Grand Conditions

Possibly joining my buddies on the Grand this weekend to summit via the Exum route. Just curious if anyone knew what the conditions were up there?

Thanks!
-Alex

Check
tetonclimbing.blogspot.com/
forecast.weather.gov/produc…
mesowest.utah.edu/cgi-bin/d…

Conditions were fine Aug 2 when I was there. A couple patches of snow to cross but nothing that required crampons/piolet. Review the weather (past and future) and the climbing rangers' site and you'll have all the info you need.

It snowed a couple inches up there on Saturday of this past weekend, but just talked to some friends who did the Upper Exum yesterday and they said it was dry and in good condition. The Owen-Spalding descent is still pretty snowy and icy, but parties have been descending without incident. If you're uncomfortable walking on snow/ice, I recommend bringing microspikes or similar traction for the descent. There is a lot more rain in the forecast this week, so that could manifest in more snow up high. Keep an eye on the forecast for sure. Good luck!

Thanks guys, much appreciated! Was there enough snow on the decent to warrant bringing an axe along, or was it fairly decent without?

Parties have definitely been doing the descent without crampons and axes. However, I'd say, if you're not super comfortable walking in snowy terrain, you can always bring a lightweight aluminum crampon to strap to your approach/descent shoes for the walk to the rappels. Hopefully its been melting out, but there was a wicked storm up there last night, so who knows...

We did upper exum last Sunday after the storm. All but two other parties had turned around. We had one pair of micro spikes to share and no axes. Everything was fine on the decent, just be careful. As long is its sunny the day you do it much of the ice will melt. Be ready for wet climbing tho...

My brother and I did the Grand via Wittich Crack yesterday:
mountainproject.com/v/11089…

Ice axes and crampons not needed, so, they got a free ride.

Sounded like there was some ice at the beginning section of The Catwalk forcing parties who started on Owen-Spalding to stay on it. Wittich put you way to the right of that. Wittich was cold but any ice was pretty far back and out of reach.

A few icy sections on the summit push but they could all be avoided with dry rock.

Although looks like tomorrow may bring in some weather that will change this.

Many parties turned around at the Lower Saddle yesterday due to wind. The couloir to reach the Upper Saddle was sheltered. Upper Saddle was windy, but the summit was quite pleasant.

Does anyone have any recent updates for conditions? I'm hoping to Picnic (GTT) up there this coming weekend, either via the OS or UE. Will need to decide if I want to bring a rope if it is icy for the OS descent.
Thanks,
Joe

Apparently there is still some ice on the OS and I assume the North side of the Grand. But sounds like its manageable. Not a pic of the O.S. but a current shot from today. I am surprised how much snow is hanging around in the Ford.

Easily avoidable ice on OS but I would recommend a rope for the decent. The ice is no issue going up, but going down, it may make it uncomfortable. That being said, we are getting some nasty weather rolling through right now.

Hit the summit last Tuesday via the OS. There is some ice and snow, but it is avoidable. I'd say it presented it's biggest challenge in the chimney. If you're comfortable leading 5.5+ you'll be fine though. Just added a little bit of difficulty to the moves in there. Definitely not worth having the extra weight of crampons and tools. We brought ours and didn't use them. The final catwalk to the summit had some snow too, but again pretty easily navigated.

Stoked on this news. And I'm seeing clear weather for the upcoming week when I'll be out there with a buddy. Thanks for the updates, all.

Cheers.

Two days ago, bit of snow on the ledges, good bit of ice in the cracks. Dont bring tools.

Great, thanks for reporting. Does anyone know what it was like up there yesterday/last night, if any snow/ice accumulated? I'm hoping not to bring a rope for a triathlon "Picnic" attempt on Saturday (OS route). It looks warm-ish for the summit this afternoon and Friday (and Saturday). If anyone is willing to report over the next day or 2 on current conditions, that would be great!

Thanks,
Joe

Any thoughts for the upcoming weekend for the grand/teton range in general? Not a local, and this would be my first trip there. Was looking to do the cathedral traverse, but the weather forecast has me re-thinking, and trying to decide whether to bail on the whole trip, or go for something else.

Appreciate any beta.

Looks like the chance of storms is around 30% now, so you might be able to get it in. I was in the Park Monday to Wednesday and found the route to be drier than expected. We did not bring sharp points. You can get around most all spots easily. Some Ice on the North Ridge/Italian Cracks of the Grand but typically avoidable. A decent amount of ice fall on the North Face with far less on the North Ridge. Some ice on the decent down the OS in the typical spots.

Nobleman wrote:Any thoughts for the upcoming weekend for the grand/teton range in general? Not a local, and this would be my first trip there. Was looking to do the cathedral traverse, but the weather forecast has me re-thinking, and trying to decide whether to bail on the whole trip, or go for something else. Appreciate any beta.

Any recent updates? Was hoping to jam up there this weekend.

J

As of a few days ago, I heard from a Exium guide that the sunny side of the mountain is in decent shape and the North side is done for the season. That was before this current weather rolled through...