The Exum Ridge (sunlit ridge on the right). The E...
Description
The Lower Exum Ridge is a classic route on the southeast side of the Grand Teton. All of the pitches are good but the 5th pitch is by far the best being that it's steep, exposed and still only 5.7.
P1: A large chimney with some chockstones in it. Squeeze through a hole under the chockstones about halfway up and then climb out of the chimney on the right shortly after that and up to a large ledge.
P2: Climb easy terrain up and left following some cracks to another nice ledge.
P3: Move the belay to the base of a nice hand crack. Climb the crack up and left then traverse back right and pull up onto lower angle rock.
P4: Climb up past a large chockstone (I climbed around it on the outside) and to a broken up ledge at the base of the steep 5th pitch. (Pitches 3 and 4 can be combined barely with a 50m rope)
P5: Climb up and right from the ledge and follow a crack with a few pins in it. Belay at a pin and fixed cam.
P6: Climb straight up an awkward crack on smooth rock and then head right on easier terrain but with minimal gear. Belay on Wall Street ledge. (An easier option is to go left from the belay which also ends up on Wall Street)
Combining the Lower and Upper Exum Ridge to the summit is a great way to climb the Grand.
Location
Finding the route can be a little tricky if you've never been up there before. From the Lower Saddle head north toward the Grand but instead of going up the ridge traverse down along the east side of the saddle. Continue scrambling east and keep an eye out for a black band of rock that runs east to west and is where the route starts from. The first pitch is a large chimney which is visible from the saddle and requires some scrambling or easy climbing to get to. Descend the Owen Spalding route to the Upper Saddle and don't drop down the first gully that leads southeast. Instead go farther west and look for some climbers trails that work their way down to the Lower Saddle
Protection
I used a small selection of cams from a green Alien to a #3 Camalot and about 10 nuts of various sizes and felt that was adequate. There are several pins on pitch five and a few rap anchors on the route in different locations.
The start can be difficult to locate, especially in the pre-dawn hours. The easiest approach is to go beyond (right of) the starting pitch, easy talus walking on the black dyke. At some point there is a small cairn marking a traverse back left on a generally wide but sometimes exposed ledge. It deposits you right at the base of the first pitch "chimney". Describing P1 as a chimney is a little confusing, as it is more like a gigantic, featured open book. Very visible from the Lower Saddle in the evening if you know where to look.
By Andy Laakmann Site Landlord From: Jackson Hole, WY Jul 21, 2007 rating: 5.7
A classic line on a classic peak.
The approach from the lower saddle to the base of the approach ramp took about 30 minutes. It begins about 10 minutes up the Owen-Spaulding trail from the lower saddle, and heads east eventually hitting the black dyke. If you get to the Petzold ridge you've gone too far. In the morning darkness, we accidentally scrambled up the wrong ramp and ended up on top of the first pitch. Our ramp was consistently 4th class. Apparently another ramp begins slightly further west, but we missed it in the darkness.
All the pitches on the Lower Exum are awesome. The black face is particularly memorable - steep, positive holds, and great gear. We linked pitches 3 and 4 listed above.
We left the Lower Saddle at 4:00am, and we're at the top of Wall Street at 8:15am. We were moving efficiently, but not speed climbing by any means.
There was no sun until we hit Wall Street and the base of the Upper Exum ridge. And with a breeze, it was a little chilly even on a hot summer day. So plan on cold conditions if you are climbing this in early or late summer.
For the Upper Exum, we just did a continuous running belay. We hit the top at 10:15am.
Gear: Nuts, including small ones. Set of finger size cams. Doubles 0.75-2" camalots. One #3 camalot. And a big hex. 14 long runners (and that was just enough).
Grand Teton
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