Ski Divas

On August 21 and 22, 2009, I had the honor of guiding an all women's crew of 3 (4 including me) up the Upper Exum Ridge of the Grand. It is the first all women's party I have had the chance to do this with, and I thought I would share our my story with you all...

I arrived at the Exum office on the morning of August 21st to discover that I had been given an all women's group to guide up the Grand Teton. I was introduced to Kathy, Holly, and Michelle. The chemistry of the group was an instant hit, and I knew right away that we had the formula for success.

We spent most of the day hiking up to the Lower Saddle where we spent the night and acclimated at the Exum hut. The sunset was spectacular as usual, and the weather was looking promising as we said goodbye to the sun on the Western horizon...

. Exum hut lower saddle Ws Grand Michelle sunset on saddle

We awoke early the next morning at 3:30 a.m., poured hot water for drinks, instant oatmeal, and lots of coffee. The sleepy eyes slowly started to wear off as the excitement of our climb ahead began to sink in... At 4:15 a.m. we started off from the Exum hut up to the black dyke. At 4:45 a.m. we started into our technical ascent as we passed through the Briggs slab, and crossed over to Wall Street. Near the top of Wall Street we tied in to the full length of our ropes and I prepared the team for the Step Across move at the end of Wall Street. It was still dark, with just a hint of alpenglow on the Eastern horizon, so the moves were a little spicier than usual. The Step Across is the famous move that Glenn Exum leaped over in football cleats during the first documented ascent of the upper Exum Ridge. We however, did not leap, but moved in graceful style across this famous section, as the cliff dropped thousands of feet below us in the twighlight. Perhaps its better we couldn't see below our feet...

Ws Grand early AM start Ws Grand Kathy and Holly early AM Ws Grand dawn on Golden Stair

With Michelle, Holly and Kathy across, we had the Golden stair above us and the sun's presence beginning to show... the alpenglow was gaining to the East, and gave the Golden Stair a rosy glow. With the adrenaline from the Step Across move and the promise of light, the ladies were fired up, and looking strong! We moved efficiently into the Wind Tunnel section as the sun moved higher into the sky. With moves over chockstones, chimneys, and hand cracks, the pitches along the Wind Tunnel were fun for all of us! And the views just got better as we ascended higher, including the rosy glow on the Middle Teton below us.

sunrise view of Middle teton from grand Ws Grand Kathy in Wind Tunnel

Women’s Ski Camps with Jessica Baker