Teewinot Southwest Couloirs
Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 5:48 am
Has anyone here done both the East Face and Southwest Couloir route on Teewinot (not just from the plateau connecting Teewinot & Owen as part of the Grand Traverse, but all the way from down at Amphitheater Lake) in late summer (~ August)? The east face crux looks just a bit beyond my comfort level, and I was wondering how sustained the class 4 of the southwest couloir is, and how difficult its crux would be by comparison.
I know it would be more tiring and less direct going this way, but since it meets back up with the east face route right below the summit, after the tricky crux section, I was thinking about going this way instead. Many have done the east face without needing ropes, but most all of them seem to have significant past experience with technical climbing, which I don't have. That summit view is awesome, and it seems like the southwest couloir would offer some nice views of the Grand & Owen along the way as well, if we couldn't make it all the way to the top. It appears that for the east face you don't get these nice views unless you make it all the way to the summit.
To be specific, I was wondering more about the part of the route from Amphitheater Lake up to the flat plateau between Owen and Teewinot (I've seen photos from the plateau to the summit and it doesn't seem too difficult). Ortenburger's guide just says that some of the couloirs leading to this plateau are difficult and require careful routefinding, but doesn't elaborate beyond that. In a low snow year, in late August the east face is doable without crossing steep snowfields. Does the same apply for the couloir/couloirs? I'm just trying to get a feel for the technical difficulty compared to the east face.
I know it would be more tiring and less direct going this way, but since it meets back up with the east face route right below the summit, after the tricky crux section, I was thinking about going this way instead. Many have done the east face without needing ropes, but most all of them seem to have significant past experience with technical climbing, which I don't have. That summit view is awesome, and it seems like the southwest couloir would offer some nice views of the Grand & Owen along the way as well, if we couldn't make it all the way to the top. It appears that for the east face you don't get these nice views unless you make it all the way to the summit.
To be specific, I was wondering more about the part of the route from Amphitheater Lake up to the flat plateau between Owen and Teewinot (I've seen photos from the plateau to the summit and it doesn't seem too difficult). Ortenburger's guide just says that some of the couloirs leading to this plateau are difficult and require careful routefinding, but doesn't elaborate beyond that. In a low snow year, in late August the east face is doable without crossing steep snowfields. Does the same apply for the couloir/couloirs? I'm just trying to get a feel for the technical difficulty compared to the east face.