First I have to thank rideit for showing criscam and myself some awesome singletrack in Jackson. Some of the best trails I've ridden, taking my bike with me on climbing trips to the Tetons may become standard now.
So we heard mixed reports on the Koven, large patches of blue ice a week ago to slushy now, we decided to hope for the best and get an early start and try to get firm snow.
When you have to start climbing in less than 12 hours and you just rode 20 miles of singletrack a cold water soak and recovery drink are mandatory:
http://www.tgrmedia.com/i.ashx?w=400...ap_730X550.jpg
Early morning sun lighting the N face of the Grand:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...g/IMG_1339.jpg
After scrambling up the melted out portion of the lower Koven we got to the snow around 6:30am. criscam:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...g/IMG_1354.jpg
Just after the saddle below the E Prong you scramble up a chimney and around a chockstone. criscam:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...g/IMG_1373.jpg
Then around the southeast snowfields, the snowfields are around 45 degrees with massive exposure beneath but the early morning snow was confidence inspiring. criscam:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...g/IMG_1374.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...g/IMG_1378.jpg
Then two scrambly 5.4 pitches put you on the summit:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...g/IMG_1386.jpg
Then a couple of raps put you back on the snowfields:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...g/IMG_1381.jpg
This is where things got intersting. The snow was complete unsupportable slush, if you plunge stepped with your heel the slush would fall away underneath you and start sliding. We had to climb all the way back to the Koven couloir face in with two axes. In some spots we used running belays with a few snow pickets we brought. We had to push the pickets in 6 inches below the surface of the snow to have any confidence. The bottom of the couloir was a complete waterfall mudfest, no dry rock to scramble down and water raining down from the cliffs above us. The descent took us almost 2 hours longer than the climb.
You don't get to see the shadows of the Tetons covering the valley if everything goes right though:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...g/IMG_1435.jpg
