WYOMING WHISKEY: Owen-Spalding Route

The Grand Teton Climb

The Middle Teton above the Meadows in Garnet Canyon.

Climbers' Trail from Lupine Meadows

Garnet Canyon

View above the Caves Camping Zone

The switchbacks run through the talus toward Disappointment Peak. This is the North Fork of Garnet Canyon just above Spalding Falls / Caves.

Looking back toward the Meadows.

Grand Teton's East Face

Lower Saddle looms over the Morainal Camping Zone.

The Fixed Rope at the Lower Saddle's Headwall

Looking back at the Moraines

Battleship Mtn - SW of Dartmouth Basin

Click to enlarge. Not all variations are shown.

Variations around the Needle

The Needle's Chockstone Chimney on far right.

The Mini Black Dike points east toward the Upper Crossover to Wall St. Scramble up the dike and turn south (rt) near the headwall to reach the Briggs Slab.

Approach to the Briggs Slab and the Cracks of Doom.

The Briggs Slab with the Chockstone Chimney & the Eye of the Needle in background.

Battleship Mtn, again

Basin to the west of the Middle Teton.

Central Rib's Bench

Central Ribs Bench - left. Drainage on far right (Owen-Spalding Couloir). Eye of the Needle at top-middle of image.

Looking back down the Central Rib & bench from near the access to the Black Rock Chimney

Access to the Central Rib's Black Rock Chimney is by a smooth vertical slab

Central Rib's Black Rock Chimney

Looking back at the upper exit area from the CR's BRC. The drainage to the left runs down to the Wall Street Couloir

Wall Street (UXM route) as seen after exiting the BRC

Ben soloing the UXM's Wall Street

Another view past Dartmouth Basin and just west of the Middle Teton.

The Owen-Spalding Climbing Route above the Upper Saddle

The two common ways to access the upper eastern side of the Upper Saddle. A third way is between these two. The common variations are exposed.

The Belly Roll

Coming off the Belly Roll

The Belly Roll

Entering the Crawl

Access to the Double Chimney

Andrew is just below the 1st Entrance to the Double Chimney and trying to get to the 2nd Entrance. He was planning to climb the Great West Chimney but conditions took them up the Owen-Spalding. We climbed up the 1st Entrance due to poor conditions and no crampons or axe.

View from the Crawl toward the DC access

Even with ice tools, this is a sketchy area with these conditions. It's not extreme winter conditions but it's slick and the footholds are small if you can find them under the snow. The friction of the steel on the rock helps to keep you on the rock if you have the proper body position.

Entering the 2nd Entrance of the Double Chimney.

Taking the tunnel variation mid-Double Chimney. We took the Open-V directly above.

Exiting the Double Chimney

We had to clean a few holds with our custom ice axe (a phillips screw driver).

The bottom of the Owen Chimney

Middle of the Owen Chimney.

Owen-Chimney Bypass Crack

Looking back at the bottom of the Owen Chimney from the 1st opening in the chimney which was used to access the Catwalk. We used it to access the bypass crack.

Accessing the Catwalk: you go around a tight corner to your south.

Coming around the corner to gain the Catwalk

The Catwalk

Looking back north at the Catwalk

Another look at a climber in the Owen Chimney

Accessing the Catwalk - climber is descending around a corner.

Andrew belaying by the Main Rappel Overlook. His partners are on the Catwalk.

The scramble off the Catwalk. With poor conditions, it's more climbing than scrambling.

Belaying climbers coming off the Catwalk

View toward Sargent's Chimney from the Main Rap area.

Main Rap

Belaying climbers coming off the Catwalk.

The Main Rap Overlook is behind them. The Main Rap is to the left (south) in this photo.

Looking down the north wall at the bottom of Sargent's which lines up with the top of the Owen Chimney.

Cascade Canyon, etc

Middle of Sargent's Chimney

Zoomed view back toward climbers who just got off the Catwalk and are by the Main Rap Overlook

Sargent's Rap in the main chimney

Sargent's Chimney. The Hidden Exit variation is about 20' to the north.

Hidden Exit from Sargent's

This is the alternate exit just to the north of the main chimney.

Looking down from the top of the Hidden Exit at a climber mid-way through it.

Hidden Exit

Coming out of the Hidden Exit.

The climber in the background is zig-zagging around some rock features on her way to the summit. It's a straight shot to the summit once out of Sargent's Hidden Exit but climbers will often switchback around rock features.

Three Stooges. Stay to left - north.

Do not take the ledges directly below or above the Stooges. Stay on a straight path (ultimately) toward the summit until you reach the Slabby Wall. You can use some ledges to switchback around the Slabby Wall.

Looking back toward the Hidden Exit from Sargent's. See footprints.

Salbby Wall just below the summit.

A false summit (the Horse) is directly above. The center crack points toward the summit and back to Sargent's. Many climbers switchback to the SE to get above the wall. Others climb the center crack.

Looking back toward Sargent's.

A 'switchback' to get above the Slabby Wall. Take any path you want.

Summit

Looking down the East Ridge

Mt Moran

Middle Teton

This is the Wind River Range.

This photo doesn't do justice to just how clear it was to the east.

Approach just below the summit.

Table Mtn

Jackson Lake / GT Summit

Garnet Canyon

DESCENT - Another view of a sun-baked Wall Street

Briggs slab - green. 'Belly Roll Almost' - red. Cracks of Doom - blue. Access to the Lower Crossover to Wall Street - yellow. Needle - white. Chockstone Chimney - purple.

The Eye of the Needle area

Ben, who was soloing the UXM, is accessing the middle ledge in the Chockstone Chimney to avoid the lower Chockstone Chimney and he is crossing over to the area by the Briggs Slab.