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lucander
Aug 21, 2005, 12:55 AM
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Hello Teton Climbers,
I'm not all too familar with the area so pardon my ignorance. I'm looking to climb Irene's Arete & Petzholdt Direct in early September. Can you give me feedback on the following.
1. Gear for irene - recommend doubles of any sizes?
2. Itinerary: Camp at Lower Saddle & climb Petzholdt Direct. Return to camp, break it down, set it up at the Caves. Climb Irene next morning. Lookin at approach distances on the map this seems to make more sense than hiking out for beer and hiking back in for Irene the next morning.
Thanks all.
David
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iceisnice
Aug 21, 2005, 2:25 AM
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camp at the meadows. petzoldt ridge is pretty easy and goes quick, no need to camp high up. that will also put you close to irene's and you won't have to move camp.
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lambone
Aug 21, 2005, 5:50 AM
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I rememeber doing Irenes with a pretty light rack, as we were heading up to do the Exum. We camped at the Caves and hit Irenes first, which was a good way to get aclimated for the Grand.
I think we had some nuts, hexes and maybe a handfull of mid size cams. I don't remember needing anything too big.
Awesome route, fabulous area, enjoy!
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curt
Aug 21, 2005, 6:49 AM
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I did Irene's Arete about five years ago and agree that a light rack (nothing larger than a #3 friend) is OK. We left the trailhead at about 6 am, hiked in, did the route (very nice) then tagged the top of Disappointment Peak, just for the heck of it. We then descended the opposite side (past Amphitheater Lake and Surprise Lake) and made it back to the car by 5 pm, in spite of having to wait out a quite severe thunderstorm for about an hour. I recommend Irene's highly.
Curt
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brianinslc
Aug 23, 2005, 4:37 PM
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Registered: Sep 13, 2002
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In reply to: 1. Gear for irene - recommend doubles of any sizes?
Standard rack. Singles only. Great route. I'd go lighter than heavy on the rack, as, there really isn't any sustained features and pro seems plentiful and more than adequate for the competant 5.8 leader.2. Itinerary: Camp at Lower Saddle & climb Petzholdt Direct. Return to camp, break it down, set it up at the Caves. Climb Irene next morning. Lookin at approach distances on the map this seems to make more sense than hiking out for beer and hiking back in for Irene the next morning.
Saddle can be butt cold in September. See that the temps are already drifting into the 30's at 10k' now. If its windy (and, it usually is), can be a bit brutal... I'd probably go two nights at the Caves. Or, Moraine then Meadows, if you feel the need to be higher for your Petzoldt day.
One storm in early Sept can shut the sunny day rock down for the season...
-Brian in SLC
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agrauch
Aug 23, 2005, 5:19 PM
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I have to agree with Brian's recommendation for two nights at the Caves. There are few advantages that I see. You don't have to carry a tent, just a bivy sack and a sleeping bag. You don't have to lug all your gear up to Lower Saddle, the stretch from the Caves to Saddle is fairly miserable, especially with a full pack. You don't have to move your camp which is always nice after climbing the Grand.
I can't remember what our rack consisted of for either route. I do remember placing a fair number of nuts on Irene's including a few small ones on the third pitch.
Should be a good time of year for those routes, the hoards will have moved on.
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lucander
Aug 24, 2005, 7:19 AM
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Thanks for the replies - you folks were very helpful, especially about the basecamp situation! Drop me a line if/when you ever need beta for Oregon choss piles, Smith Rock, and anything in the Northeast.
