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Dudeman
Trad climber
Idaho/Beyond
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Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 7, 2011 - 06:31pm PT
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Every autumn it seems like a siren song from The Tetons beckons me with beauty, challenges and rewards. A last romp through the high peaks before the short days and frigid temps of winter set in for good. Fall is my favorite season in this range without doubt. The weather is more stable than in the summers with rarely an unpredictable thunderstorm. Cold nights and crisp mornings often give way to warm and lazy sunny days.
As the years have sapped my youthful ambition and strength they have in turn granted me a bit of technique and experience. I’ve learned to leave the huge pack and piles of hardware at home and just enjoy the mountains.(Of course after getting the chance to climb with Jim Donini at The City Of Rocks this summer I can hardly use the “age card” for any sympathy. At 68 the man is still quite solid.) Rarely content to travel familiar terrain I usually seek out fresh adventures. With the route list thinning in step with the hair on my head the lot fell to Nez Perce Peak. The Direct South ridge in particular. The Ortenburger/Jackson guide hails it as “the finest available on this peak”. Not being a particularly adept or talented climber I often look for routes that are at a moderate enough grade for me to pull off without scaring myself silly. At Grade 3, 5.7+ this climb seemed like a good choice. Although the “+” kind of gave me pause. Just what does a “+” mean in the Tetons? In my experience routes here can be stout for the grade or what I might refer to as “old school”. So does “5.7+” really mean 5.9? With a grain of salt and a level of caution I made the choice.
Enjoy the trip and photos.
The Southeast Face of Nez Perce Peak with The Grand Teton and Middle Teton on the right and left
Middle Teton, Grand Teton and Nez Perce Peak
Middle Teton and The Southeast Face of Nez Perce Peak showing The Direct South Ridge route
The Southeast Face of Nez Perce Peak showing The Direct South Ridge route
Nez Perce Peak and Middle Teton from Garnet Canyon
hiking up Garnet Canyon to climb Nez Perce Peak
hiking up the cirque below Shadow Peak and Nez Perce Peak
the col on the approach in the cirque below Shadow Peak and Nez Perce Peak
the upper col on the approach in the cirque below Shadow Peak and Nez Perce Peak. This provides the access to the route just beyond.
at the col hiking up the cirque below Shadow Peak and Nez Perce Peak
profile of The Direct South Ridge route which is rated grade 3 at 5,7 on Nez Perce Peak
Below The Direct South Ridge route which is rated grade 3 at 5,7 on Nez Perce Peak
rock climbing The Direct South Ridge
crux section of The Direct South Ridge route
rock climbing The Direct South Ridge
rock climbing The Direct South Ridge
rock climbing The Direct South Ridge
USGS summit marker on Nez Perce Peak
on the summit after rock climbing The Direct South Ridge
Buck Mountain, Jackson Hole and Shadow Peak from Nez Perce Peak looking southeast
Jackson Hole and Shadow Peak from Nez Perce Peak looking east
Middle Teton and South Teton from Nez Perce Peak looking southwest
Middle Teton, Grand Teton, Mount Owen and Teewinot from Nez Perce Peak looking north
Mount Wister and Buck Mountain from Nez Perce Peak looking south
South Teton, Mount Wister and Buck Mountain from Nez Perce Peak looking south
looking back at the Hourglass Couloir descent after climbing The Direct South Ridge on Nez Perce Peak. I botched the descent by not paying good enough attention to the guide book photos. This descent was Way-Rad! Note to self “do not descend the North Face/Hourglass Couloir with one ice axe and tennis style approach shoes". At least I wasn't alone in making this mistake as there were rap slings and gear at many points. I would never even climb up this route. Tons of super loose and Way-Scary teetering bocks.
Trip on Sept 29 2011
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Dude! Man!
I love the last photo!
Did you climb it with another soloer, or do you have a special "sticky camera mount" for the photos you are in?
Do you want to guess at difficulty after doing the route, or just keep it at "alpine 5.7"
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Dudeman
Trad climber
Idaho/Beyond
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 7, 2011 - 06:51pm PT
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Hey Fritz,
Just some creative "mini tripod" use on my part. Pausing for all these photos gives my ageing body time to recover enough to keep on climbing upward. As for the "5.7+" grade? I would say like you suggest, it's "alpine 5.7".
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Jennie
Trad climber
Elk Creek, Idaho
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You've given us some excellent late season tours in the Tetons, Dudeman...and this on one of the range's most enjoyable rock climbs.
Glad you got down before the big snowstorm...five inches in the Idaho valleys.
Thank you, your photos and story are always exceptional.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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I thought this was gonna be about dropping 3 hits of White Blotter in the Tetons.
Cool stuff! I've been up Paintbrush Divide and came down along Middle Teton. We were deprived of Hurricane Pass do to 'menstrual problems' of my partner's wife.
Nice area fo' sho'! Better than Jellystone Park. We spent 2 days at Jellystone and 9 days on the ridge. Maybe I'll post some pics later.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hey there say, Dudeman.... i really love this area, every time i see pics of it... being that i never been there, :))
but i DID pass through some of the Teton area, once, by driving, when i moved out this a'way....
thanks for the wonderful share...
*will be back to see the neats pics, later, when i have the time to stay on line for the download... otherwise, i'd make more comments on the wonderful pics... (as they MUST be, since the first one IS)...
:)
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Ezra Ellis
Trad climber
WA, & NC & Idaho
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Awesome photos, thanks so much, I love that range...:)
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Nice....
Beautiful way to capture the lighting on the peaks. Great definition of the features.
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Kalimon
Trad climber
Ridgway, CO
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Nice job Dudeman.
Are those your IC tape gloves?
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jogill
climber
Colorado
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Boy! Brought back some great memories of soloing in the Tetons many years ago. Wonderful photos of a marvelous area! Thanks
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exister
Trad climber
Austin, TX
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Big fun! I gotta head out there with you again soon!
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
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Aaahhhhh... Tetons.
How come I don't live in Jackson?
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Dudeman
Trad climber
Idaho/Beyond
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 9, 2011 - 04:04pm PT
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Thanks everybody for all the kind words. The Tetons are always a fantastic place!
Jennie, we got like 6" of snow in the mountians over here in south-central Idaho also. It's that time of year.
Bluering, The Tetons "buzz" always seems to out perform a chemical "buzz".
Kalimon, yeah those are my IC gloves. I just tend to wear them everywhere.
Thanks agian!
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Dudeman: I want to compliment you on your scenic photos of the Tetons.
Classic images------- as always.
Thanks for taking the time to compose and post-up this report.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Oct 10, 2011 - 04:07pm PT
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Awsome!
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Nohea
Trad climber
Living Outside the Statist Quo
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Oct 10, 2011 - 05:51pm PT
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Dood! Man that looks like a great time out. The Tetons Rock!
Aloha,
wil
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Great Story! So sorry to hear of Mark Weber's aka Dudeman death today. It makes me sad to see that we lost him, when he was still so young.
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Norwegian
Trad climber
dancin on the tip of god's middle finger
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big birds flying across the sky
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