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Owen Spalding

5.4, Trad, Alpine, 1560 ft (473 m), 3 pitches, Grade II,  Avg: 3.3 from 592 votes
FA: Owen, Spalding, Peterson (Aug 11, 1898)
Wyoming > Grand Teton NP > Grand Teton

Description

From the upper saddle (13,160'), hike and scramble 70m NNE to the common rope up point and belay under the Whittich Crack. Use the upper or lower crack's edge as jugs to traverse the small lodged rock of the “Belly Roll”. Continue on ledge north to reach the "crawl", which is more of a straddle than crawl. It is a ledge not more than 18" wide with an overhang above. The exposure here is very exciting. Continue traversing the ledge about 15' to the double chimney (P1).

Directly above this is the Double Chimney (P2).

Traverse right on the easy “Cat Walk” in dry conditions only or confront the crux “Owen Chimney”  when the “cat walk is wet or icy. The Owen Chimney is the crux with stemming mantels along 4 fixed pitons and a slung block.

The route from here goes (southeast) east to a third, very large chimney called Sargent's Chimney (P3). Usually, exit the chimney on left. From the top of Sarg's, continue up and to the left. Pay careful attention to your ascent path from Sarg's, you'll need to find it on the down climb and it isn't obvious!

For the descent, down climb Sargents Chimney and then make your way to the left to a 120' rappel that drops you directly onto the upper saddle.

The route finding can be difficult, particularly on descent given the whole mountain shows signs of traffic. There are many variations to the route depending on conditions.

Buy the guidebook: "A Climber's Guide to the Teton Range" by Ortenburger & Jackson. It is perhaps the greatest guidebook ever written.

Location

Getting up to the upper saddle from the lower saddle is a climb all unto itself. The guidebook provides an excellent description.

Protection

A small alpine rack is fine provided you are familiar with using natural features for belays and 5.4 climbing is easy for you.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Descending Owen Spalding, January.
[Hide Photo] Descending Owen Spalding, January.
Beta photo with tons of useful info copied from http://wyomingwhiskey.blogspot.com/. Check out their web site for an updated photo and much more info.
[Hide Photo] Beta photo with tons of useful info copied from http://wyomingwhiskey.blogspot.com/. Check out their web site for an updated photo and much more info.
Dan Carson checking out the upper OS, January.
[Hide Photo] Dan Carson checking out the upper OS, January.
A father and son team wandering off route looking for the OS with Jackson Lake in the back ground.
[Hide Photo] A father and son team wandering off route looking for the OS with Jackson Lake in the back ground.
The 2017 solar eclipse engulfing Idaho
[Hide Photo] The 2017 solar eclipse engulfing Idaho
Looking down from the belly crawl.
[Hide Photo] Looking down from the belly crawl.
The Second Rappel Is A Bit Airy, 
<br>
Blake Cassagranda On Rappel
[Hide Photo] The Second Rappel Is A Bit Airy, Blake Cassagranda On Rappel
Me having fun on the Crawl pitch.
[Hide Photo] Me having fun on the Crawl pitch.
Photo Cred - Wade Morris
[Hide Photo] Photo Cred - Wade Morris
Setting up the 120ft rappel to the Upper Saddle
[Hide Photo] Setting up the 120ft rappel to the Upper Saddle
looking down at the eye of the needle.
[Hide Photo] looking down at the eye of the needle.
trail around eye of the needle
[Hide Photo] trail around eye of the needle

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

[Hide Comment] I did this without roping up a number of years back. I was in a Colorado 14er mode and thought I would skip the hassle. Not smart.

The climb is quite easy but there is a stretch just after the "belly roll" with a 5.4 move and about 2000 feet of exposure. I believe you would land somewhere near the bottom of the Black Ice Couloir if you goofed up.

You need a rope anyway because you have to rap down - or down climb the exposed 5.4 move, which you wouldn't want to do.

So take a light rack and enjoy yourself. Beautiful climb! May 18, 2006
George Bell
Boulder, CO
 
[Hide Comment] When dry, this route is not difficult although you can still get off-route. However, it faces NW and after a snow or hail storm it can take many days (if not weeks) to dry off. There was one summer when it kept getting snowed on, and the route was in "winter condition" all summer! The guides had a really bad season that summer. Even on a good year by September it usually receives a dusting of snow.

