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Cat Scratch Fever

WI3- M2-, TR, Mixed, Ice, Alpine, 105 ft (32 m), Grade II,  Avg: 3 from 1 vote
FA: Eli Abeles-Allison Feb 2020 - unless otherwise claimed??
Wyoming > Grand Teton NP > Death Canyon > Mouth of Death Canyon

Description

Being a south facing route Cat Scratch Fever receives a good bit of sun making for varying conditions depending on the weather. Start on a 12 foot section of ice that mellows out into scratchy rock and ice. From there you can go left through a lower angle, but more rocky section or right up better ice with more exposure. The ice can vary for screw placements, slinging a number of bush trunks about two-thirds of the way up on the left hand side works well. Near the end of the climb you reach a fatter ice flow that you can take up or go left of by beating your way through tree branches to the top with iffy screw placements, but solid bush trunks to sling near the top on the right.

Sling the tree to set up an anchor for top roping. You'll need a 70m rope to belay from the bottom.

Be wary of pulling the rope after rappelling as it may get stuck on the tree. You can also walk off by going up about 50 vertical feet and to the left and then down back to the base of the climb.

Location

From the switch back on the Phelps Lake trail stay high and sidehill across steep most likely avalanche debris ridden slopes for a 100 meters or so and Cat Scratch Fever will be 75 vertical feet above you.

Protection

7 ice screws, 2 long slings for slinging bushes, no rap anchors

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

A sunny and wet Cat Scratch Fever 2-28-20
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Green X's show bushes to sling.
[Hide Photo] A sunny and wet Cat Scratch Fever 2-28-20 Green X's show bushes to sling.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Tod Gunter
Hailey, ID
[Hide Comment] We called this Scottish gully when we did it 25 years ago. Probably was first done 25 years before that! Apr 14, 2020
Eli Abeles-Allison
  WI3- M2-
[Hide Comment] Thats super cool to hear! I had assumed that it was probably climbed before! Apr 15, 2020
[Hide Comment] Yes, I think that this climb was done first in 1973, given the name 737 Earful (JH Airport), nearly 50 years ago.... Jun 17, 2020
[Hide Comment] Sounds more like Sunrise Pillar in Renny's/Leigh's book (I climbed it in 1992?). 737 Earfull is the obvious ice due west of the switchback, with a downward traverse, in the obvious, big, avalanche gulley. Sunrise is in a shallow gulley above the switchback. Jun 28, 2022
Norm Larson
Wilson, Wy.
[Hide Comment] Yup that is the Scottish gully. Climbed it the late 70’s and it had been climbed before that. Probably Pete and Dave Carman. Jan 20, 2025