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Martin on Teewinot summit, with the N Face of the Grand Teton and Mt Owen in the background. One down, another eleven to go. - DSC01377.JPG
On the traverse from Teewinot to Mt Owen, somewhere between Peak 11,840’and the East Prong. - DSC01409.JPG
Scary 4th class down-climbing on the W side of Mt Owen, en route to Gunsight Notch. There are a couple of different ways to do this section, all involving steep, loose, exposed climbing and a few rappels. Last time we took a different line. I’m not sure that the way we did it this time was any better. - DSC01410.JPG
Traversing across exposed ledges on the W side of Mt Owen, en route to Gunsight Notch. - DSC01411.JPG
Willem rappelling down into Gunsight Notch. The climb up the other side onto the Grandstand was the toughest part of the traverse. It was gloomy, chilly and windy down in the notch, we’d already been on the move for 14 hours, and now we had to climb a couple of 5.7/5.8 pitches with heavy packs, cold hands and sore feet. - DSC01417.JPG
Our first night’s bivy site on the E side of the Grandstand, below the N Ridge of the Grand Teton. We weren’t sure what to expect here, as Kevin and I had bivvied further back on Mt Owen last time we tried the traverse. We were pleasantly surprised to discover some nice grassy ledges, sheltered from the wind, with a trickle of running water from snowmelt. - DSC01432.JPG
Kevin and Martin at the top of the Grandstand, with Mt Owen in the background. - DSC01442.JPG
Kevin at the top of the first Italian Cracks pitch on the N Ridge of the Grand Teton, with the Teton Glacier far below. - DSC01454.JPG
George on the summit of the Grand Teton. - DSC01457.JPG
Down-climbing into a notch on the N Ridge of the Middle Teton, with the Grand Teton behind us. The N Ridge is mostly a scramble with a short 5.6 section. - DSC01462.JPG
George, Charles and Willem on the Middle Teton summit. - DSC01494.JPG
Hiking down the Garnet Canyon trail. Only 3,000’ to descend between here and the beers waiting for us down at the Climbers Ranch. - DSC02109.jpg
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Aerial view of Mt. Athabasca (3,491m/11,453’) as seen from the flight to the Clemenceau Icefield. - IMG_2502.jpg
Me climbing up Tusk’s south ridge. It was mostly easy scrambling on loose rock with occasional detours onto the snow, with a few 5th-class moves where the ridge steepens. - IMG_2521.jpg
Mike at the summit of Tusk Peak, with Mt. Clemenceau in the background. It was barely than 24 hours since I’d left the office in Denver. - IMG_2551.jpg
The view from our tent on Tusk Glacier. I’d brought a “bear vault” to keep our food safe from marauding wildlife, but up here we didn’t see another living thing, not even an insect. - IMG_2581.jpg
Me leading up to Clemenceau’s west ridge. The weather had been very warm and the snow bridges were in poor condition – one of my legs punched through when crossing the bergschrund. - IMG_2659.jpg
On the way down we were able to avoid some of the snow-bridges on the Tiger Glacier by downclimbing the loose rock of Clemenceau’s west ridge. Eventually the ridge became too steep to downclimb easily, so we regained the Tiger Glacier and our ascent route. There was a lot of tedious zig-zagging back and forth to get around the crevasses. - IMG_2730.jpg
Once again it was a warm day and by early afternoon the snow-bridges had become very soft. This is a hidden crevasse that I plunged into with both feet, having done the very same thing just a few minutes earlier. - IMG_5989.JPG
Higher up on the E slopes of Teewinot. It’s hiking until half-way up, then mostly 3rd class scrambling. - IMG_6076.JPG
Descending the SW couloir of the Middle Teton, with Icefloe Lake down below. - IMG_6133.jpg
Looking E from the S Teton. It’s a bit confusing but from nearest to furthest the peaks are the Ice Cream Cone, Gilkey , Spalding, Cloudveil Dome and Nez Perce. - IMG_6145.JPG
