Only a good route if you are around Ramshead Lake and want to summit Symmetry Spire. One real pitch worth protecting. We had a couple of old pitons and one hammer, but in high school, you choose to save the pins and risk the runout.

Northeast Chimney

Southwest Couloir

Reticent Wall

Dietschy Ridge

Cube Point

East Ridge

Incognito Buttress

Direct Jensen Ridge

Durrance Ridge

Southwest Ridge

Symmetry Spire, North West Couloir and Ledges

Fritiof Fryxell was a rock star  in his day, and (with Robert Underhill) bagged the first  ascent of the Grand Teton's North Ridge, and many other fine routes in this range. The NW Couloir on Symmetry Spire is a lesser known, but excellent route, and was first ascended by this icon of Teton climbing. Never underestimate a route first climbed in the 1930's! Climbers were tough, smart and skilled back then, just like today.

The NW Couloir of Symmetry provides is a scenic, relatively easy, and aesthetically pleasing snow and rock climb (marred only by short sections of loose rock on the upper portion of the route) which ascends from Hanging Canyon.

The snow is steep in several sections, and an uncontrolled fall from these areas could easily be fatal. The rock "ledges," at the top are considered 4th class, but are exposed, and potentially deadly. Loose rock, generally easy climbing  and the wandering nature of this area discourage use of a rope, but you should plan on belaying any inexperienced climbers both on the snow and the rock. (Although it is not difficult, I do not feel this is a safe route for inexperienced climbers, or for a large party, due to rockfall potential and extensive steep snow.)

We down climbed the route. Rappels would be problematic on the upper section (due to loose rock and low angle) and are not advised.

Near the top of the horse trail leading into Cascade Cyn, just east of the stream that descends the couloir, turn north on a faint climbers trail that heads into the sumac.  The trail ascends through the bushes and stays east of the stream to climb a cliff band at a dry waterfall.  Follow the trail as it ascends ledges leftwards, eventually dropping to the stream and crossing it.  Ascend beyond a fork in the couloir, using the ridgelet between the forks until near the Ice Point-Symmetry saddle.  Follow the upper couloir as it veers NE to a saddle overlooking Hanging Canyon.  Then climb the NW side of Symmetry on ledges and a boot trail to the summit.  In early season, much of this route will be on snow.  Beware of punching through the snow into the stream (several have died that way.)  Remember the cliffs if glissading!

In late season, it is possible to reduce rockfall danger by climbing up ledges on the NW side of the upper couloir.  This is a wise way to avoid problems, especially when descending (stay skier's right.)

Reticent Wall is a fun, off the beaten path climb with a relatively fast approach and engaging climbing throughout. There are a couple of excellent pitches toward the middle of the route. It’s possible to rappel back to the base (two ropes) or continue to the summit of Symmetry Spire.

P1 – This pitch is kind of funky, a little bit grungy, but generally pretty good. Locate the prominent roof that is up and right of the climbing on the first pitch. Start by climbing some stacked, semi-detached flakes for thirty feet or so, eventually traversing hard left along an obvious horizontal finger crack in the flakes (this is well below the prominent roof). After bumping left, pick your way through some more 5.8 terrain, eventually ending at a ledge with a dead tree and a rappel anchor around a flake (45m).

P2 – This pitch is fantastic! Start up the obvious splitter up and left of the belay ledge. Fun 5.8 climbing on clean cracks, thin hands, and crack switches left ends on another ledge with a rappel station (25m). Either belay here (top of P2 in the Gams guide) or continue into the Gams P3 (recommended). From the ledge, avoid all cracks out left, moving up and slightly right into a system of flakes and cracks on the steep face above. This is really engaging, stout 5.8 climbing, but well-protected and quite good! Belay at a good stance when the climbing eases. (50m, halfway through P3 in Gams guide).

P3 – Continue straight up the “easy 5th class face” denoted on the Gams topo – it’s well featured, easy climbing moving up toward a prominent corner that looks pretty uninspiring. At this point, traverse hard right for a few feet on delicate face climbing to access a thin crack/seam out on the face (5.7ish). Follow the thin crack to some cool laybacking up corners and flakes. Eventually trend up and right to a good belay stance (roughly 55m – somewhere in the middle of P4 in Gams guide).

P4 – Continue up a right-facing corner into fairly nondescript terrain above as the rock quality deteriorates significantly. Pass a ledge with a huge dead tree. There are rap slings around this tree which mark the beginning of three double rope rappels back to the base. If continuing to the summit of Symmetry Spire keep climbing through a chossy 5.7 weakness above and belay on a large ledge system.

Ridge scramble: From here, most parties will probably feel comfortable dropping the rope and putting the approach shoes back on. Pick your way along the path of least resistance (a lot of loose 3rd and 4th class) for approximately 30 minutes to reach the top. The Gams guide mentions climbing “good roock (5.6) above the loose stuff,” and continuing up “fun, wavy rock (5.6) to the end of the rope,” however, this path was not overly apparent.

