Teepe Glacier/Dike Couloir

Regan and Davey plowing the trail up the north fork of Garnett Canyon to the Teepe Glacier.  Dana, Mike and myself are trailing, saving our energy for the Dike Couloir, dropping north from the Teepe into the Cathedral.

Hourglass Couloirs in the background

Annessa, Larry, and another in the W Hourglass

Looking down the Dike

Entering the Catherdral

The Hossack-McGowan route on the Grand.  It doesn't look like it's in.

The Hourglass Couloirs

Strauss in the West Hourglass Couloir, where we encountered the worst possible bootpack you can set, zig-zagging across the dangerous faces and cutting across the tops of rollovers.  It presented an interesting dilemma: is it safer to reset the bootpack, thus, potentially weakening the snowpack by cutting off lateral tension and increasing time in avalanche terrain significantly, or to follow a bootpack that travels through the most dangerous areas but has been used three times already and is thus unlikely to cause further damage to the snowpack? We took the bootpack and I did my best to step softly and quickly.  Here, we were relieved the see the bootpack took the outside line.

Cloudveil Dome

South Face of the Middle Teton with the Chounaird and Ellingwood Couloirs

Strauss at the top of the West Hourglass Couloir.  The E and W couloirs are on the north face of Nez Perce and offer steep, 2,000 foot runs down into Garnett Canyon.

Strauss in the W Hourglass

Strauss, after 5,400 feet of climbing, in the East Hourglass Couloir, where the bootpack was set well, hugging the cliffs and staying out of an avalanche path for the most part.  Putting my skis on here was tricky.  It was very steep and barely wide enough for my skis.

Tracks in the Ellingwood Couloir

Tracks down the Otterbody of the Grand, one of the craziest routes in the range.

Strauss's pictures of this blogger.

The Middle Teton, SW Couloir

On this beautiful Friday morning, the snow was settled and the forecast was perfect.  Many cars were already in the Taggart Lake trailhead parking lot to get early starts on the day.  We were there before sunrise, and watched the mountains get lit up on our approach to them.  It was beautiful and frigid, so taking pictures was irresistable and painful.

The mountains were not empty today.  We saw nine other people in Garnett Canyon.  It seemed like every major couloir or peak had skiers climbing them (The South Teton, us on the Middle, others on the Grand, Nez Perce,  Teewinot, some friends in the Turkey Chute.  Here, two folks heading up the Ellingwood Couloir on the Middle Teton.

Two folks heading up the E Hourglass on Nez Perce.

Regan with the South Teton behind, where an Exum guide and client were getting ready to head down the south face to the Amore Vida Couloir.

The southwest couloir did not have good snow for skiing.  It was highly variable, from hollow sounding, to sugary snow, to wind buff, to icy steeps.  In addition, there was a rocky choke that was about five feet high that we had to climb over.  Thus, upon seeing the choke and in lieu of the snow conditions, we opted to leave our skis and packs in the rocks and continue up on the edges of the couloir with our crampons and axes to reach the summit not too much higher.  The summit was small.  There was just enough room for the three of us, and no room to fall in any direction.  Every direction yielded thousands of feet immediately below, as well as unbelievable views, especially og the Grand Teton.  Here, Davey is coming up the SW Couloir, almost done with the 6,200 foot climb.

McMillan Spire and Rimrock Lake/Northwest face of Prospectors

Tracks in the Ford Couloir on the Grand

Close-up on the Stettner Couloir

The Red Sentinel and Teewinot summits

Regan

Regan lower left, Davey skiing down the Cave Couloir, 

a spectacular place to make huge, sweeping turns.

Avalanche Canyon Loop

East Face of Mount Wister

Dana and Kevin heading up the South Fork of Avalanche Canyon, 

with the N Face of Buck ahead.

Dana and Kevin bootpacking up to the west ridge of Veiled Peak

The south couloir on the South Teton, with the Gilkey Tower, 

Cloudveil Dome, and Nez Perce sharing the ridge space.

Northwest upper face of Prospectors Mountain

Dana down below

Dana's line

Veiled Peak northwest snowfield and our tracks, Kevin coming down

Our tracks coming down the north fork of Avy Canyon

Kevin and myself

Dana, stoked as always

Our tracks in the next morning's sunrise