{"id":116,"date":"2012-04-14T20:08:52","date_gmt":"2012-04-15T02:08:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/larsonweb.com\/blog\/?p=116"},"modified":"2022-12-23T22:55:19","modified_gmt":"2022-12-23T22:55:19","slug":"teton-crest-ski-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/larsonweb.com\/blog\/teton-crest-ski-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"Teton Crest Ski Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

April 9-12<\/p>\n

I just returned from a four day trip skiing along the Teton Crest trail. \u00a0We started the trip at Teton Pass at the base of Mount Glory, and 4 days later, came out Cascade Canyon. \u00a0It was one of the best ski trips I’ve ever been on. \u00a0Scenery was fantastic and we had perfect weather for the trip.<\/p>\n

This was my fourth attempt on this route. \u00a0The first attempt, we never even got to the Tetons, as I rolled my car on I-80 in southern Wyoming in a storm. \u00a0The second attempt, my partner broke his ski binding 2 hours into the trip. \u00a0The third attempt, I ripped my ski binding out of my ski at the end of the first day.<\/p>\n

After trying to get it done so many times, it was great to finally get to ski the whole route. \u00a0We had a great time. \u00a0After we left Mount Glory, we didn’t see anyone else the whole time. It ranks as one of my favorite backcountry experiences.<\/p>\n

What follows is a brief summary of the route, along with some (hopefully) helpful information for anyone else who is interested in skiing this amazing route.<\/p>\n

Right Click and “save link” to download a Google Earth Track of our trip.<\/a><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the road to Jenny Lake doesn’t open until May 1st, so you have to park at Taggart Lake. \u00a0This means that at the end of the trip you’ve got to hike from Jenny Lake to Taggart Lake. \u00a0Because we would be leaving our car at the Taggart Lake parking lot for 4 days, we stopped in at the Park Visitor’s Center (open at 9:00) to let them know we would be leaving the car in the Taggart parking lot for 4 days.<\/p>\n

A note on regulations: \u00a0If you are going to sleep inside the Park boundaries, you need to get a backcountry permit from the Park, available at the Visitor’s Center. \u00a0 \u00a0We didn’t \u00a0plan on sleeping inside the Park, so we didn’t bother with a permit. \u00a0If you do get a permit, you may also be required to get a bear canister. \u00a0However, if you are going to sleep above 10,000 feet, a bear canister is not required. \u00a0It’s easy to find campsites outside of the park boundaries and\/or above 10,000 feet, so I would recommend not carrying a bear canister. \u00a0No bear in its right might is going to be messing around in deep snow at high elevation, so it’s not worth carrying the extra weight.<\/p>\n

We dropped our car at the Taggart Lake parking lot, and used a taxi to take us to Teton Pass, where the trip starts. \u00a0For the shuttle, we used Drop Horn Taxi<\/a>. \u00a0They were great. \u00a0He arrived early, and charged us $85 to take the five of us from Taggart Lake parking lot to \u00a0Teton Pass.<\/p>\n

From Teton Pass, it was a long grind up to the top of Mount Glory. \u00a0The snow was crusty and the angle steep, so we booted up a well-worn boot track instead of skinning.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
At the top of Mount Glory<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From the top of Mount Glory, we were treated to beautiful views. \u00a0After a brief rest, we took off, following the ridge crest curving around to the left. \u00a0The route generally follows the wilderness boundary north. \u00a0Generally, the easiest route stays just a bit back from the edge of the ridge. \u00a0Eventually, we dropped down off of the ridge for a long, open run to Phillips Pass. \u00a0We saw some snowmobile tracks here, but no snowmobiles. \u00a0The drop down to Phillips Pass was our first chance for some actual downhill skiing, and we enjoyed some turns in mashed-potato snow.<\/p>\n

At Phillips Pass, we contoured down into the Moose Creek drainage. \u00a0We traded altitude for distance, slowly dropping down as we picked our way through trees, cliffs and gullies as we headed north up the drainage. \u00a0 Eventually, we dropped all the way down to the East bank of \u00a0Moose Creek, and skinned our way up the gently sloping, open track.<\/p>\n

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Skinning North along Moose Creek<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We’d already had a pretty long day, as we had left Salt Lake at 2:00 a.m. to get to Jackson that morning. \u00a0We were all pretty tired, so we decided to make camp at the top of the Moose Creek drainage. \u00a0 We found a nice spot with easy access to the creek for water. \u00a0We spent a pleasant night. \u00a0It was calm, beautiful, and not too cold.<\/p>\n

