Home - Destinations - People - Partners - Forum - Photos - What's New
 ADVANCED
Middle Teton
Show routes:
Select route...
Buckingham (SE) Ridge 
Dike Pinnacle North Face Direct 
North Ridge 
Southwest Couloir 

Dike Pinnacle North Face Direct 

5.9 Mod. Snow

   

FA: Aug. 2, 2008 Aaron Gams and Brian Mulvihill
New Route: Yes
Type: Trad, Snow, Alpine
Consensus: 5.9 [details]
Length: 4 pitches, 600 feet, Grade IV
Views: 267 page views

Submitted By: Gams on Sep 3, 2008


Add Photo  Add Comment 

You and this route  |  Other Opinions (2)
Your todo list:
Your stars:
Your rating: -none- [change]
Your ticklist: [add new tick]
 Printer Friendly View

BETA PHOTO: As seen from the Moraine campground


Location 

Directly above the biggest crevasse below the upper glacier couloir, start in the cleanly fractured, clean gray rock below the steepest part of the buttress. A couple cracks go up from above this section of gray rock: start up the right-most crack, actually a left-facing moderate dihedral.


Description 

P1 Clean blocky gray rock turns into a slightly loose LF dihedral. Step left past two roof/bulges (5.8) into a 5.9 hand crack. Belay on a slanted ledge below a large solid horn.

P2 Start up toward the obvious large blocky RF dihedral, but take the ramp about 10' up right to avoid the large blocky loose dihedral. Instead, undercling flakes (5.8) straight up to reach next right-tending ramp to LF 5.9 dihedral. Belay on small ledge.

P3 Continue straight up LF 5.9 dihedral to ledges and mantles. Pull on a well-attached flake (5.8) to a RF dihedral (5.9). Belay just right of some blocks on right-leaning ramp.

P4 Scramble up right-leaning ramp for about 30', then straight up steep cracks to crazy (delicate, hollow but solid?) flakes (5.9). Steep, but easier terrain above, then head left on ramp to a final 5.9 hand / stem. A thin, no-pro dihedral about 40' out on initial right-leaning ramp is off-route...step back down about 10'.

Either finish with the Dike Route (not trivial) from the summit of the Dike Pinnacle (grade IV to summit of Middle), or I suppose one could descend the pinnacle east back to the lower glacier.

This route starts half-way up the Middle Teton glacier, making for a mini-alpine climb. The climbing is consistent, with many cruxes on good rock. Slightly dirty, until more folks climb it. Only the slightly loose beginning detracts from the overall good quality.


Protection 

Two sets of cams up to gold camalot, one blue and one bigger cam (4"), and a set of nuts. No fixed gear, all anchors are natural. Might need crampons, definately an ice axe for the approach.