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South side of Death Canyon
Wyoming
> Grand Teton NP
> Death Canyon
Description
Directly opposite from such classics as The Snaz and Caveat Emptor, the North East face of Prospectors Mountain beckons the eyes. The wall is big - one of the biggest in the range, and is an impressive hunk of gneiss. This side of Death Canyon is the southern side, and as such it faces North. It gets morning sun but then falls into the shade for the remainder of the day. The two most prominent features are Apocalypse Couloir and Raven Crack. The rock here is darker than the north side of the canyon, probably owing to lack of sun. The rock quality, however, can be quite good, though it is typical of the Tetons and can therefore range from dreamy to nightmare, all in one pitch. In the winter, Raven Crack is the major drainage that forms one of the Teton's better ice climbs, Prospectors Falls. Often, this portion of the wall can be quite wet until late summer. Even then, there is running water down the parts of this formation. A visit to this side is in stark contrast to the sometimes stifling north side. Here you can find shady, beautiful vegetation, and the walls dramatically rising above you for almost 2000'.
Getting There
Follow the trailhead until you are opposite the face, using Apocalypse Couloir and the large talus/snow cone below it as your guide. From there, you must cross the creek and negotiate up the apex of the talus and the start of most climbs.
[Hide Photo] The North East Face of Prospectors Mountain, otherwise known as the south side of Death Canyon. Apocalypse Couloir rises above the talus field and trends right. Raven Crack ascends directly above,…
[Hide Comment] There is an old Chouinard/Hemple route directly up the center of the wall called Raven Crack (mentioned by Mark Givens in his photo of Alien). It was done the day before they did the Snaz in Aug 1964. There is also a 2 pitch W4 ice climb up the lower part of the black water streak where Raven Crack starts. Skied in from Whitegrass Station and climbed it in the late 70’s and crossed over one of the biggest avalanche debris fields I’ve seen. Went all the way down onto Phelps Lake.
Jan 14, 2022
Alpine, Utah and Almo, ID