Grand Teton (Owen-Spalding)
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Some friends and I got a surprise three day weekend over labor day and are looking to climb the Owen Spalding route on the Teton. While we are technically competent, we are lacking in alpine experience and are interested in any and all beta for this route, including the possibility that the route is beyond our skill level. |
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I was thinking of doing this as well this weekend, but it looks like the weather might not be cooperating. tetonclimbinggrand.blogspot… . There's like a 40% chance of thunderstorms this weekend as well. I'm going to call the ranger station tomorrow and see what they think. And as far as beta, This link has a topo/map of the technical section, its only about 3 pitches and doesn't look too bad, but if theres ice in the chimneys it might go harder than 5.4 . And there's some sections with like a thousand feet of exposure |
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We've had over a week of nasty weather, including a fair bit of snow in the high peaks, so the OS is going to be a terribly icy ascent. I'd suggest turning your sights to the upper XM, only slightly harder -- alot longer, but not much more technical -- and avoiding the problems of the OS in bad conditions. It will probably get worse before it gets better, as the mountain thaws out and the dripping into and onto the OS continues. |
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For detailed weather info for the area go to mountainweather.com - it's updated every weekday morning (come saturday you just get a more general report without the lightning forecast etc). |
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All ya need is a day, a bacon sandwich, and an extra pair of trousers. |
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This may sound like a trollish response, but I can assure you it's not.
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Typically in August I would recommend soloing as well. The exposed and technical sections of the OS are really not worth hauling a bunch of gear. However the recent weather has probably put a good bit of ice on the route. Andrews advice on doing the XM is worth following. It a better route anyways, especially if you are going to rope up. It's also an easy solo (you can skip the friction and v pitch by staying right). |
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thanks for the great info guys, we are currently planning on the Upper Exum, which certainly looks more interesting to me. |
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Also a great resource for weather in the Tetons |
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In ideal conditions it takes about 12-13 hours to summit the Grand via OS solo parking lot to parking lot. That is for a person that knows the route. Route finding is not totaling straight forward on the Grand. This can add hours to your total time. It will be probably a busy weekend so there maybe people to follow or get beta en route. If you do go Upper Exum make sure you follow someone off summit to help guide your descent. If you end up in wrong gully it can be potentially be a fatal mistake. It is not uncommon for afternoon thunderstorms as well so it is best to try and be off the upper grand by two or three. Since you are a party of three I would recommend two forty meter ropes to split weight and will be long enough for repel joined together. A single rack with nuts is plenty if plan on placing gear. There are many youtube videos that show you what to expect. Move fast as you can and have fun. |
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Allen Sanderson wrote:All ya need is a day, a bacon sandwich, and an extra pair of trousers.What a great video! |
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You should contact the Jenny Lake Rangers at (307)739-3343 to speak with a ranger to get a direct description of the current conditions. As of this morning, ice axes and crampons are necessary. They received about 6-8 inches above 11,000 ft in the series of storms over the past weekend. I think it is safe to say that you will encounter ice/ snow build up for parts of your time at elevation this weekend if you still choose to go. If you lack experience in alpine endeavors these are non-optimal conditions. The rangers are your best bet at assisting you in making a smart decision. |
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We bailed on our plans for the Tetons this weekend as well due to the weather. If you don't have a ton of alpine experience I would find an alternate activity for this weekend, IMO at least. It will be cold, with low 30's or upper 20's up high at night and highs in the low 40's. The winds look like they could be rough as well. |
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Yeah, our party decided to bail this afternoon as well. I found I had brought much less cold weather clothing with me (when i moved earlier in the summer) than I had thought, and all of us were intimidated by the prospect of that much snow and wind. |