From above this route is difficult to find and it appears improbable. I've downclimbed it once unroped when dry, but this was with a person who had gone up it the week before. This is a quick way to bypass the crowded raps, but I wouldn't recommend it. Jul 5, 2006
[Hide Comment] To add a little spice to this route, try the Wittich Crack variation (5.6). It is the obvious crack that starts about 10 feet before reaching the belly crawl. P1, follow the crack to an obvious ledge under a roof. P2, climb past two fixed pins out and around the roof to the left and up easy climbing to the catwalk. Stay as straight as possible to avoid heinous rope drag. Awesome route and a lot of fun. Aug 1, 2008
Scott Bennett
Western North America
[Hide Comment] On the descent, it is possible to make the main rappel (the one that avoids the "Belly Roll" and "Double Chimney") in a single rappel with a single 60m rope. This is from the well used slung-horn anchor.

Just make sure to trend to rappeler's right as you descend, and you'll land on walking terrain a few feet right and uphill from where most folks (with 2 ropes or a single 70m) will land. It's probably a 95' rap.

-Scott Jul 26, 2010
Rich F.
Colorado Springs, CO
  5.4
[Hide Comment] Great summit -- not much technical climbing, but a strenuous adventure with some amazing exposure and a lot of Class 3 & 4 climbing above the "Needle." We left our rope at the Sargent's Chimney rappel on the way up -- but still had surprising amount of somewhat exposed Class 4 climbing left to get to the summit. And I want to reiterate what Jason said in his route description above, "Pay careful attention to your assent path from Sarg's, you will need to find it on the down climb and it isn't obvious!" True, True, True! Jul 31, 2010
Mark Orsag
Omaha, NE
  5.6
[Hide Comment] You can go left at several points -- The Crack of Doom, etc.. Probably raises the rating to 5.6, but it was still faster and pretty easy. Helped us get to the front of the "long snake" of ascending climbers. Feb 21, 2014
Max Bechdel
Jackson, WY
[Hide Comment] I like the description, buy the guidebook. Isn't mountain project supposed to be the guide book? :P Apr 24, 2014
mattjohnson
Greenville SC
 
[Hide Comment] the approach is tough Aug 9, 2015
Benjamin Chapman
Small Town, USA
[Hide Comment] William "Billy" O. Owen, Franklin Spencer Spaulding, Frank Peterson, and John Shive - August 11, 1898. Dec 22, 2015
Austin Farnworth
mapleton utah
  Easy 5th R
[Hide Comment] I think that bringing a rope to rappel down with is a good idea. In good conditions it can be easily free soloed and people in our group who were not rock climbers by any means had no problem with the moves. If you were to down climb this route it would be a different story entirely and i would recommend the rappels. Aug 12, 2016
Jason Todd
Cody, WY
  5.4
[Hide Comment]
Benjamin Chapman wrote:William "Billy" O. Owen, Franklin Spencer Spaulding, Frank Peterson, and John Shive - August 11, 1898.
Second Ascent

Should be called the Langford-Stevenson Route if justice were to be had.
They had the first ascent, Spalding after corresponding with Langford had even agreed they had climbed the same route and were the first.

Nathaniel Langford and James Stevenson, July 29, 1872 FA Grand Teton, USA Aug 25, 2016
Timmy Kessel
Fort Collins, CO
  5.4
[Hide Comment] Did the route in 3.5 hrs from lower saddle to lower saddle, just had on hiking shoes. Fantastic views, bomber rock on the exposed traverses, fantastic route! Jul 31, 2017
[Hide Comment] Hey does any know how long are the pitches ? Will a group of 3 be fine with one 70m rope ? Aug 28, 2017
[Hide Comment] How many miles is it from lower saddle to upper saddle? My friends and I are in good shape and plan to start at garnet canyon around 1 AM and summit/descent the entire thing in one day. Is this even possible?? May 23, 2018
[Hide Comment] There are lots of people that prefer to climb the Grand via OS in a day. Leaving the parking lot around 1am is probably a good time. It is a long hike but if you are athletic and in decent shape, it won't be too difficult. Mileage between Lower and Upper saddle is probably .5 miles, but that is less relevant than the vertical climb since it is a steep scramble for most of the 1400 ft. Consult the guide books because there are a few points that are tricky to stay on route and pass some obstacles such as the eye of the needle. Good luck. May 31, 2018
[Hide Comment] For a fit party, to solo Owen Spalding car to car would probably take 11 hours. It took me about 4:30 to descend. Starting at 1am would put you right in line to hit the bottleneck of guided parties. Aug 24, 2018
Cody SanFillipo
Bloomington, MN
[Hide Comment] On a Perfect day in July or August how busy would the climb be, from lower saddle to top? Jan 7, 2020
Mike Womack
Orcutt, CA
 
