Teton TR - 1.28.11 - SE Coulor South Teton

**coolstine** · 02-01-2011, 12:02 PM

With several recent failed attempts on some bigger Teton lines due to wind, snow conditions, and caution, I decided I wanted to go try something I thought would be in good condition.

The only aspect that seemed to be both holding both good snow and avoiding the wind was SE, and the first line that comes to mind is the SE couloir of the South Teton. I skied this line a few years ago in winter with nhtele [ame="http://tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116112"]TR: SE Couloir of South Teton, 3-9-08 - Teton Gravity Research Forums[/ame]. Everyone seemed to be busy, and I was content with going out on a solo mission, feeling comfortable knowing that I can easily turn around at any time and also knowing what I had in store for the day.

Leaving the trailhead at 0600, I skinned quickly to get above the freezing fog.

The skies were blue and clear as I hit the meadows, but as is customary, the wind picked up and I was soon breaking trail across wind packed and sastrugi. The goggles came out and I started questioning whether it was worth it to continue as the wind intensified. I chalked the day up to training, resigning myself to standing on the South and coming back down Garnet, thinking there was no way the SE could be safe/fun with the spindrift flying off the summit.

The south ridge line doing its best Patagonia impression

The middle looking absolutely wind-hammered.

As I crested the top of the NW couloir, the wind was strong enough to blow me around with skis on the pack and I struggled up the last few hundred feet and stood on top at 1050. I decided to ski down the shoulder ridge, avoiding the upper starting zone to check out conditions on the SE couloir and the SE face without exposing myself.

Looking down the SE from the ridge.

Cheesy self portrait. And yea the avalung is totally ridiculous, but it is just habit.

Surprisingly, the wind died down, and conditions looked pretty good in the couloir. Although it looked way more intimidating than I remembered. I dug a pit in the slope just below the ridge, and found an extremely stable snowpack with no evidence of the windslab that has been wrecking havoc up high. Feeling confident about the conditions and knowing what to expect, I dropped in and took steep jump turns in stable soft powder.

Lots of snow in the air looking back up the upper couloir.

I continued making soft controlled turns until I came to the crux. The previous time I skied this line was in March of the 600 inch year, and it was clearly obvious that this was not going to be skiiable for myself.

I skied as low as I could and took the skis off, packed them up, and downclimbed to the edge of the cliff band to assess. I had not anticipated this and given that I was solo, was not totally pysched about the added danger, but it looked like it would go with some careful downclimbing. Going down seemed like a better option than going back up. There was some hand cord to the right, but was protected by steep ice and frozen into the wall. The picture doesn't do it justice, but there was about 10 feet of tenuous, steep 4th to low 5th class downclimbing with 30 feet of exposure to skiers right and about 10 feet to the left. I was able to get as low as I felt comfortable climbing, with gloves off pulling/handjamming/crimping on choss, and was able to step left to a soft landing in the snow below the band.

Looking up

Feeling good about having the skis back on, I prepared to enjoy the lower couloir.

Great skiing continued to the lower SE faces, where snow conditions were variable from powder to wind packed.

**coolstine** · 02-01-2011, 12:06 PM

The exit couloir was surprisingly more filled in than the previous time I had skied it, and I could make turns down it, no straight line required!

A few thousand more feet of fun, sunny skiing brought me to the base of Avalanche Canyon, and a great out track brought me back to the car quickly, returning at 1300. While solo ski descents may not be the safest idea, they are sometimes the most rewarding.

**montanaskier** · 02-01-2011, 12:09 PM

FKNA....

**Tye 1on** · 02-01-2011, 12:10 PM

Well played sir. You really have a thing for downclimbing icy 4 and 5 eh?

**twodogs** · 02-01-2011, 12:14 PM

Must get up there soon.

Solo missions can be so damn good.

**Solesides** · 02-01-2011, 12:15 PM

Thanks for sharing..stunning solo mission

**randosteve** · 02-01-2011, 12:21 PM

nice mission bro. that exit couloir is fun and the rock is soooo pink.

**schwerty** · 02-01-2011, 12:38 PM

Damn fine TR!

**DasBlunt** · 02-01-2011, 12:52 PM

ballsy....

**couloirman** · 02-01-2011, 01:08 PM

Sick! Nice descent

**nbt** · 02-01-2011, 01:18 PM

Awesome TR. Right when I was going to abandon TGR for Newschoolers I am reminded of epic trips like this. I can see how the pic does not do justice to being totally exposed on that crux. They never do.

**Imz** · 02-01-2011, 01:23 PM

sweet pics- esp. for a solo mission.

**Trackhead** · 02-01-2011, 01:29 PM

Hossack-McG this year?

**adimmen** · 02-01-2011, 02:00 PM

such an aesthetic line

**tone capone** · 02-01-2011, 02:06 PM

Sweet!!!!!

**_Aaron_** · 02-01-2011, 02:43 PM

Nice! I was hoping something from this trip would pop up on here. Nice work on the downclimb too. Always skechy when you gotta take the skis off.

**chmnyboy** · 02-02-2011, 10:35 AM

Awesome line, and way to tag it solo. I'd hate to see that exit couloir when it's not so "filled in"...

**mi_canuck** · 02-02-2011, 11:59 AM

wow.... amazing pics of an even more amazing line... very nice!

**powdork** · 02-02-2011, 12:55 PM

well played and well portrayed.

**jon turner** · 02-02-2011, 01:13 PM

Nice work.

**wcf3** · 02-02-2011, 01:26 PM

Nicely done! A suggestion for photos when solo: Leave a pack or ski poles or something somewhere in the photo to provide scale and to show how steep things are. Doesn't always work, but I think it would have helped to 'do justice' to the crux.

**andrewjesaitis** · 02-02-2011, 07:46 PM

Very nice!

**upallnight** · 02-03-2011, 12:43 AM

Nice! Unexpected downclimbing is often sketchier than leaving the skis on.

Oh yeah....and I, for one, am glad you managed to "not expose yourself", especially in this TR.

Originally Posted by coolstine

...I decided to ski down the shoulder ridge, avoiding the upper starting zone to check out conditions on the SE couloir and the SE face without exposing myself.