Date: 12/13/2015
Snow Conditions: Powder, mild sun/wind crust 12″ down
Well, here we are……another winter in Jackson, WY. While it has been slow to take off, it appears the storm system that is hitting us now will be enough to open up much of the area for exploring. As for myself, I have been skiing Teton Pass a bunch and had one trip up Mavericks a couple weeks back that didn’t seem worthy of a post (great first 1000′), but then very thin.
Thin down low…
So with a storm approaching and around 8″ of new now over the past couple days, Dane and I set out into GTNP to see what was going on. We didn’t have an “objective”, just figured we would ski something that looked promising and ideally stay away from exposed sage brush. We decided to try and get into Garnett Canyon and ski the Cave Couloir – thinking that it would be a good opportunity to see what the conditions were like. We skinned out from Bradley/Taggart along the road and took the track to the left before the bridge. Following this trail through a large field until eventually it dips left into an obvious drainage. The track wasn’t bad and we made good time up to the lower face of Disappointment Peak. We eventually found the summer trail to Garnett and followed that for a while. We were a little cautious out on the face, but didn’t see any signs of concern. After making it up the face, we cut left and into Garnett Canyon from a little above where the summer trail goes. After skin-skiing down a few hundred feet and one faceplant into a tree well, we were greeted with a grim sight. Garnett Canyon still had massive rocks showing below the Caves and it didn’t look promising.
Not what we were hoping for.
We discussed a few options, but in the end thought that the ski out of the Canyon would be dangerous and not any fun. So, we decided to go up to Surprise Lake and ski the Lower Face of Disappointment down to the valley floor. The snow had looked great on the way up, so we weren’t too sad about the change of plans. We made quick work getting out of Garnett Canyon and then made our way up for about 1500′ to a little pinnacle to the left of Surprise Lake.
Making my way up to the pinnacle. (photo: Dane)
From here we had some views of the Spoon Couloir, Shadow Peak and Garnett Canyon. The Spoon looked to be skiable, although it was thin below the couloir and we couldn’t tell what Amphitheater Lake looked like.
Shadow Peak (North Chutes looking thin)Nez PerceBradley/Taggart from above. They appear uncrossable…
So we geared up and had ourselves a rip. The snow was fun and supportive the entire way down. We took turns cruising down, on the lookout for any instabilities, but didn’t find any besides some minor sluff here and there.
Showoff.
Quality turns even at 7200′.Dane making some light turns.
Overall, it was definitely better than I thought it was going to be and proved to be a fun day in the park. We hit our skin track at the bottom and followed that out of the drainage and then pushed past the cabins and into the big field. We eventually made it to the truck in around 5hrs, happy to have skied some fun snow and get a feel for the snow conditions in the park. With the new snow today (Monday) and a little projected through the week – I imagine the lower faces will be skiing nice, but some of the bigger lines are still a little difficult to access. Until next time…….Keep on Adventuring!
Date: 3/10/2015
Snow Conditions: Sun affected powder, mild sun/wind crust, “corn” snow down low.
Ever since Bill Briggs became the first person to ski The Grand Teton over 40 years ago, it has been an achievement for any aspiring ski mountaineer. My brother Dane and I have climbed it a handful of times, a couple in winter conditions, but never felt comfortable with the ice climbing needed to tackle the ski. With the weather around Jackson continuing to be seasonally warm and the snowpack well bonded after last weeks small storm, we were motivated by Tristan to get out and tackle the “standard” route off the Grand, the Ford/Stettner Couloir. Tristan reasoned that despite our limited ice skills, all you had to do was, “climb up and ski down”. This proved to be the push needed and we settled on Tuesday for the attempt.
The weather for the day called for temps around 30 degrees in the mountains, with sunshine and mild wind, so we decided an alpine start was needed. We were skinning from Bradley/Taggart under moonlight at 1:20am in mild temperatures. The conditions were firm on the up into Garnet Canyon and once again I was swearing that I have yet to buy ski crampons. After 2 hours, we were in the Meadows and staring into an eerie canyon dimly lit by the moon. We decided to boot pack to the left of Spaulding Falls instead of following the “summer trail”, because I think it is faster (but could be wrong). After climbing above the steep face, we put our skis back on and skinned up, into Teepee Glacier.
Early morning walk.Teepee Glacier in the moonlight.
