"Hikers" rescued from the North Ridge of Grand

We had to bail from our objectives there Monday, weather was pretty feisty!

Glad everything turned out well for them.

https://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=45439495&nid=1419

hike with the hobnails, all the cool kids are doing it

2 days to get to Owen?! That's not the right way to do the GT

I've never been on the GT so I'm Monday-morning quarterbacking here, but isn't the standard (only) bail point off Gunsight or the Grandstand and into Valhalla? Why continue onto the North Ridge in such poor conditions?  And yeah, two days to get to Owen? Yikes.  

Andy Novak wrote:

I've never been on the GT so I'm Monday-morning quarterbacking here, but isn't the standard (only) bail point off Gunsight or the Grandstand and into Valhalla? Why continue onto the North Ridge in such poor conditions?  And yeah, two days to get to Owen? Yikes.  

I've been on a Grandstand in a storm, and my partner and I pretty-much figured that up-and-over the Grand was the fastest and easiest way home. Maybe not the safest in a thunderstorm, but the fastest and easiest. We bivied on the Grandstand until the weather cleared-up.

Andy Novak wrote:

I've never been on the GT so I'm Monday-morning quarterbacking here, but isn't the standard (only) bail point off Gunsight or the Grandstand and into Valhalla? Why continue onto the North Ridge in such poor conditions?  And yeah, two days to get to Owen? Yikes.  

Before getting to gunsight they could've easily bailed into Valhalla canyon via the west ledges. My partner and I descended them after climbing serendipity arete in about 2 hours. And yeah 2 days to get to Owen...

Andy Novak wrote:

I've never been on the GT so I'm Monday-morning quarterbacking here, but isn't the standard (only) bail point off Gunsight or the Grandstand and into Valhalla? Why continue onto the North Ridge in such poor conditions?  And yeah, two days to get to Owen? Yikes.  

There are multiple points to bail along the Grand Traverse. Between Teewinot and Owen one can descend to the Teton Glacier. On the Grandstand one can bail to the east (Teton Glacier) or west (Valhalla). 

If these two planned to take two days to get to the Grandstand means they were carrying lots of stuff and were moving very slowly. I can see taking a day to the Grandstand. But yes, yikes two days??

Ya looks like they were were pretty comfortable - guess some people prefer slow and heavy to light and fast.   Do wonder what they would have done without a cell signal?

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155698596082962&set=a.433418242961.207180.508242961&type=3&theater

My partner and I were attempting to climb the grand at the same time as this rescue was happening. We retreated due to icy conditions just above the lower saddle. Just after we started hiking down we saw a helicopter briefly land at the ranger hut on the lower saddle and then take off again. We later heard that climbers were being rescued. I'm glad they made it down safely.