Tetons, Wind River range, Online forums

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klimbien
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Tetons, Wind River range, Online forums

Post by klimbien »

The site here that Mr. Middlebook created has so much valuable info. The extension and redheaded stepchild FB page is also of value (though nothing w/o the support of the actual 14ers.com foundation). The problem comes when trying to find info, condition reports, to other areas. I've become spoiled with the ease and wealth of info, typically well updated too, on this site, which doesn't translate to other locations. I hold some prejudice against summitpost. Enjoy MP and ST, but find their environments to be hit/miss and or "other".
THE QUESTION:
Anyone got other good websites with quality info/forums for specific locations.
Would love to find an online community like 14ers.com to obtain updated condition reports for the:
Tetons
Wind River Range
Glacier
Rumney
Sierras

love the info & web cams for the Tetons at this site: http://tetonclimbing.blogspot.com -- and also -- http://wyomingwhiskey.blogspot.com/p/gr ... -dark.html

Any other useful website would be appreciated, even if the area is not on my list, but possibly for future reference and to help the thread be of more value to others.
One of the best pages on 14ers.com is the concise info found on the "Conditions" tab. I get tired of reading endless TR and prefer to have the readers digest version of just the conditions, so IMMENSELY useful. Kudos Bill, thanks.
eskermo
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Re: Tetons, Wind River range, Online forums

Post by eskermo »

Can we please leave those special places alone? Not everything needs to be comprehensively documented, updated, and discussed on the internet. There is plenty of base-level info on SP and MP on those regions and their peaks. Call Jenny Lake Ranger Station or other ranger stations for conditions updates.

Some still enjoy adventure, figuring things out ourselves, and solitude. It seems that sentiment is slowly dying out, though :(

*bracing for Internet forum lashing*
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Dave B
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Re: Tetons, Wind River range, Online forums

Post by Dave B »

eskermo wrote:
Some still enjoy adventure, figuring things out ourselves, and solitude. It seems that sentiment is slowly dying out, though :(

*bracing for Internet forum lashing*
I like the way you think.

Although, i'm having a little trouble following the argument. Could you take a picture and draw a line on it so I know where to go?
Make wilderness less accessible.
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Re: Tetons, Wind River range, Online forums

Post by TomPierce »

Deleted.
Last edited by TomPierce on Fri May 05, 2017 2:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Tetons, Wind River range, Online forums

Post by TomPierce »

I agree. I like to go to more remote areas and try to climb unnamed peaks. I don't want to post TR's, doing so IMO leads to more traffic. I now regret doing one such report years ago.

A big part of the challenge is figuring out the access, piecing together a route. True (or at least truer...) adventure. I know it's a lost cause, others post TR's describing everything (access route, multi-colored lines of route options, gear lists, etc.) The death of adventure, the inevitable increase in traffic and decline of solitude. Again, a lost cause, but just my opinon.

-Tom
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derekesq
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Re: Tetons, Wind River range, Online forums

Post by derekesq »

Some of these comments strike me like the hypocrite actors who fly around in private planes and live in 10K sq foot houses and lecture "little people" about over-development.

Not on your list, but I'm going to Idaho in June and found the site below with pretty good information for the Idaho 12ers and sawtooths. somehow, even with this site and others, I doubt I'll see more than a few people.


http://www.idahoaclimbingguide.com/
Who is John Galt
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Dave B
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Re: Tetons, Wind River range, Online forums

Post by Dave B »

derekesq wrote:Some of these comments strike me like the hypocrite actors who fly around in private planes and live in 10K sq foot houses and lecture "little people" about over-development.

Not on your list, but I'm going to Idaho in June and found the site below with pretty good information for the Idaho 12ers and sawtooths. somehow, even with this site and others, I doubt I'll see more than a few people.


http://www.idahoaclimbingguide.com/
Prolly because Idaho is a sparsely populated and highly rural state whose citizens are primarily interested in fossil fueled recreation. Moreover, the 12ers in Idaho almost all require >5k of vert and 3+ class scrambling, which tends to lower the number of gomer hikeneers.

Although, you will see quite a few more than "a few" people in the Sawtooths in the summer at the popular and *well documented* areas.