Here, we saw another party about 500′ above us working their way towards Teepee Col. I knew the guys in the group, having chatted with them about our plan the day before and so far everything was going as discussed. They had planned on skiing the Grand before we settled on it and we were going to let them make first turns down if we all made it to the top. So we worked our way up the steep Teepee Glacier, eventually topping out on Teepee Col as the sun started to rise.
Climbing in the early morning.
The other group had decided to wait at Glencoe Col for some warming rays and were shouting for us to join them. We worked our way across the Death Couloir/Couloir to Nowhere that links up Teepee and Glencoe Col and met up with the other party. The wind was howling here and we immediately regretted not gearing up at Teepee Col as we had planned. Tristan, Dane and I started to get ready as the sun began to rise, hoping it could warm us a little.
Sunrise behind Teepee Pillar.Tristan gearing up, with his blackcrows soaking in the sun.Panorama from Glencoe Col. (photo: Dane Etter-Garrette)
The other group had left for the Stettner by now. We hydrated a little and tried to give the group a head start. Eventually, it got too cold to wait any longer and started down from Glencoe Col to the start of the Stettner Couloir. We worked our way up the couloir and over a mild pinch/ice bulge 100 yards up the Stettner.
Dane working his way up the Stettner.Up at the pinch in Stettner Couloir. (photo: Dane Etter-Garrette)Working past the small bulge in the bottom of the Stettner.
After that, we waited at the start of the Chevy (darts up to the left around 200 yards up the Stettner) for the other group to climb through the two bugles. We waited here for a bit, getting very cold, but ready to begin climbing the moment we could. Eventually the group cleared out and we worked our way to the belay station to tackle the ice bulges. We were all interested in taking the lead, but in the end Dane decided to take the sharp-end. He made quick work of the climbing, placing one nut between the two ice bulges on the right and one 16cm screw in the upper ice bulge.
Dane at the upper ice bulge in the Chevy.About to make the move up the bulge.
Feeling comfortable with the ice and wanting to make up some time, Tristen and I simul-climbed the pitch as Dane belayed us from above. We made it up to the anchor and quickly decided to simul-climb out of the Chevy and into the Ford.
Climbing out of the Chevy.Simul.
We found a nice spot to delayer/drop some gear near an anchor at the bottom of the Ford Couloir and got ready for the last 1000′ of boot packing. We were a little behind schedule, so set a turnaround time of 1pm and pushed towards the top. Right after beginning the bootpack, we saw the group ahead of us down climbing the Ford. We worked our way up to them and asked what was up. They said they didn’t feel 100% comfortable with the conditions and were going to bail. We were disappointed for them, but didn’t have much time to waste. The sun was warming the snow a bit and we knew the window was closing on our day if we didn’t hurry. We cruised up the Ford in no time and quickly found ourselves on the East Face of the Grand, working our way through warm, soft snow. We finally reached the summit block at 12:35pm, just over 11hrs from leaving the truck.
Working our way up the Ford, near the East Face.Almost there.Summit Vibes.USGS Marker, Grand Teton 13,775′Summit. (photo: Dane Etter-Garrette)
Not having a bunch of time at the top of the Grand is something I’m used to, but I barely had time to snap a few pictures before we were starting down towards the East Face. We didn’t want to risk the snow warming anymore than it already had. Unlike other objectives, once done skiing, you are still in harms way until you exit the Stettner after numerous rappels. With this in mind, we skied down from the summit and worked our way onto the East Face. We felt good about the snow, but you never really know until you get onto the face. Dane made a few tentative turns up high and then took it all the way down to the lower entry into the Ford. The snow was surprisingly good on the East Face, with the sun warming the surface just enough to create some early season “corn”. We all had a blast skiing the East Face, which is a feeling not many will ever have.
Skiing onto the East Face, looks a little intimidating.The Black Diamond Carbon Justice skis handled the Grand with ease.First turns off the Grand.Tristan, waiting his turn.Dane, in the distance at the entrance of the Ford Couloir.Grand turns.East Face of Grand Teton. (photo: Dane Etter-Garrette)All smiles for this turd.
The Ford proved to be as much fun as the East Face, if possible, even a little more spicy. The 50 degree couloir ends in a 1000′ cliff, so each turn was made with care. We found good snow on the skiers right side of the couloir, some smooth firm snow on the left and made it down safely to the spot we stored our gear earlier.
Tristan, making turns down the Ford.Making my way down the Ford. (photo: Dane Etter-Garrette)Dane, navigating down the middle portion of couloir.