Charles, George, Martin and Willem on the Ice Cream Cone summit. - IMG_6174.JPG
Scrambling up to Spalding summit. We got a bit lost between Ice Cream Cone and Spalding, traversing too low across rubble-strewn ledges on the S side of Gilkey, then having to back-track from the Gilkey/Spalding col to summit Gilkey before continuing on to Spalding. - IMG_6175.JPG
Martin and Charles on Spalding summit. - IMG_6839.jpg
Mike and me at the Cline River Heliport, AB, about 40km east of Saskatchewan Crossing on the Thompson Highway. Mike wastes no time on these trips – he picked me up at Edmonton airport at 6pm the previous evening and we drove straight to the heliport, where we slept on the ground for a few hours before getting up at dawn to be ready for a 7am helicopter ride. - IMG_6863.jpg
Aerial view of Mt. Alberta (3,619m/11,873’), the “hardest, loosest and scariest of all the 11,000ers” (according to Bill Corbett’s guidebook), and still on Mike’s to-do list. - IMG_6872.jpg
Aerial view of Mt. Clemenceau (3,658/12,001’). It’s not clear how the surveyors back in the 1920s arrived at that exact height. - IMG_6877.jpg
Our landing spot at 7,400’ on the Tusk Glacier between Mt. Clemenceau (in the background) and Tusk. This small, level patch of gravel was the only such spot for miles around – anywhere else and we’d have been camping on bare ice or slush. - IMG_6885.jpg
It was only 8:30am when we landed, so we decided to make the most of the day and head up Tusk Peak. Here’s Mike on the bare lower glacier. - IMG_6889.jpg
Mike climbing up a short, steep snow gully that leads to Tusk’s south ridge. - IMG_6896.jpg
Our next objective was Mt. Clemenceau. We rose at 3:30am and by sunrise we were high up on the Tiger Glacier on Clemenceau’s west face. Here’s Mike with Tusk Peak behind him. The guidebook describes this as a “routine glacier ascent”, but it’s become quite challenging in recent years due to glacial recession, and some parties have been unable to find a way around the crevasses. - IMG_6899.jpg
Mike at the summit of Clemenceau. The summit ridge is heavily corniced and there’s a steep drop down the other side. Neither of us was interested in spending too much time up here. - IMG_6903.jpg
Mike descending the summit ridge on Clemenceau. We were careful to keep a healthy distance from the edge of the ridge. - IMG_6913.jpg
Mike back on the Tusk Glacier on the way back to camp. In the backgound is Tusk Peak; our climb has taken up us the glacier in the middle and back left up the skyline ridge. - IMG_6915.jpg
Mike rehydrating back at camp on the Tusk Glacier after almost 14 hours of climbing. - IMG_6924.jpg
I felt badly in need of a rest day, but the forecast was for one more day of good weather before conditions deteriorated, so we decided to set out for the long hike across the Clemenceau glacier to the base of Tsar Mountain. Mike thought we could accomplish this in one day – I later learnt that most other parties spread this out over two or even three days. Here’s Mike crossing the Duplicate Glacier, with Mt. Shackleton in the distance. - IMG_6930.jpg
Mike on the Clemenceau Glacier, with Tusk Peak and Mt. Clemenceau behind him. Crossing this glacier is a monotonous business – it’s an enormous flat expanse that goes on for miles and miles, and there’s almost nothing to gauge one’s progress. - IMG_6935.jpg
By later afternoon was had it down the Shackleton Glacier on the far side of the icefield. Unfortunately, just a few minutes after regaining easy ground at the toe of the glacier, Mike slipped on a wet rock and twisted his ankle. He tried to hobble on, but it was soon apparent that he wasn’t in any shape to do any more climbing, and when we came across this flat expanse of gravel we set up camp. Here’s Mike calling the helicopter company on satellite phone the following morning to let them know we needed a ride out of here. - IMG_6939.jpg
