The Sliver Couloir // March 9, 2015

I've had my eyes on this line since the first day I rolled into GTNP.  Being one of the only prominent Couloirs that can be seen from the road, it essentially stares at you on every tour into the park.  On first look at this line back in January, I was immediately intimidated and scared at the thought of skiing it.  As I spent more time around the Tetons, meeting folks, getting to know the area and building my confidence in the mountains, this line slowly became more and more feasible.  Last week on a tour into Avalanche canyon, I decided that I had to ski it before I left here.  This thought took over my mind and my free time was spent talking to folks that had skied it, reading trip reports and planning the approach.  Now to just find someone to ski it with...

The Sliver: A beautiful, continuous, ~45 degree, 1200' couloir.  
Does it get much better?

I called a friend and fellow splitter, Randall Stacy, on Sunday afternoon the 8th, with the trip proposition.  He had one free day, the next, and it looked like 45 and sunny.  We had a go!

I packed my ski pack that night and hoped on a bike to make my way towards Randall's place in the Aspens.  We wanted to get an early start, So I opted for his couch over the one I had been keeping warm at Jon's place in Wilson.

Alarms went off at 6:30 am.

Randall's other two roommates, Caleb and Andrew were also on board with the objective, and so our party of four grabbed a quick breakfast and piled into the car.

Andrew, although a competent skier, had never toured before and quickly realized that with the condition of the skin track our objective was out of the question for him.  Caleb, battling a cold, was also not feeling well and opted to turn back with Andrew to ski some lower angle trees while Randall and I continued on.  Moving slower than we would have liked on the icy skin track we didn't reach the Col of Shadow Peak until after 12:30pm.  Dropping into the Cirque, we double transitioned and started booting by 1:30.

With the sun dropping lower and shade moving towards us, I strapped on Crampons and pulled out my Ice Axe for the ascent.  The couloir had been in the sun a lot the last few days and was going through melt-freeze cycles daily.  This left us with little concern for a slide, but also not great snow for riding.  We needed to get to the top before the whole thing was in shadow and the surface froze solid.

With this in mind, we started moving with no intention of stopping until we reached the top.

Randall, making his way up

We were tired from the 3000' we had already skinned on that less than ideal track and even climbing as fast as we could, the top half was in shadow by the time we got to it.
And as the top part steepened to just over 50 degrees, I was grateful that I had crampons on my feet and an axe in my hand.

We reached the top by 2:30, exactly an hour after we started, but it was still later than we had wanted.  As soon as that snow passed into shadow, the surface went from soft mash potatoes to solid ice.

We topped out onto an icy, narrow platform, that could not have been any more than three feet wide.  Dropping 50 degrees into the sliver and a cliff into east hourglass, I was careful to make very conscious movements.

Randall, crampon-less, trying to make footholds for the top out

Slowly, but surely..
Photo: Randall Stacy

View from the top
East Houglass on the left, with sliver on the right.

We transitioned as fast as we could and prepared for the descent.  With luck, we could still catch the bottom half in sun.

Randall took first drop, and with the sound of metal scrapping ice, he side slipped the first 50 feet and jump turned as the pitch lessened to 45 degrees.

I watched him ski out of sight as I sat there taking in the moment.  Sitting there on the edge of a mountain at almost 12,000 is very powerful.  I looked around reflecting on where I was and how I had gotten there.  From the hills of Vermont, to the top of one of the prominent peaks in Grand Teton National Park.  From everything I had learned in the Tetons, how my confidence & strength had grown in the mountains, and all the folks I had met.  I feeling of happiness and fulfillment swept over me, and with that I was ready to drop.

I brought myself back to my line and what I needed to do.  A fall here would carry high consequences.  Knowing that I would not fall, I stood up, stole my nerves, and dropped...

Randy

Getting ready to drop!

WOO!
Photo: Randall Stacy

As I skied out Garnet Canyon, I a feeling of calm satisfaction swept over me.  With this line checked off my list and spring rapidly descending upon these mountains, I now felt ready to leave the Tetons...until next year!