From near the summit, follow a climbers trail north along exposed ledges and drop into the notch at the top of the Southwest Couloir (standard descent off Symmetry). Follow this loose gully back to the base of the formation.

From the wide wall to the right of the Jensen Ridge, traverse right around the nose of the Dietschy Ridge.  Climb 3-4 pitches (up to 5.6) on good rock right of the crest.  The 5th lead brings one back to the crest on a horizontal knife-edge.  A steep yellow wall blocks further progress.

The normal route bypasses this wall on the right where steep scrambling takes one to the east ridge of Symmetry.

A more adventurous continuation after the knife-edge is to drop left into the Jensen Couloir, ascend it until an obvious line of slabs and ledges lead in a left-trending upward traverse to the crest of the Jensen Ridge at the point where the angle kicks back.  From there, climb the upper 5 pitches of the Direct Jensen.  (5.7)

Take the climbers trail into Hanging Canyon. Just below the Ribbon Cascade, the falls below the Arrowhead Pool, cross the stream to the broad talus cone on the south side. Cube Point rises above.

The route starts at the eastern "toe" of the ridge where it intersects with the East Couloir which is also the standard descent (snow filled in early season and a loose gully otherwise).

3 to 4 pitches of moderate rock up to 5.4 or so brings you to a notch where you can see the final "Cube" pitch which can be climbed on the SE or W side.

Overall, this route presents a little less 4th class and much more solid rock than the standard SW Couloir.  If I were peak bagging (which I was the day I did it), I would prefer the East Ridge.

The crux is either gaining the East Ridge, or descending via the SW Couloir (you could also descend via the East Ridge).  Jackson & Ortenberger describe heading up toward the base of Symmetry, then traversing left on a ledge system.  Instead, I headed up the rocks for the lowest trees between Sam's Throne and the East Ridge (4th class, cleaned up some rap slings).  It also looks possible to scramble up a loose, dirty gully from near the mouth of the Cube Point/Sam's Throne gully.

Once you gain the ridge, W of Sam's Throne, scramble to the summit via easy 3rd class.

Incognito Buttress is located on the same formation as Reticent Wall; a relatively high quality chunk of stone at least a thousand feet below the Southwest Ridge of Symmetry Spire, which faces more to the east, and is mostly hidden when viewed from the valley floor. This route is of similar difficulty and quality as Reticent Wall, and shares the same rappel route (3 raps, double ropes) back to the base of the formation. Given the short approach compared to other objectives in the range, a motivated party could climb both lines in a day for a combined 8 pitches of fun and fairly moderate 5.7-5.8+ terrain, some of which is sparsely protected at times.

Start on the right edge of a massive roof system approximately 70m right of P1 on Reticent Wall (see photos).

P1- This is perhaps the best and highest quality pitch on the route. Climb a small, broken right-facing corner in a band of light colored rock then venture onto 5.7 face climbing in dark rock. Move up and right onto the face, clip a bolt [more of a trail blaze and warm fuzzy piece of pro before launching upwards] and continue up excellent face climbing above. Eventually trend back left to belay at a semi-hanging stance on the lip of the giant roof system, beneath a prominent corner. Approx 30m.

P2- Another fun pitch. Stem and layback up the corner through some 5.8+ moves. Near the roof above, transition left, switching cracks to gain a left-facing corner (5.8+). Climb up this corner to a bolt out right and make an A0 move grabbing the draw (or a couple of difficult thin face moves that weren't freed) to reach blocky, easy terrain. Move up and right to belay on a large sloping ledge. Approx 40m.

P3- Stay on good, clean rock out left of a vegetated weakness. Near some overlaps above, tie off a marginal pin and make a delicate foot traverse hard left to a flared seam on the face. Continue up 5.7R climbing in the flared dihedral (cool, well featured stemming up knobs and edges on good rock). Move up and left to belay at a fixed pin on the upper left edge of another massive roof with dark streaks. Approx 55m.

P4- Get a high piece off the belay then venture left into fairly nondescript 5.7 slabby terrain with sparse pro. The general path is marked with a fixed pin somewhere mid-pitch. Stay beneath all of the prominent roofs overhead, eventually intersecting the final 5.8 corner on Reticent Wall. Belay at a rap station on a ledge near a dead tree - full 60m. This tree marks the beginning of 3 double rope rappels back to the base of the formation.

Either rap back to the base of the wall (recommended) or continue to the top of Symmetry Spire (much 4th class wandering which most parties will likely choose to do unroped in approach shoes)

The route begins on a steep, slabby wall to the east of Templeton's Crack.  The wall is about 200' wide and the right side is the bottom of the gully between Jensen & Dietschy ridges.  The obvious large roof on Jensen Ridge is up and to the left.

