Teton TR: Grand Teton - Otterbody Route, 4.14.08

[nhtele]

Coolstine had been wanting to ski the Otterbody route for quite some time. On Monday April 14th, he, Ty, and I climbed the Grand and did just that. The route follows the SE face of the Grand and has only been skied a handful of times. There's a great video of Coombs and Workman skiing it several years ago here:
http://www.thesnaz.com/otter-body-experience/

The line:


There's a rap from the east snowfield onto the Otterbody (so named for its otter-like shape), and then ~3 raps from the Otter's tail onto the Teepee Glacier through an icy corner system. We decided to camp at the Meadows so that we could be on the summit around sunrise.

Heading out in 50F:

Ty drinking whiskey:


Coolstine screwing up the product shot:


We woke up at 12.45am and began our ascent, soloing/booting through the Stettner, Chevy, and Ford Couloirs. Mostly the terrain was steep neve though there were several ice bulges in the Chevy. Coolstine and Ty ran the ice tool/whippet combo, while I had a 2nd lightweight racing axe in addition to my ice tool.

Nhtele booting up the Ford:



Sunrise:


The Middle = Radness:


Summit Shot (btw, Coolstine slayed the booter all the way to the summit while I wanted to puke and Ty was consumed with other matters):


The snow was a funky 2" crust on top of sugar. We skied the upper pitch ~8am:


We then sat on the shoulder ~40 mins to wait for the snow to soften (which really only happened once we got onto the Otter and then the Teepee):


Rapping onto the Otterbody:


Coolstine thinking about the Otterbody:


And slaying:



Nhtele reaching for the sky:


Our second rap was off a V-thread on an ice bulge. Ty slayed the rappel systems for our out:


Right before I spiked Coolstine's parka:


The final rap onto the Teepee:


I'm really glad we went up there, especially sice Coolstine skied it in good style. I had some spacewalks, and traversed with axe in hand on part of the Otterbody. I was super-beat and did not have the legs/confidence to nail every turn in the challenging snow conditions. I'd love to head back up there in proper melt-freeze in the future. A big thanks to my partners for making my last season and last tour in Jackson very memorable.

[_Aaron_]

FKNA! Thanks all I can say

[powdherb]

Win. Puke.

[Lani]

Good show. Texas?

[Trackhead]

3rd or 4th ever descent?

Awesome work! SICK!

[fortysix&2]

Wow..that is damn good. Thanks for the link, too.

[kush1]

you are a sick man.....


and i heard you left some bindings in the garage for me to pillage..... leave any AT bindings?

[Helicrackjnky]

Wow,well done! Hit/TR of the year!

[Trackhead]

This photo better represents the burl.

[El Kanone]

Very nice piece of ski mteneering. Well done and thanks for sharing.

[doublediamond223]

Wow, ballsy would be the first word to come to mind. NICE!

[altabird92]

One of the best TR's of the year.
Thank you
That last bit of boot packing is some of the most beautiful i've seen

[Hutch]

Amazing, dude. Well done.

[squirrelmurphy]

oh my god.......

[powder_prophet]

^^^What he said...

[BurnHard]

HOLY SHIT you guys ROCK! Sooo honored to be part of a community that's made up of individuals like you guys! Seriously - some inspiring stuff!

[montanaskier]

ridiculous.....just ridiculous

[Tri-Ungulate]

UnFuckinGlaublich

Really making the most of your Jackson winter, there.

[lhs]

woah!!!!!
all i can say.
helluva finale colin.
and yeah, that last booter pic is the shit.

[awake1563]

nice push... what a line... seems like bryan's getting ready for something big can't wait for that TR. Great to see you guys getting it, being that I've gimped myself for 2/3 spring seasons now.

[davep]

Well then. Wow, nice work.

[grizzle6]

Holy geez. That right there is the real deal. Super impressive, and cheers to you guys for getting after it.

[neck beard]

I only recently learnt that Teton is French for Titties.

This was.

Ski mountaineering at its best. The stuff that comes up on TGR amazes me. People just gotta understand how much effort, commitment and skill it takes to get off the couch and get after it like that.

[GoEhuge]

Unreal. Will other TR's even be interesting anymore? That was completely wild, you guys are legendary.

[Kya]

WOW. You guys don't fuck around...at all.