Crescent Arête, Crescent Arête Direct

North Ridge

Intrepidity Arete

Serendipity Arete

Run-Don't-Walk Couloir

Koven Route

Jenni’s Way

East Ridge

Northeast Snowfields

The Northeast Snowfields of Mt. Owen is one of the premier moderate alpine routes in the Tetons.  The climbing encountered varies tremendously from year to year and season to season so the exact line chosen can vary accordingly.  I'll describe the conditions and route we climbed in early summer following a winter and spring that had very heavy snowfall.

Once on the first snowfield, we trended a bit right (west) and crossed the first cliff band on a slab that was easy mixed climbing and some friction moves.  You can get small gear in cracks on the slab if needed.  This brought us to the lower west edge of the 2nd snowfield.  The snow of the second snowfield is moderately steep and we were fortunate to find stiff styrofoam conditions that, combined with simuclimbing made for fast progress.

At the top of the second snowfield, we encountered a cliff band that had moderate mixed conditions with good protection that led to west edge of the 3rd snowfield.  The 3rd snowfield is the steepest and by trending a slightly left under steep cliffs, tops out below a vertical chimney.  We found perfect plastic water ice with a couple of bulges in the chimney, the most difficult at the top.  Steep ice in the Tetons is not always such perfect plastic.

The chimney deposits one in a ramped alleyway with a wall on the left and the summit slabs of Mt. Owen on the right.  Proceed casually along the alley to the west until the wall on the left ends.  Enjoy the views...

Climb the south-facing summit slabs to the top.  This pitch is graded 5.6 and seemed full value at that grade in double boots.  The pro is good.  Downclimb to the alley, move west and descend the Koven Route.

I'll need to scan my 35mm slides to get pictures up.  A look with Google Earth in 3-D mode gives good hints but this is a fairly complex routefinding challenge to accomplish on-sight.  This is a beautiful route with a big mountain feel to it.

The appeal of this route is that it offers a reasonably straightforward path to the summit of Mt. Owen without dealing with snow when in condition.  Ortenburger and Jackson list this as one of their recommended routes and offer both a description and a topo.  They also describe an alternate route to the left around the arete (Mas Intrepido).  The description given for Intrepidity is 4 pitches to a feature on the ridge they call the electrode.  Our experience was that the features described in the topo were difficult to find and protection options getting onto the arete were few.  From the block start in the bottom of the gully we chose a direct line up and onto the arete following a series of thin cracks.  This option was on excellent rock and a full rope length arrived at a belay on the arete (also 5.10-).  Once on the arete, route finding is quite easy and a handful of fixed gear may be encountered.  Summit via the Koven Chimney.  Obviously, the number of pitches will vary with exactly how the arete is attained.

Descent is via the West Ledges by following the left (east) shoulder of Mt. Owen southward until a notch is reached.  Downclimb this onto very exposed slabs for the West Ledges descent.  Ortenburger and Jackson show this descent, which has two options up high (See photo 73).  After doing the exposed traverse back at mid-height head back to the same gully at the bottom of the wall.  A wrapped horn rappel may found here, but it is dubious.  Due to the extended length of exposed slabs this route must be undertaken in dry conditions with a favorable forecast.

The Serendipity Arete, approximately the west ridge of Mt Owen, is much better characterized as a mountain adventure rather than a rock climb.  Most people will probably find the approach and descent more demanding than the climb itself.  The climbing generally consists of short, steep sections with lots of scrambling in between.  Retreat from the route would probably entail much downclimbing.

Approach:  Cross Jenny Lake somehow, then walk up the Cascade Canyon trail for about three miles, until past the Valhalla streambed.  Ford the river (< 12" deep in late August) and head steeply up the west side of the Valhalla streambed.  If you're lucky, you'll find a pronounced trail; otherwise you'll probably follow intermittent trails.  Either will get you to the lower reaches of VC where the trail ends and the slope eases off.

Note: We were able to find water in the middle part of VC (while still in the basin, before scrambling up onto the slopes of Owen itself) late in the season.  We didn't see any convenient water source above this.

The crux of Serendipity is probably finding the start.  We lost a lot of time by convincing ourselves that the route started lower than it did which resulted in a lot of completely unnecessary scrambling.  The key to avoiding this mistake is to identify a large, very prominent, orangey left-facing corner with a square roof at the bottom of its right side.  Identify this corner from the basin and then accept the fact that the route starts about a pitch below the large corner, surprisingly far above you.  A secondary landmark is a long, shallow black roof below and slightly right of the large corner; this feature is passed to its left about 25M into the first pitch.  From the middle of the basin, don't beeline for the corner.  Instead, continue up VC, toward the Grand, until almost the end of the canyon.  Now go left/E, up scree towards the Gunsight, gaining several hundred feet.   At some point, trusting your instincts and judgement, cut left/north when it seems like you could traverse more or less horizontally to a point about 25M below the long black roof.  Eventually, you'll encounter a descending slab below a roof/cave which will take you to a small, stamped out area at the base of a 5M right facing corner.  This is the start.  Getting to the start from west side of Jenny Lake took us almost seven hours.  A quick party should probably allocate at least five hours without mistakes.