We discussed rappelling into the Chevy from the anchors on the skiers right, at the bottom of the Ford, but decided to ski down a little lower to the first anchors in the Chevy. This slope was steep and very exposed, so we skied it gingerly and eventually got to the anchors, quickly getting ready for the rappels through the Chevy and Stettner. We rappelled twice in the Chevy and dug our an anchor on the lookers right of the Stettner below the entrance of the Chevy for our final rappel (definitely could have down climbed this portion). We were happy to have brought two 60m ropes for the day, allowing us to get out of harms way as soon as possible.
Dane, working his way into the Chevy towards the anchors on the right.Rappel #1.Dane was pumped.Rappel #2.Rappel #3. (photo: Dane Etter-Garrette)Tristan and Dane coiling the rope below Rappel #3 towards the bottom of the Stettner.
After making it down, we quickly made our way out of the Stettner and over to Glencoe Col. We gathered our skins, etc and got ready for the 5000′ ski down to the truck. We worked our way over to Teepee Col and made some fun turns down Teepee Glacier, eventually making our way down Garnet Canyon.
Skiing Teepee Glacier. (photo: Dane Etter-Garrette)Teepee Glacier.
At this point we were exhausted, dehydrated and only wanted to make it down safe. The snow was decent all the way down, but that was just icing on the cake for us. We made quick work of the out from Bradley Lake and pulled into the Trailhead at 4:25pm, 15 hours after we had started in the moonlight. We were tired, but all felt great about what we had just accomplished. We rested our tired feet and had a few sodas, staring up at the Grand and the run we had just skied. It wasn’t long after that we started hatching plans for the next adventure in the park.
Location: GTNP, Bivouac Peak, Moran Canyon, Jackson Lake
Tags: Backcountry Skiing, Ski Mountaineering
Elevation, Gain/Loss: 10,816’, 4,393’ gain/loss
Distance: 17 miles RT (from Colter Bay), 20 miles RT (from Signal)
Difficulty: 4 stars
Time: 10-12 hours
Trip Report:
Date: 3/3/2015
Snow Conditions: Powder (lots of it), some crust up high, low energy wind slabs up high, sun/wind crust down low.
The Southeast Couloir off Bivouac Peak is an aesthetically pleasing and challenging objective in northern GTNP. It requires a long skin across Jackson Lake from either Colter Bay (7 miles) or Signal Mountain Lodge (8.5 miles) to just get to Moran Canyon. Once at the canyon, the couloir starts about 800 vertical feet above the lake shore. We skied this as part of an overnight, but it could be done in a day with the right conditions and early start time.
Dane, Tristan and I had this couloir in mind for the first of two objectives of an overnight trip to Moran Bay. We started from camp at 11:45am after dropping some gear and made our way up to the base of the couloir. It was an easy skin up, only taking 45 minutes until we were at the start of the climb. I imagine even in the dark, or poor visibility this would not be difficult to route find as it is the first major couloir off the south side of Bivouac Peak. So, we dropped our skins at the entrance to the couloir and began what would be a slog to the top of Southeast Couloir. The initial part of the couloir is tight and gradually starts to get steeper as the walls close in.
Making our way up the initial pinch in deep snow.
The snow in this section was about 2 feet of powder with a breakable crust below. At times, the crust would support us, but often we would break through to a sugary, faceted layer a foot below. This made the climbing challenging and time consuming. After making it over the “bulge” at the end of the pinch, the couloir opened up into a large mellow middle section.
Just coming out of the pinch in the Southeast Couloir.
The snow in here proved to be more challenging than down low. It was very deep, in sections chest deep and not very supportive. We trudged up this middle section for what seemed like an eternity and actually took a break to refuel and get mentally prepared for what seemed would be an epic climb up.
Eventually we found that the right side of the couloir was a little easier to bootpack up, so we stayed right and worked our way up for a while. It still was not easy, with the snow being anywhere from boot to thigh deep, but it was supportive and we made decent time through the middle section and up to the upper steep portion of the couloir.
On the up. (photo: Dane Etter-Garrette)Tristan, doing his best to break trail.
Once we got to the steep portion of the climb, the winds began to whip off the summit and the arctic air mass that was moving in began to take its toll on the group. Our movements became a labored as our extremities started to freeze. Despite this, we pushed on for the top of the couloir and the summit of Bivouac Peak.
Dane, breaking trail towards the top as the wind gusts down the couloir.Tristan trying to stay warm in the -20 Degree windchill.