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1st Night’s Camp in the Moose Creek Drainage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Next morning began with a steep climb up and over the pass into Granite basin. \u00a0After getting up over the ridge, we more of less followed the summer trail along the gentle Middle Fork of Granite Basin, then into the steeper North Fork. \u00a0At the North Fork, part of our party\u00a0dropped down North East into the drainage, while two of us contoured West up to the head of the drainage, which connected with two benches on the North side of the drainage, passing the frozen Marion Lake along the way. \u00a0We joined up just above Marion lake.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Looking down into the North Fork of Granite Creek from the North Bench<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We stopped for lunch on a ridge line just before the drop down into the wide open plateau, with Spearhead Peak to the North East, and the Grand Teton looming to the North. \u00a0This broad expanse seemed more like a huge glacier in Alaska than something in the Western wilderness. \u00a0The vistas were simply breathtaking in every direction. \u00a0We kept heading North, passing below Spearhead peak, moving slowly closer to the Grand Teton, which loomed to the North.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Skinning up to Fox Creek Pass<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Approaching Death Canyon Shelf<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
At the beginging of the Death Canyon Shelf, Spearhead Peak in the background<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We finally pulled up onto the Death Canyon Shelf, and followed it for a while. \u00a0It was getting late in the day, so we decided to look for a camp site. \u00a0We found a beautiful sheltered spot on the Death Canyon Shelf. \u00a0We were treated to gorgeous evening light on the Grand Teton as the sun set.<\/p>\n

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Camp on the Death Canyon Shelf<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The next day was probably the most difficult on the trip, primarily because of some route finding choices. \u00a0(Note that I’m not admitting that we got lost, just saying that we may have chosen a path that was not the easiest.) \u00a0At first, it was pretty straight forward, as we just followed the Death Canyon Shelf along to Mount Meek pass. \u00a0 At this point, however, we were lured East by some skier tracks from a party that had passed this way some time earlier. \u00a0 So, when we got to the ridge above Alaska Basin, we were too far East to see the\u00a0Sheep\u00a0Steps which lead down into Alaska Basin. \u00a0To the West of us, where the Sheep Steps should be, all we could see was a long line of cliffs, with no apparent way down.<\/p>\n

The ski tracks that we had followed went East, off of a steep face dropping down toward Death Canyon, then contoured North under Buck Mountain toward Veiled Peak. \u00a0We decided to follow the tracks and cross Alaska Basin on benches along the Basin’s North side. \u00a0Dropping down off of the plateau was more exciting than I would have liked, as it involved skiing down a rather steep face with cliff bands below. \u00a0A fall here would have very unpleasant consequences. \u00a0I locked out the release on my bindings, and carefully skied down the face, following my friends’ tracks.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Dropping down into Alaska Basin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We contoured North East, then North West, following a high bench on the North side of Alaska Basin. \u00a0Eventually, we got to a point where we could see the South side of the basin clearly, and we saw the obvious weakness in the cliff bands that was the Sheep Steps, West of where we had been. \u00a0We then realized that if we’d just kept going West along the ridgeline, we’d have been able to drop down into the basin relatively easily rather than skiing the steep cliffy band we’d negotiated.<\/p>\n

The climb up to Hurricane Pass was a long slog with some steep climbing to get up out of Alaska Basin. \u00a0We had a bit of urgency because our calm blue skies had been displaced with clouds and wind. \u00a0As we approached the pass, the sky was darkening, and we were keen to get over the pass and down into Cascade Canyon before the storm hit us.<\/p>\n

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Approaching Hurricane Pass<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When we reached Hurricane Pass, the wind was blowing strong, giving us an incentive to get down off of the pass as quickly as possible. \u00a0 However, the slope on the North side of the pass was pretty steep. \u00a0I didn’t measure it, but it felt like 50 degrees. \u00a0My friends disappeared over the edge one by one, and finally it was me (the worst skier of the group) who was left to descend the slope. \u00a0It took me a while to get up the courage to commit to the slope, but ultimately, when I finally decided to just ski it, it all went well.<\/p>\n

With the weather changing for the worse, we made camp just below the pass. \u00a0We spent more \u00a0than usual care pitching the tents and making sure our camp was secure, as the winds were already rising. \u00a0That night, the winds blew heavily. \u00a0It started raining, then the rain turned to snow. \u00a0Between winds that were shaking our tent walls, and heavy snow that \u00a0kept collapsing the tent edges in on us, nobody got much sleep. \u00a0 We woke up to a bit of a blizzard, with limited visibility and high winds. \u00a0We didn’t bother with breakfast. \u00a0We just threw our stuff in our packs and started skiing down the canyon.<\/p>\n

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Morning at Camp 3, Below Hurricane Pass<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The skiing was fantastic. \u00a0Up until this point, we hadn’t really enjoyed any great skiing, but with 5 or 6 inches of fresh snow, the descent down the South Fork of Cascade Canyon was a lot of fun, with everyone swooping down the slopes, yelling with delight. \u00a0We alternated between skiing down the stream bed and staying just to the left of it. \u00a0Eventually, as we dropped down further, the stream bed became narrower, and we stayed left and higher up in the trees. \u00a0We must have been following the summer trail, because when we finally reached the junction with the main branch of Cascade Canyon, we ran right into the bridge across the creek.<\/p>\n