This is me a short distance from our camp. In the background is the toe of the Tsar Glacier and the north ridge of Tsar Mountain, the peak we’d hoped to climb. By now the weather was starting to deteriorate. - IMG_6943.jpg
The helicopter coming in to collect us, and a premature end to our trip. Mike’s enthusiasm for climbing the 11,000ers hasn’t diminished, however, and I’m sure I’ll be back here for another attempt on Tsar in a year or two. - IMG_7634.jpg
Kurt and me at the Ranger Station in Lone Pine, CA. There’s an elaborate permit system for climbing Mt. Whitney, but the rangers were oddly uninformed about conditions on the mountain. - IMG_7642.jpg
Kurt at Whitney Portal, the starting point for the approach to Whitney. The summit of Whitney is almost 11,000’ above Lone Pine, but fortunately one gains almost half that altitude in the drive from Lone Pine up to Whitney Portal. - IMG_7647.jpg
Kurt hiking up the Ebersbacher Ledges – probably the route-finding crux of the ascent. - IMG_7657.jpg
Kurt at Upper Boy Scout Lake. - IMG_7662.jpg
Kurt at our camp beside Iceberg Lake, just beneath the East face of Whitney. Luckily there was some dry ground here. Most of the trail beyond Upper Boy Scout Lake was still under several feet of heavy, wet, snow, which made for arduous going in the afternoon sun. The right-hand spire in the background is Keeler Needle. - IMG_7666.jpg
Looking across from our camp at Iceberg Lake to Mt. Russell. - IMG_7709.jpg
The East face of Whitney at dawn. The East Buttress climb goes up the right-hand skyline, and the descent (the Mountaineers’ Route) goes down a gully to the right of that. - IMG_7715.jpg
Kurt hiking up the slopes above camp on the approach to the East Buttress. - IMG_7724.jpg
Kurt on the East Buttress. - IMG_7727.jpg
Another view of Kurt on the East Buttress. - IMG_7730.jpg
Kurt and Martin at the summit. Whitney is notorious for having a crowded summit, but it was completely deserted when we arrived – perhaps the snow on the trails kept everyone at home. - IMG_7736.jpg
Just to prove we were really there – the official summit plaque. - IMG_7748.jpg
Another look back at Whitney as we were hiking out. - IMG_7761.jpg
Kurt on the hike down. - IMG_7775.jpg
Martin at Lower Boy Scout Lake, the last of the snow now thankfully behind us. - IMG_7785.jpg
Kurt back at Whitney Portal. - IMG_7789.jpg
Martin back at Whitney Portal, ready for the long drive back to Denver. - IMG_7805.jpg
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Panoramic view from the summit of Mt. Jackson - P1000945.JPG
At the American Alpine Club Climbers’ Ranch the evening before the climb. From L to R: George, Charles (displaying his inimitable organizational style), Willem and Kevin. - P1000958.JPG
Slogging up the E slopes of Teewinot. Only 5,600’ from the valley floor to the summit. - P1000963.JPG
The Grand Teton and the peaks of the southern part of the traverse, as seen from Teewinot. - P1000965.JPG
Descending from the East Prong to the Koven Col, en route to Mt. Owen. - P1000966.JPG
Looking back at the East Prong and the Koven Col. A rappel allowed us to avoid down-climbing the steep snow. - P1000974.JPG
Scrambling up the E side of Mt Owen from the Koven Col . - P1000976.JPG
Charles just below the summit of Mt Owen, with the N Face of the Grand Teton and the Enclosure in the background. - P1000981.JPG
Kevin on the summit of Mt Owen, with Teewinot in the background and Jenny Lake far below. - P1000987.JPG
Looking back at the S shoulder of Mt Owen from our bivy site on the Grandstand - P1000988.JPG
Sunrise from our bivy site on the Grandstand. We didn’t have as far to go as the previous day and we had the luxury of lying in our sleeping bags until the sun warmed us up. - P1000994.JPG
From our bivy site it was an easy scramble to the top of the Grandstand and the base of the N Ridge of the Grand Teton. - P1000999.JPG