- David
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xover
Aug 24, 2005, 5:36 PM
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Registered: Aug 7, 2003
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just got back from Petzolt's Direct yesterday morning after a car to car on Monday.
the hoardes have moved on; only saw about half the people up there as compared to last year at this same time - climbing on Monday might have helped also.
i can only offer a few pieces of beta on P.D. though
currently, no snow at bottom of route in Stetner.
we climbed first pitch (supposed 4th class - more like 5.7/8 dirty and steep) - next time i'd go up stetner a ways and scramble to "first" belay station.
topping out first chimney encountered is overhanging and prolly a 5.9 move.
after that get ready for exposure!!
follow short, narrow ramp to the left of obvious black roof out around the corner to a step down knob and then around and up - enjoy the exposure.
belay in a mini seat with a commanding view.
head up and around to the left of the window on "great" rock and fun climbing.
we kept climbing back around to the right to a chimney with a standing belay. then went up chimney and back to right along a knife edge (great hands, friction feet and more exposure above the becky couloir).
we then belayed on a big, flat ledge with great views.
then run it to the top of the route and just down to the rap webbing.
rap down and then symal up the ramp in front of you to join the golden staircase on the upper ex.
it took us 6 hours to climb the direct cause we had route finding issues and climbed slower because of them.
we placed a little of everything cam wise; all the way from a #4 down to 0.4. nuts - we only placed above about a #4 to a #8.
hope this helps; be safe and have fun.
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lucander
Sep 16, 2005, 1:47 AM
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I'm back in New England and can't thank you folks enough for the beta. Unfortunately, the trip didn't go as planned. My partner Jimmy lost his wallet at a sketchy rest stop east of Boise. Without any contact info for the several credit cards he was carrying and no ID to get on a plane in Grand Rapids, I had to put him on a bus in Boise bound for Klamath Falls. His finances were a wreck and I faced the prospect of seriously failing at something for the first time in my life. Climbing the Grand has been a dream of mine since I first saw it at the age of 19, to climb it on Petzholdt with a good friend who patiently taught me how to climb would have been amazing. To make matters worse, I was bringing the Navy wings of a friend's deceased son up there.
The trip featured a lot of hanging around the climber's camp soliciting (harrasing) potential partners for the Grand and Irene's arete. While most of the trip involved things that have become yearly rituals: east face of Teewinot to my favorite summit, morning walks around Jenny Lake to eat elderberries & drink coffee, bathing in Lake of the Crags, I did have the fortune of meeting a river guide for Dornan's named Erik Dutilly. I wanted to hike the caves, climb Petzholdt and Irene's and relax in the mountains. He wanted to climb the Grand in a day. Neither of us has been on the peak before and we were absolute strangers.
We settled on the shortest fun sounding route: Upper Exum. After meeting in the parking lot at 2am, we set out in the dark. An hour into the hike we ran into two guys coming off of Irene's Arete (at 3am!). By about 6am we were at the Lower Saddle with enough light to make out some landmarks. We found Wall Street and went for it, roping up for the step across. What we found was a very fun route that was mostly 3rd class scrambling with about 100 feet of roped climbing on very good stone. By shortly after 11am we summitted with hardly any people around. Chocolate was eaten, thanks was said for the landscape and us being there, and Dons son's wings were placed in a crack off the summit. Despite the perfect weather we followed a guide and his client to the rap station (good thing!) after 30 minutes and took our time coming down. We napped, soaked up teton sun, and enjoyed some Blackberry Porters that were stashed in the Meadows creek. All told, it was a beautiful day with a stranger who I am now happy to call a friend.
A country song that I heard in Iowa in the way home said "If you want to hear God laugh tell him your plans." Nothing on this trip went as planned but the ultimate objective was still met - to have a good time. I'm going to have to come back (darn) for Irene's, Petzholdt, East Ridge, and the last pitch 5.9 crack on Guide's Wall. Perhaps it will be next season on my way to or from working as a seasonal ranger at Crater Lake National Park. Hopefully it will be as an employee of anything at all in the Tetons area. I love this place, it feels like home to me every time I'm there.
If you folks would like, could you PM your phone #'s to me so that I can contact you folks next time I'm out there? Likewise, if you ever happen to be in New England and are looking for a partner, place to crash, or just do some laundry, just drop me a line.
In Peace and with Blessings,
David Lucander
Leverett, MA
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