[Hide Comment] My TR from July 2016: sierraexperience.blogspot.c… Jan 31, 2020
Grug M
SALT LAKE CITY
  5.4
[Hide Comment] We were a reasonably fit party. Started hike at 6am. Reached the saddle at 10am. Summited, and got back to the saddle at 430pm. It would have been much faster but we got stuck behind some other parties climbing and rappelling. Got back to cars around 8PM. Amazing adventure. I met the founder of Black Diamond and the Wasatch Snow Forecast creator on the summit. Amazing weather. We clocked 16 miles round trip.

Have some respect for yourself and others - know how to rappel before attempting this. Practice a few times. Don't learn on the fucking Grand Teton and slow everyone down. Practice at your local crag, or even in a stairwell to get the hang of it. Practice getting your ATC on and off quickly. You probably don't need a prussik for this. You wouldn't believe the shenanigans I saw watching 20 people rappel in front of me, from comical to downright dangerous. People hooking their thumbs in the ATC guide loop to accelerate their rappel or something (wtf??), to pocket knives flying out of pockets mid rappel and almost killing people. The worst was the idiotic rope handling that added 2-3 hours to everyone's descent. Practice flaking your rope and setting up a rappel in smooth, efficient manner. Aug 18, 2020
[Hide Comment] Avoid bringing a 70m, a 60m will save you legs on the approach and be more than sufficient. On the second rappel that leads to the upper saddle, throw the rope to the south, rappellers right or skiers left. Jul 31, 2021
Jonathan Dull
Blowing Rock, NC
  Easy 5th
[Hide Comment] Did this car to car w/San Te. The technical/crux pitches are more like low 5th class - even if wet and icy. A few mid sized cams and set of stoppers is more than enough if you want to rope up. Watch out for "guides" in the chimneys/rappels - they certainly create a gong-show up there and their clients will knock rocks/ice and grab your ropes. Aug 9, 2021
Gerald Johnson
OH, WA, UT
Easy 5th
[Hide Comment] I would definitely rate it as easy 5th. Other than the exposure it’s honestly a scramble on 5th class terrain. Jul 24, 2022
John C Baker
Rexburg, ID
[Hide Comment] Do not underestimate the beast of the approach. Even if you're in good "shape" the fast elevation gain can slow you down significantly. The actual climbing is the easy part. Placed two pieces of gear on each pitch (all BD 1 and smaller). You might be tempted to solo the route, but I would recommend bringing your rope and harness even if it is just for the rappels. Water is accessible through the entire approach up to the lower saddle. Aug 22, 2022
99Austins Isham
Las Vegas, NV
[Hide Comment] I'm climbing the Grand (OS route) with some friends this summer (party of four). I climbed the OS route many years ago and I remember the pitches being fairly short.
What is the shortest length of rope a party of two could use on the way up?
I'm thinking we could bring two 35m ropes, and then just use them together for the rap.
Less weight for the hike up, and easier to manage.

Also, what is the best time to start from the lower saddle to avoid the guided groups? Feb 19, 2023
Alex Rienzie
Jackson, WY
[Hide Comment] Trip report from Aug 2022: grizzliesandavalanches.com/… Oct 9, 2023
Mike J the Second
Gaithersburg, MD
[Hide Comment] Just did this incredible ultra-classic. I have five takeaways that come to mind.

- Radios are critical. Otherwise you won’t be able to talk to your partner at key points in the climb.
- Even with intensive study before the climb, routefinding is a challenge. Lesson learned for next time that I need to get even more detailed in prep. In the worst case, we went the wrong way on a route below the catwalk which fit the description, which was pretty sketchy, but then were able to turn back.
- The climbing is easy. The grades are not sandbagged.
- I would highly recommend using a rope. We used a rope for P1 and P2 (and then took the catwalk instead of Owen’s Chimney)
- Weather could definitely get you up there without warning. There was a zero percent chance of precipitation for two days in the future, and then it rained pretty hard that night and hailed up on top. Aug 10, 2025