New Mixed Route on the Grand Teton
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News link: Landon Wiedenmann and Paul Rachele have climbed a new mixed rock and ice route on the North Face of the Enclosure on the Grand Teton in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.
Their new route, Training Wheels (IV, M4, AI3, 5.6, A1) is a four pitch variation to the Visionquest Couloir. It was reached after rappelling the Grand’s Black Ice Couloir, a route that is reportedly very fat right now after years of almost non-existent ice according to Stephen Koch. Read The Black (Ice) is Back on his website.
Local expert and Grand Teton National Park Ranger Renny Jackson has confirmed that Training Wheels is in fact a new route and had not been previously been climbed.
At Rachele’s website he wrote, “We called the route Training Wheels because neither of us had done a first ascent before, nor had we climbed anything comparable to this, and many techniques we used were new to us. That said, it was very bold, and very fun. We weren’t sure if we were going to be able to finish the climb until the fourth pitch. But now that we did, we are psyched.”
Date of Ascent: August 12, 2009
Sources: Paul Rachele, jhnewsandguide.com
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