P1 - begins in the middle of the wall, ascends on rounded holds for 40-50' (5.6) to a ledge that traverses left to a steep crack.  Climb this crack (5.7) ending with a short dihedral to a belay on a slab under the big roof.

P2 - Cross the slab and downclimb a sharp flake and make some  delicate moves (5.7) up a shallow groove. Then work up and left to the base of a left-facing dihedral.

P3 - Climb up to a flake, then move right and ascend to the top of the dihedral. (5.8)

P4 - Ascend double cracks (5.5) left of the arete in the left wall of a large dihedral.

P5 - Climb up through a steep slabby section through a newly cleaved area left of the crest. (5.6) Belay where the angle kicks back.  The character of the climb changes here.

P6 -  Ascend a heavily-featured dihedral (5.5) and stem a slot at the top. (5.7)

P7 -  Climb up easy terrain slightly to the right of the crest. (5.5)

P8 - Scramble for 200' or so to a ledge where the wall steepens. (4th class - 5.2)

P9 - Ascend cracks past a couple of pins to an awkward, rotten V-slot in a roof.  If you face the climb here you'll struggle.  It's easiest to place a large cam back in the slot, undercling with your left hand and work right with your back laying on the rock to your right.  Then reach out with your right hand to a crack, jam and swing  your legs around to face the rock again.  It's not an intuitive move but it works well. (5.7+)  Continue on easier rock to the end of the rope and belay.

P10 - Continue on easy rock passing a roof on the right.  A long pitch.

Now scramble west aiming for a notch in the SW Ridge.  Rappel 75' west or continue to the summit.

There are several variations.  Aaron Gams has you climb to the east of the first two pitches.  P3 can be climbed by a 5.8 or 5.9 crack with a fixed pin all the way on the west side of the crest.  Some wide stemming leads up from there. P4 can be climbed by a 5.7 dihedral on the right side of the crest.

Start at the toe of the ridge above the talus & cliffs at the base of Templeton's Crack.

There is no formula for this climb; just follow the ridge by the easiest line.  The first several pitches are easy and can be done in many ways.  All variations seem to converge halfway up in a 20' crack with a fixed pin in a vertical wall (5.6.)   Then continue on easier terrain for several hundred feet.  The second crux (also 5.6) is reached on the last pitch.  It includes a 100' crack just left of the crest and a short chimney leading to the top.  Fixed pins will be found on this pitch.

From there, walk left up a bowl and aim for a notch high in the SW ridge.  Your options to continue to the summit or to descend are outlined under the SW Ridge route description.

This route is a good one to serve as an introduction to Teton summits.  Just stay on the ridge and trust your intuition.  No map is needed.

A popular and classic line on a lower Teton summit.  Because of the many large ledges there is loose rock in places.  The climb has a few steep sections but is easily protected and has straightforward route finding. Many variations are possible.  In spite of the proximity to Jenny Lk, the approach & descend in the loose couloir takes several hours.

Rope up near some trees at the base of the arete.

P1 - Climb shallow cracks straight up for 20' then move through easier terrain to an open dihedral.

P2 - Ascend the open book (5.5) then a left-leaning ramp.  Ascend double cracks (5.6) just right of the arete and continue on easier, blocky terrain.  Belay right below dihedrals leading to a triple roof.

P3 - Sometimes called "the Nose" or "the Dihedral" pitch. Ascend the slick dihedrals (5.7 - or drop right to a 5.6 crack) and pass the roofs on the right.  Stay close to the arete and ascend broken terrain to the base of a yellow slab.

P4 - Move left onto the yellow slab (sometimes also called "the Nose") to an old pin, place a small stopper in a diagonal crack for back-up and make a friction move (5.7) right up to a ledge.  Continue for 30' on easy ground to a small bulge in a constriction.  Surmount the bulge and continue up dark rock, eventually climbing a nicely featured black face just left of the crest to a large ledge.  (The yellow slab can be climbed at the end of P3 and may leave you more rope for the long P4.)

P5 - Move the belay down to the base of a right slanting ramp.  Ascend this ramp, then climb cracks up the steep wall above.  Head for a large flake that protrudes out from the arete. You can pass behind the flake in the chimney or (more fun) by a nice crack on the outside (5.6.)  Step right and belay on the large ledge.

To continue to the summit, it's a sometimes-exposed 400' scramble to the east.  Begin on the crest of the ridge, then move right on a small ledge to a large notch above the descent route.  You can rappel (1 rope) to the west from here if you prefer.  To continue to the summit, move 50' right until ledges lead up and left around the nose of the arete to the top.

The descent begins down the NE face then moves west to the SW Couloir.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Symmetry Spire