P1.  Go straight up for a ways, passing the long, black  roof on its left, then traverse right on slabs, eventually encountering some FPs.  Try to traverse all the way around the arete, to a good stance at the base of a chimney. ~5.7, 75M.  (To break this pitch up, find an intermediate belay before the traverse, maybe on a pedestal left of the black roof.)

P2. Go up the chimney, probably using a slippery hand crack, then continue up, trending left, on easier ground to the base of a slab with a 5" crack on its left side.  ~5.7, 50M.

P3. Up the slab w/ no pro (5.5?) and continue on easier ground to the top of the first tower. ~5.5, 50M.

P4. Walk across the "knife edge" (it's a pretty blunt edge), climb a couple of moves up a block, then diagonal down right for about 10M and belay beneath broken, black rock.  Easy, 30M

P5. Follow cracks up to a notch behind the 2nd tower.  ~5.6, 40M.

P6. Climb cracks (straight up or veering right) and gain a ledgey area near the top of the 3rd tower.  ~5.5, 50M.

Note: this area around the notch btw the 3rd & 4th ledges offers the best bivy spots on the route.

P7.  Pass through the notch to left/NW side of the 4th Tower, then descend a ramp for a little ways until the rock above you looks climbable. 4th class, 20M.

P8. Climb up for most of a rope until you reach easier ground.  ~5.7 50M.  Rossiter indicated this section was easier so maybe we were off route.

P9.  Wander up, aiming for the right side of the ridge.  Keep going, past the 4th tower, until a notch btw the 4th tower and the next difficult section.  4th class 60M.

P10.  Up past a warm up chimney type move to the base of a short, smooth, bulging 7" crack. Either free climb this (allegedly 5.9) or aid up a thin crack just to its right (FP, red or green RP probably helpful) for a move or two.  Continue up easily until beneath the summit block. 5.7 C1 50M.

P11. Scramble rightwards until at the base of the Koven chimney, a passage which goes all the way through the summit block.  4th class 50M.

Unrope, and scramble up the chimney the remaining 100 feet to the summit.

Descent: I can't speak entirely from personal experience since we kept going to the Grand, but the best bet seems to be descending the West Ledges back into Valhalla Canyon.  The general idea here is, starting from the base of the Koven chimney descend the east side of ridge running from Owen to the Gunsight (possibly 1 rap) until the obvious "U notch" where you crossover to the west and descend with a fair amount of downclimbing into Valhalla Canyon.

The Run-Don’t-Walk Couloir is a complex alpine endeavor and one of the major ice climbing objectives of the range. It helps to have some familiarity with the Tetons in general and routes up Mt Owen specifically. This narrow couloir between the Crescent Arete and North Ridge is a striking line that catches the eye of any climber that has examined the northeast face of Mt Owen from the valley floor.

In the 1973 American Alpine Journal, Stephen Arsenault writes regarding the first ascent of the Run-Don’t-Walk Couloir, “Named from a distance several years ago, this couloir... has a particularly evil appearance, marked by rock scars and running water when it is not filled with ice." When Stephen and his climbing partner John Bouchard completed the first ascent in early July, 1972, they encountered a fifteen foot gap in the initial steep ice bulge that required a difficult pitch of A3 to bypass. The AAJ article notes, “For optimum conditions this route should be done earlier in the season when the ice would still be intact.”

Generally speaking, climbers should wait for an ideal melt-freeze cycle that provides continuous snow and ice throughout the route, and should start very early on a colder day to ensure that everything is locked up as much as possible. There’s a lot of potential for overhead hazard funneling into this feature. Falling rock and ice should be anticipated. With that being said, there are a number of relatively sheltered belay nooks throughout the route, including the two WI4 crux pitches.

The Ortenburger-Jackson guide notes, “The best time to find good ice conditions seems to be in the late spring or very early summer when cold temperatures permit the ice sections to form but after the spring avalanche cycle.”

The following description is from conditions found on June 9, 2020:

Phase 1: Getting to the climb

The major crux of the approach is nailing the Cascade Creek crossing in the dark (and you probably want it to still be dark at this point). It is well worth the time to scout an adequate crossing during daylight hours and ensure this portion of the initial approach is known.

There are two options to get to the base of the RDW: The first is to approach via the lower portion of the Northeast Snowfields route, eventually veering west, traversing up and right to reach the base of the couloir. This was the path of the first ascent, and is detailed and pictured in the Ortenburger-Jackon guide.

The second option is to locate a fallen log crossing that is nearly in line with the toe of the North Ridge on Owen when viewed from the Cascade Canyon trail (it’s literally 50-100’ off the main trail). Cross Cascade Creek, wander through some braided tributaries of the creek, then move immediately up and right to locate a tongue of snow leading to a prominent couloir (up and left) that ascends directly to the base of the RDW, Crescent Arete, and North Ridge starts. This couloir is on the west (right) side of a prominent ridge that ends at McCain’s Pillar (a 150’ pinnacle that lies on the lower extension of the Crescent Arete). In early season, the McCain's Pillar Couloir is a fast, direct approach which is entirely on snow. From the upper couloir, the entrance to the RDW is clearly visible.

