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01-13-2012, 02:25 PM #1
TR: Southwest Couloir, Middle Teton 1/12/12
So after a short CO roadtrip Simb and I returned to Jackson to find a much more stable (but not ideal) snowpack so we decide it was time to try something a little bigger then our recent missions. I had climbed and skied the SW Couloir on the Middle last year in a white out and was itching to get back with better weather. We made plans to meet at 430 the next day. Simb also invited Chance, another Teton skier.
We left the Bradley/Taggart TH at 5am and I almost instantly felt like shit. The quick pace Simb and Chance set didnt help matter so I sucked it up and stayed at the back of the group, dreaming of my bed and other places I'd rather be at 5am. Right from the start of the climb into Garnet we had issues. Chance set a steep skin track that, combined with the cold made Simb's skin glue stop sticking. We quickly fixed it with a ski strap and kept moving. About an hour or so into the climb I finally woke up enough to realize we were not where we wanted to be and we were close, if not right on the summer trail. The sun rose as we made the traverse to the meadows roughly following the summer route.
The Middle Teton
Photo: Simb
As the sun came up and the clouds came in and I began to have flashbacks from my last trip to the SW Couloir
We talked about the clouds breifly and decided to push on to at least to the base of the Ellingwood Couloir for some beta and that if the weather moved in anymore we would just ski The Cave and call it a day.
As we neared the base of the Ellingwood the clouds broke. Stoke levels rose and we skinned the last mile or so to the base of the Southwest Couloir.
We transitioned behind a windlip and some rocks. From this point until the upper reached of the couloir we would contend with high winds and blowing snow that almost made us pull the plug.
Photo: Simb
We climbed up from our slightly protected area
Photo: Simb
Until we reached the upper part of the couloir where we decide to take lunch and ditch skis and snowboards since the top wasnt "in" for skiing but looked like a fun moderate mixed climb to the summit.
Not a bad lunch spot
From our lunch spot the climbing was pretty straight forward to the summit of the Middle Teton.
Simb nears the summit of the Middle Teton
We summited around 2 and took in the views
Photo: Simb
Chance on/near the summit
Photo:Simb
Simb and I on the summit
We made quick work of the downclimb back down to our skis and snowboard then headed out. The snow was windeffected pow with some firmer stuff mixed in.
Chance
Simb
_Aaron_
We were rewarded for our efforts with pow turns on the north facing wall of Garnet Canyon.
Simb
As we reached the headwall of the canyon the sun was setting telling me the skin out would be via headlamp
Id like to thank Chance and Simb for today since without them breaking the majority of the trail I most likely would not have made it. Id also like to say congratulations to Simb on his first (and Im sure not last) Teton Summit!"The idea wasnt for me, that I would be the only one that would ever do this. My idea was that everybody should be doing this. At the time nobody was, but this was something thats too much fun to pass up." -Briggs
More stoke, less shit.
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01-13-2012, 02:39 PM #2
Sweet TR as always buddy, wouldn't have been to half of the cool places I've been to in the tetons so far without you! Onwards, Upwards!
If you're being rad and nobody's around to see it, are you really being rad?
www.simonblide.blogspot.com
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01-13-2012, 02:47 PM #3
Nice TR as usual bud, sitting here and reading this while waiting for the Miss to get off work so we can head up is getting me all antsy 'n shit
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01-13-2012, 02:49 PM #4
sweet...thanks for sharing!
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01-13-2012, 04:22 PM #5
Strong work, gentlemen! Thanks for putting this up, it made me happy.
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01-13-2012, 04:23 PM #6
you guys are killing it- nice work Aaron!
*I can definitely relate to the early morning wishing you were still in bed on a big park mission. The summit always makes it worth it though!
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01-13-2012, 04:31 PM #7Registered User
- Join Date
- Jan 2006
- Posts
- 550
Good work boys.
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01-13-2012, 06:29 PM #8
Jesus, do you ever post any stoke that's not way above par?!
Killer stuff!!!go Go GO!
23-24: 63. 22-23: 56. 21-22: ?. 20-21: 10+?. 19-20: 79. 18-19: 86! 17-18: 80. 16-17: 56. 15-16: 40. 14-15: 33. 13-14: 56ish. 12-13: 51. 11-12: 65. 10-11: 69. 09-10: 65.
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01-13-2012, 09:46 PM #9
Wow...just wow
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01-13-2012, 11:17 PM #10
Such a beautiful view of the grand from there. Good stuff
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01-13-2012, 11:22 PM #11
Two thumbs up! Well above average!
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01-14-2012, 05:32 PM #12"The idea wasnt for me, that I would be the only one that would ever do this. My idea was that everybody should be doing this. At the time nobody was, but this was something thats too much fun to pass up." -Briggs
More stoke, less shit.
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01-14-2012, 07:38 PM #13Registered User
- Join Date
- Feb 2009
- Location
- Denver, kinda
- Posts
- 133
Nicely done guys.
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01-15-2012, 10:14 AM #14my avatar is 2 big 2 fit
- Join Date
- Nov 2003
- Location
- Summit County
- Posts
- 1,129
Great lunch spot! Like that afterglow (post-sunset) view across the valley.
Thnx 4 sharing.
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01-15-2012, 02:15 PM #15
Awesome, man! Way to get after it!
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