The view starting up the tram. Fastest way to cli...
Description
Two main climbing areas are available at the Jackson Hole Ski Area.
Rock Springs Buttress, the biggest attraction, sits just south of the ski area boundary, and contains 20 routes up to 4 pitches in length. The buttress is clearly visible about 2500 feet up as you drive to the ski area from the town of Jackson. It is a very cool climbing experience and comes highly recommended.
Corbett's Couloir also has a handful of routes available with a very short approach (provided you take the tram!)
Getting There
The usual route, and the one that involves the least amount of hiking, is to drive to the Jackson Hole Ski Area and take the aerial tram to the top of the mountain (10,400 feet). You then hike down to either Rock Springs Buttress (50 minutes) or Corbett's Couloir (10 minutes)
The tram operates between Memorial Day and Labor Day and costs approximately $20 to ride up (descending trams are free). Note: This is the tram's LAST season until they build a replacement (2-3 years?). You can read the press release discussing the closure.
Alternately, you can hike up to Rock Springs Buttress (2500 feet of vertical, approximately 1 1/2 hours) from below, do a climb, and then hike up to the tram and ride down for free.
This is a two pitch route, but the first pitch is a worthy journey by itself.Tenuous steep slab and arete climbing is the name of the game here. The first pitch is VERY long (40m), and you'll be welcoming the anchors when you see them. This is a sport route, but there are plenty of opportunities for big swinging falls and some of the clips are tricky - so don't jump on this if it is way above your grade. Many of the moves are exposed, and you n...[more]