Also, John Galt is a character in a fictional book.
Make wilderness less accessible.
powderizedbookworm
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Re: Tetons, Wind River range, Online forums

Post by powderizedbookworm »

klimbien wrote: Any other useful website would be appreciated, even if the area is not on my list, but possibly for future reference and to help the thread be of more value to others.
One of the best pages on 14ers.com is the concise info found on the "Conditions" tab. I get tired of reading endless TR and prefer to have the readers digest version of just the conditions, so IMMENSELY useful. Kudos Bill, thanks.
My own take on this is that the conditions tab, though fun to read and a good feature, is only really useful in the edge seasons. In July/August, conditions will be fine as a general rule, and the reasons that conditions might turn sour will almost always be due to day-of weather, which a condition report from the week before couldn't tell you anyway. That said, year-to-year conditions in Jackson are very variable, so it will certainly be useful to hear general reports of snow levels and whatnot.

I grew up in Jackson - so if you have some questions about the general character or difficulty of a particular place, shoot me a message, and there is a good chance I can help you out. I may even have some specifics, though most of the people I used to explore with who I still talk to live elsewhere now.

That said, your best options for up-to-date information are going to be the GTNP rangers, especially those at the Jenny Lake Ranger station, since they are the climbing rangers in the Tetons. In the Wind Rivers, the Bridger-Teton ranger stations in Pinedale and Lander are your best bets depending on where you want to hike. Alternatively, you can probably call Exum Mountain Guides or JH Mountain Guides for a quick description from the guiding shops who run trips on every mountain - even if they won't discuss conditions for legal or time reasons, asking them *where* they are currently sending clients should give you an idea of what is clear. You might also call Teton Mountaineering - they sell gear, and the people who work there are usually pretty into the hobby. It's not their job, so they might not have much time, but they'll probably be happy to give you a quick update based on the jackson grapevine. Skinny Skis employees should also be up on condition gossip.

The old place where the JH community used to chit-chat about the trips they were doing was Steve Romeo's old blog - Teton AT - but that dried up when he died in an avalanche a few years back. With that said - the old trip reports are still there, so you can get some sense of the places, and what kind of situations you can expect in given situations. Also JH people love to brag at each other, so I'm sure they all went somewhere...

I have no idea what your level of skill, fitness, and comfort is, but keep in mind that the Jackson based mountaineering community is, as a general rule, significantly more fit and significantly more skilled than the Colorado mountaineering community. For a rough benchmark, I can hike Longs up and down in 7.5 hours without pushing it, which is decently fast, but pretty normal for around here. It takes me ~13 hours to day hike the Grand Teton, and most of the people I knew when I lived there who were serious mountaineers could be up and down in 9-10, I worked in a service industry job with a person who could do it in 7, and the record is something ludicrous like 3. I'm not saying this to discourage you from exploring the area, because you'll be fine on most stuff there if you are fine on most stuff here, and you'll find that most of the community is friendly, but there are way more arrogant douchebags there who will either tell you that you are incompetent and shouldn't be doing anything anyway, or will underplay the severity of a given area to seem cooler.

In the broad sense, summitpost has a nice collection of information about the Tetons, which should give you good general instructions, and ideas of what to expect. I'll do a quick primer on my favorites in Jackson though!

If you want something that is comparable to Grays/Torres/Bierstadt/Elbert in difficulty and route finding, you should hike either Static Peak in the Tetons, or Jackson Peak in the Gros Ventres.

Static is a decently long hike, ~8.5 miles each way, and is ~5000 feet of elevation gain. Its all on trail, except for the final half mile of easy class 2 within view of the summit, and its a wonderful trail indeed. It winds up through what might be the most awe-inspiring major canyon in the Park, goes up a pleasant and grassy side canyon, and switchbacks to a beautiful exposed ridge. You end up with a facing view of Buck Mountain.

Jackson Peak is shorter and easier, but a bit harder to get to the trailhead. You hike in a wood on a ridge above a flat canyon for a while, hike up a pleasant glacial bowl a while more, and follow a straightforward ridgeline to the summit. Probably half the distance, and half the elevation, of Static. My favorite thing about this mountain, vs. anything in the Tetons, is that it is so colorful. The rock in the Gros Ventres is red, banded sedimentary rock, vs. the austere grey gneiss of the Tetons. The mountains in CO that remind me most visually of the Gros Ventres are the Elk Range - particularly Castle and Maroon, but the Gros Ventres are neither as rugged, nor as chossy.

