Tetons conditions, what to expect in high snow year

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Tetons conditions, what to expect in high snow year

Post by -wren- »

Hello, I’m hoping that someone on this forum familiar with climbing in the Tetons can give me a little peace of mind here or reality check me a bit.

A friend and I are looking to spend a week in the Tetons early-mid august climbing some classic scrambling routes. Unfortunately we both have classes starting late august and it’s highly unlikely we’d be able to make a trip work out after classes resume. With NOAA snotel readings showing huge amounts of snowpack still in the whole range after a monumentally snowy winter I’m starting to really question whether we will even have the conditions we’re looking for that will allow us to climb the 4th and 5th class routes we’re looking at with our experience levels, I.e Mt owen, teewinot, OS on the grand. If anyone familiar with climbing in the area can share some insight I would appreciate it!
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Re: Tetons conditions, what to expect in high snow year

Post by jfm3 »

I climbed Middle & South Teton and ran the Paintbrush Divide Loop (between the Grand and Mt. Moran) in early August 2020. I think the previous winter was fairly deep as well. There were a few snowfields above the treeline on both routes, but they were easy to negotiate with an ice axe and strap-on crampons.

I haven't climbed any of the class 4/5 routes you mention, but it seems that even with a high snow year those won't be buried under feet of snow by the middle of August. It's all so steep and exposed up there that most of the snow still left in August is probably permanent.

Teewinot is east-facing and gets a lot of sun. I know that on OS, the concern in high summer can be ice, because the route is on the back of the mountain and doesn't get sun until the afternoon.

The current SWE map shows the Tetons are lower than normal, so perhaps it's been melting quickly.
https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/da ... update.pdf

The downhill ski area has a lot of webcams at various elevations on the mountain, and it looks like there is still a fair amount of snow up high.
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Re: Tetons conditions, what to expect in high snow year

Post by Wildernessjane »

I’ve spent time kicking around in the Tetons that time of year for a few years in a row now. There was some snow on the standard route of Teewinot late July/early August when we did it last year even though it is east-facing (we did a route that wrapped around the backside and then descended via the standard route). I’d plan on taking crampons and ice axes just in case and have some backup options in mind. Even the approach on the The Grand can sometimes involve crossing a moderate snow slope. You’ll definitely be able to get a conditions report on OS from the climbing rangers. Getting recent beta on Mount Owen might be a bit more difficult. I’ve not done Mount Owen yet but it sounds like it could be pretty dicey with snow in some spots.
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Re: Tetons conditions, what to expect in high snow year

Post by seano »

It's amazing how quickly snow melts in the Tetons. Owen, Teewinot, the Grand, the CMC on Moran will all be fine by then, and likely by mid-July.
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Re: Tetons conditions, what to expect in high snow year

Post by -wren- »

seano wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 6:55 am It's amazing how quickly snow melts in the Tetons. Owen, Teewinot, the Grand, the CMC on Moran will all be fine by then, and likely by mid-July.
I was hoping this was the case because of how exposed the upper terrain is. Sounds like I should just bring snow gear, keep my eye on webcams, watch for verglass and keep my expectations low. Thank you all for your input!
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Re: Tetons conditions, what to expect in high snow year

Post by blazintoes »

Current conditions. Tetons. Long final Landing north. Airport is the light colored spot in the sunlight.
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Re: Tetons conditions, what to expect in high snow year

Post by -wren- »

Looks a lot less snowy than snow depth estimate maps indicate. Same with webcams. Thank you!
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Re: Tetons conditions, what to expect in high snow year

Post by blazintoes »

On the runway
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Re: Tetons conditions, what to expect in high snow year

Post by SkaredShtles »

-wren- wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 7:51 pm Looks a lot less snowy than snow depth estimate maps indicate. Same with webcams. Thank you!
Keep in mind that those are all south/southeast-facing slopes you're looking at from that photo.
Last edited by SkaredShtles on Wed Jun 07, 2023 10:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Tetons conditions, what to expect in high snow year

Post by -wren- »

SkaredShtles wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 10:23 am
-wren- wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 7:51 pm Looks a lot less snowy than snow depth estimate maps indicate. Same with webcams. Thank you!
Keep in mind that those are all south-facing slopes you're looking at from that photo.
True. Definitely still have low expectations. We’ll climb what the conditions allow us to, have little to no hopes for owen which is alright with me since it’s pretty daunting anyway haha another time
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