4,000 vert of climbing, 14,000 vert of descent- in 2 days- 28,000 vertical feet

12 May 2007: The Grand Teton’s Stettner, Chevy, Ford Couloirs, Climb and Ski

For the past two years, a group of us lady skiers/climbers have been chatting about trying to ski the Grand Teton.

Finally two weeks ago, Karen Kingsley and I, both from Telluride, found our timing to pull the trip together. Karen, a top-three randonnee circuit racer, and I headed up to Jackson, WY on May 10 to attempt the second female ascent/descent of the Grand Teton, after just discovering a few days prior that the first descent had been done by two Jackson local ladies a fews weeks ago. Also on the list was Mt.Moran’s ultra classic- the Skillet.

Karen and I arrived in Jackson on Friday afternoon and began prepping for our 1 a.m. departure.

A fellow top notch randonnee buddy of Karen’s, Chris Kroger, with whom we were staying, decided to join us at the last minute and so the three of us found ourselves hiking up the trail towards Garnet Canyon at about 2 a.m. on Saturday morning.

With packs heavily loaded with ropes, ice and rock gear, med kit, crampons, skis, boots, clothing, food and lots of water, we felt prepared for our guestimate of a 15 hour day.

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28 March 2007

This winter was a banner year for snow on the Front Range of Colorado.

Needless to say, if there are fresh tracks being placed on the Third Flatiron, the climbing conditions are a little sketchy. Charles and I started to think of warmer climes, and decided to schlep crash pad and gear to Muscat Oman, a small Sultanate in the Middle East.

Fast-forward a week, and I’m standing on top of a boulder we had found a long way from home, and I was elated. There’s something great about doing first ascents, and much as I’d like to deny I feel this way, or cast it as a boy thing, it’s awesome. As good as climbing normally is, finding your own line, cleaning it, and working the sequence is truly special. Lucky for us, we found lots of possibilities.

Traveling throughout the rocky interior, we spent most of our climbing days in isolation, with only the camels, dunes, and rocks to keep us company.

In so many ways we felt not like strangers, but welcomed guests. In Oman we found most people wanting to overcome stereotypes that they knew that we had of Muslim culture, and Charles and I found ourselves doing the same, trying to convince the people we met that we were grateful to experience their customs and hospitality.

We look forward to future adventures and climbs in this mysterious place, there’s plenty still to be had.

Getting there: Oman is a relatively safe destination for travelers. The country is looking to reduce its dependence on oil revenue and is embracing eco-tourism. Anyone interested in pristine hiking, climbing and snorkeling should put this place on the short list. Flights are available daily into the capital Muscat from Europe.

You should go.

22 January 2007

Erik “Deuce” Larson of Telluride Ski Patrol and I headed out our backcountry gate at 9 a.m. to begin the six hour traverse and climb to ski the Wasatch couloir (13,470 feet) to No Name (13,145 feet) and to the final descent off of Ballard Peak (12,800 feet). The Avalanche forecast for the day was moderate overall and we felt comfortable with the conditions that had prefaced the day’s climb.

We climbed up the Hilary Step from the top of Gold Hill on the ski area, and hiked along the ridgeline to where we would begin our ski over to our touring route. We got decent recycled (faceted) powder turns down and over to the face below San Joaquin and then began our traverse over to the gully climb up to Wasatch. The route was slick and it was quite difficult to get an edge. As we crossed the main sketchy slope approaching the climb, we kicked in our steps and gingerly made our way across the terrain.

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