Willem and George starting up the Italian Cracks (5.7) on the N Ridge of the Grand Teton. (No idea why they’re called the Italian Cracks, they were climbed by a pair of Americans). This was much more pleasant than the previous day’s climb out of Gunsight Notch; it was sunny and warm, and we’d all had a decent night’s rest. - P1010005.jpg
Traversing across the Second Ledge to the W side of the Grand Teton. From here we took the Owen-Spalding route to the summit (a couple of 5.4 moves, then 3rd class scrambling). - P1010008.JPG
Kevin, Willem and Charles on the summit of the Grand Teton, looking down at the rest of the traverse. - P1010014.JPG
Rapelling down from the Grand Teton to the Upper Saddle. This is the standard descent for the Owen-Spalding route and the rappels can be quite crowded, but luckily we didn’t have to wait long. - P1010015.JPG
Looking across from the Upper Saddle to the N Ridge of the Middle Teton, our next objective. - P1010018.JPG
Taking a break for tea at the Lower Saddle before starting up the Middle Teton. We weren’t in too much of a hurry that day. - P1010020.JPG
George and Willem on the Middle Teton summit. - P1010021.JPG
Next day’s objectives as seen from the descent of the Middle Teton. From R to L: South Teton, Ice Cream Cone, Gilkey Tower and Spalding Peak. Cloudveil Dome is just out of sight on the L. We bivied on the broad saddle between the Middle and S Tetons. - P1010024.JPG
Martin at our bivy site below the Middle Teton. Another luxury bivy with running water not too far away. - P1010028.JPG
Fore! Charles teeing off from the summit of the S Teton. - P1010032.JPG
Kevin on the S Teton summit, with the Middle and Grand Tetons behind him. - P1010036.JPG
Charles climbing a 5.7 pitch up the W side of the Ice Cream Cone. After he did the hardest section we noticed an easier traverse ledge coming in from the right. The rock at the top of this pitch was pretty `rank`. - P1010044.JPG
George on the descent of Spalding’s E ridge. Supposedly it’s a 3rd class descent, but lower down we found ourselves on distinctly 4th class terrain with scary exposure. From the base of Spalding it was a 3rd class scramble across to Cloudveil Done, then more 4th class down-climbing and a rappel down to the connecting ridge between Cloudveil and Nez Perce. - P1010084.JPG
All done! Martin, Kevin, Charles and Willem on Nez Perce summit. We had to hunt around a bit before finding the route up here. It turned out to be a fairly well-marked track, mostly 3rd class with one short 4th class section. - P1010091.JPG
Showered and clean (some of us, anyway) and happy to be back at the Climbers Ranch. From L to R: Martin, Charles, Kevin, Willem and George. - P1010093.JPG
The view from the Climbers Ranch the next morning. - P1010095.JPG
George and Kevin posing for a final photo before we headed back to Colorado. From L to R: Nez Perce, Middle Teton, Grand Teton, Owen and Teewinot. - P1010097.jpg
The Teton Range from Jackson Hole (elevation 6,700’). In order of the traverse the peaks are (1) Teewinot 12,325’ (2) Unnamed 11,840’ (3) East Prong 12,000’ (4) Mount Owen 12,928’ (5) Grand Teton 13,770’ (6) Middle Teton 12,804’ (7) South Teton 12,514’ (8) Ice Cream Cone 12,400’ (9) Gilkey Tower 12,320’ (10) Spalding Peak 12,240’ (11) Cloudveil Dome 12,026’ (12) Nez Perce 11,901’. - P1010102.JPG
Martin and all the peaks of the Traverse. - P7050956.jpg
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Martin leading one of the 5.7 sections on the East Buttress. - Picture_106.jpg
Martin leading past the “Pee-Wee Buttress”. - Tusk_Panorama.jpg
Panoramic view of Mt. Shackleton and surrounding peaks from Tusk’s south ridge. The air was hazy throughout our trip because of forest fires in BC. - Whitney_1.jpg
By the time we got back to camp it was late afternoon and we’d had enough hiking through deep, soft snow, so we decided to spend another night at camp and hike out in the early morning when the snow was frozen. Here’s sunrise on Whitney as we were leaving.