For something with the personality of South Maroon, I would choose Buck Mountain, I'd say its about the same difficulty too (solidly Class 3). The route-finding is easier, and the rock similar: steady if not solid.

For something with the personality of Crestone Peak's gully - I would pick Teewinot. It is a fairly short hike, and mostly on solid rock. It's class 4, so rope or not as you feel comfortable, and has the second-best view, and coolest summit in the range. IMO, its the prettiest peak to look at from the valley, so it feels especially good to have climbed it.

For something with the personality of Longs - I would say your best bet is the Grand Teton. It is class 5, and if you take Owen-Spaulding, it isn't technically challenging. You will, however, probably wish to be on belay. There is a fairly simple ledge crawl, with one flake-grab and step-around, above a 2000 foot cliff. Absolutely stunning. One thing I have always loved about Longs is how a hike up there, no matter how short or uneventful, feels like a journey. The shifting biomes and diverse hiking conditions just make the whole thing *feel* epic. That's how the Grand is. I've only been up it twice, but it is a dear friend :)

For something easier, but comparable, the Middle Teton is a good choice, and the traditional first Teton summit. The only caution I extend is that it has a loooooong boulder field. It is similar to going from latrine to Keyhole at Longs, but probably 10x the distance. It isn't difficult per se, but it is fairly punishing. Nifty summit too - it's a great view of the south face of the Grand, and I love watching people look like ants on their way up! This was my own first summit, and I still try to make it back at least every two years.

One final fun choice is Disappointment. Its not the tallest, but it has the niftiest route up - a strenuous, but class I, walk up to some lakes that are way higher than any lake should be leads you to a face with no obvious weakness. The safe way up is clambering through a chimney which spits you out above the cliffs. I have never felt more like a secret agent. The summit is the best in the range, IMO, since it doesn't just overlook other mountains, it is set in the middle of them. You can look both up and down on the Grand, Teewinot, Owen, and the Middle. It would be like being elevated 4000 feet above the canyon floor near South Maroon.

Anyway, those are quick highlights of the peaks, but there is, of course, many wonderful destinations in the area that aren't summits.

For the Winds - I've only ever done Fremont and Lester, but I'm happy to share my memories of them.

Anyway, if you head up there, have so much fun! I love hiking mountains here in CO, but you can probably tell where my heart still is :)
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Re: Tetons, Wind River range, Online forums

Post by klimbien »

Thank you to everyone who has voiced some thoughts on this thread. I appreciate the info, opinions, and suggestions. Hoping to cash in on anyone else's experiences and hidden gems. Thank you again and I'll reiterate the request:
Anyone got other good websites with quality info/forums/webcams for specific locations.
Would love to find other online communities that discuss updated condition reports, concerns of/about, road closures in regard to
Tetons
Wind River Range
Glacier
Rumney
Sierras
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Re: Tetons, Wind River range, Online forums

Post by Eli Boardman »

I'll repeat what was said the first time around: there isn't a Wyoming version of 14ers.com. Which is a good thing. A very, very good thing.
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Re: Tetons, Wind River range, Online forums

Post by spiderman »

There is plenty of information on online sites already. Summitpost and Peakbagger are my two normal places I go for route information and downloading GPS tracks. I agree with the above posters that it is best that a 14ers.com analog for Wyoming should not be created. Not only should the state remain pristine, but the routes are considerably more dangerous than the 14ers. The ranges are much more wild and unforgiving compared to what we have down here. Nothing gives you an adrenaline rush like being stalked by a family of big grizzlies...
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Re: Tetons, Wind River range, Online forums

Post by kaiman »

Summitpost has all the info and route information on the mountain ranges you are looking for, it's just not presented in a social media/community forum format with up-to the minute updates like 14ers.com. You can, however, find trip reports (located on the lower left hand side column) of each route you're interested in on the Summitpost site. Many users here at 14ers.com also post trip reports on the mountains in the ranges you mentioned in your original post. Also calling or visiting to the websites of the Park Service/Forest Service of the areas you are interested in will provide you with info on road closures, snow conditions, etc.

Kai
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