In contrast to our quick ski descent down the steeper South Fork, the main Cascade Canyon was a gently sloped, slow slog out. \u00a0It took us longer than anyone thought it would to finally reach Jenny Lake at the mouth of Cascade Canyon. \u00a0Luckily, there was some pretty scenery for us to marvel at on the way out, including trees laden with fresh snow and Spanish moss.<\/p>\n

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Descending Cascade Canyon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By this point, I was pretty tired. \u00a0I’d skipped breakfast because of the nasty weather, and had only eaten an energy bar all day long. \u00a0The slow slog around Jenny Lake seemed to just go on and on without end. \u00a0When we finally reached the end of the skiing and got to the road, I was exhausted. \u00a0Because my feet were hurting, I took off my boots and made the hike from Jenny Lake to Taggert Lake in my socks. \u00a0It wasn’t ideal, but it felt so good to get my boots off of my blistered feet.<\/p>\n

It felt amazing to finally see the parking lot with our car there. \u00a0 We celebrated our trip with a dinner at Wendy’s and then drove home.<\/p>\n

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Celebration Dinner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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After 4 days in my boots, I ended up with 13 blisters on my feet, including this one.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This trip was one of the best in my life. \u00a0It was a perfect combination of challenge, good friends, good conditions, and amazing scenery.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here is a list of the gear I took on the trip. \u00a0 At the beginning of the trip, my pack weighed 28 pounds, including 2.5 liters of water.<\/p>\n

Teton Crest Ski Tour Gear<\/strong><\/span>
\nClothing<\/strong>
\nMammut All-Year base layer top
\nCraft boxer briefs with wind panel
\nREI Activestretch running pants
\nBlack Diamond A\/T gaiters
\nMarmot Pre-cip full zip pants
\nMountain Hardwear Quasar pullover
\nMountain Hardwear hooded Compressor jacket
\nLoki pile hat
\nBuff headband
\nOutdoor Research Sun Runner cap
\n2 pair Dahlgren ski socks
\nDynafit \u201cTLT-5P\u201d boots
\nRab phantom grip gloves
\nOutdoor Research Supercouloir gloves<\/p>\n

Personal Gear<\/strong>
\nKelty Cloud 60 liter backpack
\nAdidas Terrex Pro sunglasses
\nMSR Hydromedary 2.5 liter water bag
\nMammut Lucido TX1 headlamp 4.9
\nSuunto Vector altimeter watch 2
\nSunscreen in 1 oz squeeze bottle
\nCasio Commando Android cell phone
\n4 paper towels .7
\nHand sanitizer (1\/2 ounce)
\nToothbrush\/paste 1.6
\nLighter
\nOlympus PEN E-P2 camera with 12mm, 20mm, 45mm in Mountainsmith Zoom-S case
\nExtra camera batteries, lens wipes<\/p>\n

Ski Gear<\/strong>
\nLife Link probe ski poles with powder baskets and self arrest grips
\nDPS Wailer 99 skis (184cm) with Plum Guide bindings
\nPowder cords
\nMammut Barryvox Avalanche beacon with new batteries
\nOrtovox Grizzly Folding shovel 21.4
\nG3 Ski skins
\nVelcro ski straps for securing skis to pack .8<\/p>\n

Personal Camping Gear<\/strong>
\nEvernew Titanium cup
\nTitanium Spoon .3
\nNeoAir All Season sleeping pad
\nMontbell inflatable pillow
\nMarmot Helium 15degree sleeping bag with Granite Gear cuben fiber stuffsack
\n2 Person Group Gear:<\/strong>
\nSylnylon pyramid tent with Black Diamond pole adaptor
\nMSR Reactor stove
\nSnowpeak titanium bowl
\n3 Fuel canisters (Should have only brought 2 of these)
\nGroup Gear:<\/strong>
\n1st aid kit with firestarter, duct tape,
\nLighters
\nMap
\nCompass
\nPurple wax, cork, and scraper
\nSkin Wax
\ninclinometer
\nEpoxy, steel wool
\nBrooks Range Multi Tool
\nDelorme inReach<\/p>\n

Breakfasts<\/strong>
\n9 oatmeal<\/p>\n

Lunches<\/strong>
\n6 energy gels
\n6 energy bars
\n3 packages of pepperoni
\nBaby Ruth candy bars
\nCashews<\/p>\n

Dinner<\/strong>
\n3 freeze dried dinners
\n6 hot drink mixes<\/p>\n

1 gallon ziplock bag (for trash)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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April 9-12 I just returned from a four day trip skiing along the Teton Crest trail. \u00a0We started the trip at Teton Pass at the base of Mount Glory, and 4 days later, came out Cascade Canyon. \u00a0It was one of the best ski trips I’ve ever been on. \u00a0Scenery was fantastic and we had […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,59],"tags":[63,22,64,207,61,60,65,62],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/larsonweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/larsonweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/larsonweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/larsonweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/larsonweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"http:\/\/larsonweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2088,"href":"http:\/\/larsonweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116\/revisions\/2088"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/larsonweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/larsonweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/larsonweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/larsonweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}