I was truly torn on what to do for the
weekend. On the one hand I had just been
to a stellar limestone crag in NE Utah for the first time and was desperate to
go back and finish up a couple of routes I had tried. One the other hand it was mid-august, 100
degrees in Salt Lake, and the idea of going ice climbing at 12,000 feet in the
Tetons seemed super worthy as well.
I think that’s one of the reasons climbing
has captivated me for some many years now.
Ice climbing in the mountains and sport climbing at the crag are worlds
apart in terms of the experience they offer and the skills required. I would most certainly be better at one or
the other if I could just focus and commit myself to one discipline. But the variety and unique but related
challenges of doing both are just too much fun.
After talking with my friend JT, it was
decided. We’d drive to the Hoop and
hopefully send our sport projects. After
that we’d pack up, drive to the Tetons, catch a few hours of rest and then
start hiking. I was set on soloing the
Black Ice Couloir, JT had his sights on Middle Teton’s NW Ice couloir.
Conditions at the Hoop were perfect! At over 9,000 feet and shady, it’s streaked
and pocketed limestone walls offer a perfect summer retreat while the rest of
Utah is blazing hot.
Success!
The rock at the Hoop is razor sharp – you only
get a couple of tries before you’re bleeding from your fingertips. By mid-afternoon we had finished up and hiked
back to the car.
Next up was the 5 hour drive to the
Tetons. We got some dinner in Moose and
waited till dark so we could grab a couple hours of sleep. The trick is to time your start so you arrive
at the base of the climb at first light.
I left at midnight, JT decided to sleep in until about 3AM.
The approach to the lower saddle went
quickly. As I navigated the Valhalla
Traverse via headlamp I started getting really excited – the Black Ice Couloir
has been on my to do list since the year I started climbing.
I guess I got up a little too early – it was
still pitch black when I got to the base of the route. I waited in the dark for about an hour. At first twilight I started up the rock
pitch, and by the time I got to the ice in the couloir I could put my headlamp
away.
The climbing was easy and low angle, but
the ice was bullet hard! Front pointing
up a few thousand feet of gully ice is a hell of a calf work out!
After topping out on the lower saddle I
jogged back to the car. Running down the
steep trail is hard on the knees, but I was ready for tacos and beer. JT met me in the parking lot – despite his
later start he had crushed his objective and was already relaxing and taking in
the views.
All in all a great weekend. Variety is the spice of life!
Chris Thomas
