steep, its very open. Whatever you do, its an incredible adventure, good luck!

William Rhyne · · Casper, Wyoming · Joined Sep 2011 · Points: 135

following. Im trying to get a winter ascent this season but cant talk any of my rope partners from casper into it. If anyone needs a partner please let me know.

Colin Simon · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jan 2009 · Points: 370

I made an attempt on the North Face in March of 2015. Done a fair bit of alpine climbing and it was not easy. Baffled that Alex Lowe soloed it in a day. If you are interested in more details let me know.

Brian in SLC · · Sandy, Utah · Joined Oct 2003 · Points: 21,711

Was a strong rumor that Dwight Bishop (rip) from Butte had soloed the NF and NR of the Grand in winter...and maybe a number of times. Tough guy.

Ty Falk · · Huntington, VT · Joined Nov 2011 · Points: 280

Hard men for sure....Still gives me goosebumps to think about the two parties who climbed and skied the Hossack Macgowan on the North face of the grand years ago. Makes me wonder how much this new gear really matters. Carrying two sets of boots up along with much heavier gear seams so stout. Now we have 1000g A/T boots that climb and ski so much better and modern day ice and rock pro.

Colin Simon · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jan 2009 · Points: 370
Ty Falk wrote:Hard men for sure....Still gives me goosebumps to think about the two parties who climbed and skied the Hossack Macgowan on the North face of the grand years ago. Makes me wonder how much this new gear really matters. Carrying two sets of boots up along with much heavier gear seams so stout. Now we have 1000g A/T boots that climb and ski so much better and modern day ice and rock pro.
Makes you realize that the best gear in the world doesn't make an alpinist.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Wyoming, Montana, Dakotas
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