Walking the edge in Grand Teton National Park for climbers, Disappointment Peak holds anything but. The southern wall of this 11,618-foot mountain in the heart of the Tetons boasts clean lines, stellar views, and sunny exposure. Irene’s Arête, a six-pitch knife-edged ridge hard against the sky, reigns as the finest climb on the peak. And though Tetons routes don’t come easily — most involve multi-mile approaches — their quality redeems them. Irene’s is no exception — in fact, this excursion will test your alpine stamina, and ability to quell butterflies with nothing but the canyon floor thousands of feet below to “anchor” you.

Named for the Tetons legend Irene Beardsley, Irene’s was first climbed in 1957, by Beardsley and John Dietschy. To get there, start at Lupine Meadows, following signs to Garnet Canyon and then the Upper Saddle, reaching the Petzoldt Caves after approximately five miles. Look on the south-facing slope for a faint trail that doubles back over the Southwest Couloir and into a treed area, and then wind your way to a cliff band and a prominent pedestal. To begin the 5.7 first pitch, either step across onto the pedestal or launch rightward up and over the crest, climbing discontinuous cracks to a small alcove where the variations reunite

The second and third pitches go at 5.7 to 5.9 (depending on the variation) and continue along the arête’s right side. Midway through the third pitch, the exposure sinks in as you work the arête’s narrow profile. On P4, get ready for the original, 5.8 crux, a strenuous move left through a thin crack, after which you trend back right through black rock and up a flaring 5.7 groove. Stay left of the crest for the fifth pitch, to an obvious notch, from which either a 5.5 romp, a slanting 5.8 fist crack, or a short section of old-school 5.9+ (an easily protected undercling traverse) top you out.

Now scramble a few hundred feet to a sub-summit plateau, and then descend either by picking your way through forested, cliffy terrain to Amphitheater Lake’s east end and the Glacier Canyon Trail, or via the second gully west of the climb — the Southwest Couloir — with its short rappel or chimney downclimb slightly east. Either way, your final stop should be for brews at Dornan’s, the apres-climb hangout.