Eventually we made our way to the top after a few steep tight spots near the summit. We did notice small wind slabs forming at a rollover near the summit, but felt we could mitigate these with a few ski cuts. We topped out around 5pm as the sun was setting in the West and the wind howling from the Northwest. We didn’t have much time to celebrate, as the windchill was probably around -20 and the sun was setting, but it was a special summit and we all felt good about the climb.
Getting geared up in amazing light!Mount Moran from the northwest as the wind gusts into the Southeast Couloir.
We quickly got ready to ski as the gusts continued to pound us, covering our gear with snow in a matter of seconds. We decided to enter the couloir from the right where we could get a good ski cut on the upper slope to test the stability. With nothing moving, we tentatively made turns down the steep couloir to the first of two tight pinches.
Skiing down to the first pinch after making it down the steep upper “bowl”. (photo: Dane Etter-Garrette)Tristan coming through the second pinch in style.
After the two constrictions, we only had one thing to do…..ski powder all the way down to the bottom of the run. We gladly accepted our duty and made some fantastic turns down to through the lower pinch and onto the apron!
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Southeast Couloir – Bivouac Peak
After making it down to the bottom and out of the couloir safely, we gathered our skins and made our way back to camp. We felt pretty good, considering the long day we had endured. We quickly setup camp and made some delicious Mountain House meals before climbing into our cold sleeping bags for the evening. We had one more challenging objective for the trip and needed all the rest we could get. The next day we were going to make a bid for the Sickle Couloir off Mount Moran. We went to bed tired, but excited about the great run down the Southeast Couloir and what the next day had in store.
Date: 2/28/2015
Snow Condition: Powder, Mild breakable crust down low (below 7800′), but mainly powder with a slight bottom on SE facing slopes.
Took a little weekend trip up the Spoon Couloir with Zelie to check out the snow and get her into an area she had not skied this past Saturday. The Spoon Couloir is a nice test piece for those looking to graduate from the smaller lower faces to more committing lines, without really scaring yourself. It also offers some great views of the surrounding mountains and some pretty fantastic “face skiing”. I have been up the Spoon a few different times, writing my first trip report about it, and must say I do like skiing this couloir a lot. It is: relatively easy to get to, the East Face of Disappointment is a blast, the couloir is steep and you have numerous ski options once you get to Amphitheater Lake. That being said…this was the best skiing I have had in the couloir to date.
We left Bradley/Taggart at a casual 9:45am and cruised over to the Disappointment Peak skin track. Making it up to Amphitheater in a little over 3 hours (the skin track was pretty awful), we could see two groups of 2 going up the couloir. Now, it’s always a bummer to not get first tracks, but considering the time we left and that it was the weekend, I couldn’t really be disappointed.
Morning sun from above Bradley Lake.The Spoon from Amphitheater Lake, with the last group of two topping out.
We slowly worked our way up to the start of the climb, hoping that the two groups would make quick work of the East Face and ski through before we got to the transition point. Unfortunately, this did not happen. We changed over to boot pack mode and waited 15 minutes in the shade, assuming that the skiers ahead of us would be coming down any minute. Finally, we got cold and decided that the snow conditions did not warrant that we wait until the couloir was “open”, even if it may “taint” someones skiing zen. As we predicted, about 2 minutes into the climb – the first group came skiing through. We moved to the side and said hello as they skied through. I asked if the second group was going to be coming down soon and the skier said it looked like they were about to ski. So we worked our way up keeping an ear above for the remaining group, but didn’t see them until we hit the East Face. They said hello and we continued to work our way up the face, wondering what had taken them so long, but not really concerned with it.
Working on the up. (Zelie really wanted to use the ice axe she brought, so she did)
It was getting a little late, so the summit of Disappointment was not in the cards for the day, but we climbed until it turned rocky and got ready for the ski. With the temperature just right and the wind calm, we soaked in some rays and took in the views from this beautiful perch in the park.
West Hourglass Couloir.Beautiful. (photo: Zelie)
After a short while, we decided to do what we came to do….ski some powder and took it down the East Face.
Making some turns on the East Face. (photo: Zelie)Dreamy.Powdah skiing.
After skiing the face, we worked our way down to the entrance of the couloir. Based on the snow conditions, I opted to enter from the middle, over the rollover, while Zelie came in from the right. The few steep turns I got in this section were definitely the best of the day and I had a blast skiing into the Spoon from the top!
Deep turns in the Spoon Couloir. (photo: Zelie)
I pulled out about 300′ down on the right and let Zelie ski the entire couloir in one push. The snow was deep and stable, not sluffing or moving at all the entire time we were in the chute.
Zelie making some turns in the upper section.Finding the goods. (photo: Zelie)
After making it through the couloir, we made some powder turns down to Amphitheater Lake. After crossing the lake, we contoured left to a little shot that drops you into Delta Lake and Glacier Gulch. I am not sure if it has a broname, but I have looked at it a few times while crossing the Delta Lake and thought it would be a fun variation to the run. The snow in this north facing chute was great and we milked the turns all the way down to Delta Lake.
Pretty setting for a ski.Zelie, in her element.Little skier below a huge rock wall.
From here, we worked our way down Glacier Gulch, finding some good snow, but also noticing it change over to a breakable crust around 7800′. Instead of traversing right to Bradley Lake like I have always done, we decided to check out the out from Glacier Gulch for a change. This proved to take a lot more time and effort then traversing, but I suppose if the conditions are right you can get another 800′ of skiing, which might be worth the extra effort. Regardless, we skated back on the groomed Teton Park Road and back to the truck in around 7 hours. It was an excellent day and great opportunity to get the lady into a zone she had not skied. It also was an opportunity for me to scout the conditions for a trip that I was planning to the northern end of the park. More on that later…..
Date: 02/24/2015
Snow Conditions: Packed powder, powder, sun crust, wind crust. A strong northerly wind over the past few days created variable conditions on this north facing slope.
After a great day skiing off the South Teton Monday, Dane and I decided to head back to the park Tuesday and tackle a couloir we had heard a lot about this year. The “Mayan Apocalypse” is a north facing shot up Death Canyon a little past the patrol cabin. With northerly aspects skiing great the day before, we decided it was a worthy objective for the day. We left the Death Canyon trailhead around 8:30am and worked our way along the track at a brisk pace. After skiing down from Phelps Lake Overlook, we were quickly back skinning below the apron of the Apocalypse Couloir and into Death Canyon. We got to the patrol cabin in around 2hrs and took a little break to take in the views. Death Canyon offers enough ski runs for an entire season and we were pretty excited about the potential the zone offered. After the break, we worked our way up canyon (to the left) and found ourselves staring at the access to Rimrock Lake. There, directly to the left is the “Mayan Apocalypse”. It is hidden by a steep treed slope and a rocky chute that is in effect the couloirs drainage. We worked our way up around the impassable bulge of rock and eventually were looking at a tight gully above the rocky chute. We transferred over to boot pack mode and made our way into a large opening directly below the couloir proper. We worked our way up the steep couloir, noticing some soft avalanche debris in spots and firm crust where the slide had washed the snow out of the couloir. We came to the middle of the couloir, initially thinking this was the end, only to find that a much steeper portion of the couloir was still waiting for us. We worked our way up and to the right, finding some very firm, steep sections of climbing along the way. We eventually came to the end of the climbing on a very steep (50 degree) slope, just below a few cornices. We gently kicked out a step for our skis and got geared up. The top portion was very fun on the left side, where the wind had deposited a good amount of snow. Once into the upper middle section, the snow became firm and each turn was pretty spicy, but we made it through some rocks and into the lower section without issue. Here, the slide had washed out half the couloir, but the half with soft snow remaining was very fun. We also found the debris piles to be very soft and fun to surf on for a turn or two. We made it out of the couloir proper and found some fun turns on the upper apron before the couloir pinched into the gully leading to the rocky chute. We made a few turns in the gully, then exited to our left and found some soft powder turns to the traverse out of Death Canyon. We quickly worked our way back to the truck in just over 7hrs 30min and were pleased with the adventure and the gnarly couloir we had just skied.
A friend, showing us the way.
Looking down Death Canyon.
Resting near the Patrol Cabin.
Dane, pumped for the climb.
Making our way up the lower section.
Making my way up the lichen couloir. (photo: Dane Etter-Garrette)
Steep booter.
Cathedral of snow and rock.
It got a little firm.
Almost to the top. (photo: Dane Etter-Garrette)
No where to go but down.
Looking down the Mayan.
First turn on the steep upper pitch. (photo: Dane Etter-Garrette)
Just look at that form! (photo: Dane Etter-Garrette)
Dane, making some powder turns on the upper pitch.
More powder.
Almost done with the steep upper portion of the Mayan. (photo: Dane Etter-Garrette)
Steep. (photo: Dane Etter-Garrette)
Tentative turns, high consequence.
Working my way down to the middle of the run. (photo: Dane Etter-Garrette)
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