Phase 2: Run. Don’t walk.

In early June, 2020, a short step of ice-covered rock guarded the entrance to the couloir. Rope up, and start climbing. Simul-climb for several hundred feet (600?) through the short rock step to reach steep snow and neve with ample rock pro along the walls of the couloir. Punch it and belay at the base of the first steep ice pitch (a nice sheltered nook).

P2. Climb the steep curtain of ice, which likely varies in difficulty depending on conditions any given year (WI4ish). Run the rope to the base of the next steep ice step (55-60m).

P3. Climb the initial ice bulge (WI4ish) to a flat stance then launch into the next steep ice step (slightly easier but more spongy and sun affected in early June, 2020). The most sheltered belay nook above made this pitch approximately 70-75m.

P4. This is another long simul-climbing pitch on steep snow and neve. Take it several hundred feet (another 600?) to the top of the couloir. You're done with the Run-Don't-Walk.

Phase 3: Topping out and descending

The top of the Run-Don’t-Walk Couloir puts one at a crossroads for going to the summit of Mt Owen (there’s still a bunch of terrain to cover to get to the top). Directly above the couloir sits the remainder of the North Ridge, including the most difficult climbing on the Great Yellow Tower. This option will add significant complications, including rock climbing up to 5.9 in likely alpine conditions. Although this would be the most impressive way to finish, it is far more difficult than other alternatives.

Other options include:

1) The traditional Northeast Snowfields finish (move down and left from the top of the RDW then climb direct to the top).

2) Move down and left, then climb up and left, across the NE Snowfields, to reach the East Ridge or the Koven finish (probably the most popular option).

3) Move down and left, then traverse hard left, contouring the vast NE Snowfield to reach the notch at the top of the Koven Couloir (this is the fastest way to descend off the mountain without reaching the true summit). The top of the RDW is basically at the same elevation as the Koven Couloir.

A good option for going to the summit is to finish on the Koven (it’s important to be familiar with this route as well). The RDW linked with the Koven finish keeps the overall rating of the climb at (IV WI4 5.4). Once on the summit of Owen, reverse course and down-climb the Koven into Glacier Gulch. Hike out to the Lupine Meadows trailhead (either hitch a ride back to your car or arrange a shuttle).

I always thought this was the easiest route on Mt. Owen, but was surprised just now to find that it is not (the W Ledges route is 5.1). The only major technical difficulty is the summit block. You can begin this route either from Amphitheater Lake or from the summit of Teewinot. I recommend the former and I have not done the latter.

For the standard approach from Amphitheater Lake, descend a ramp west to the Teton Glacier Moraine (tricky if snow-covered). You now must cross the end of this glacier, which is melted out and/or covered with unstable scree. Ascend the obvious couloir to gain the saddle west of Teewinot. This is snow-filled in early season, otherwise it is filled with loose rock. Half-way up the couloir there is a waterfall, move left to avoid this steep section. Helmets recommended for this section, watch for climbers above you.

From the saddle head west up the east ridge, easy scrambling for the most part. Your next objective is to climb a cliff to gain access to Owen's upper snowfield, just below the summit block. The easiest option is to traverse right and climb a chimney. Now you need to make a long rising traverse left and up the upper snowfield to a point just south of the summit block. This snowfield ends in cliffs below you, so this section is deceptively dangerous. If it is melted off enough, it is usually safer to follow the rocks under the snowfield to a point where it can be climbed up directly. Practice your self-arrest before attempting this climb, or wait until it is all melted off.

The final difficulty is to climb the summit block via the big chimney on the south side, which reaches the summit ridge west of the summit. Climb this chimney, and then move north to the west side of the peak where the final few feet are climbed from the west (via another wide chimney). As I recall, the entire summit block can be climbed in a single pitch.

Jenni’s Way is an outstanding two pitch variation to the beginning of Serendipity Arete. The rock quality is impeccable, the cracks are splitter, and the position on the first tower is excellent! This is a highly recommend start to Serendipity for those climbing at the grade.

P1. Essentially, climb the entire first pitch of Serendipity Arete. After the 5.7 “hand traverse right above slab,” belay at a stance on the arete. Serendipity continues right around the corner, and the crack system on the opening pitch of Jenni’s Way is clearly visible above.

P2. Climb the steep splitter left of the belay up toward some small roofs/bulges on the arete. At the second bulge, traverse hard left along a horizontal splitter that fractures the face and provides just enough footholds to make it manageable (not really seen from the belay). This felt like the 5.10 crux of the route. Continue up and left along a broken, discontinuous 5.9 crack system and belay beneath the beckoning hand crack above. (50m)

P3. Climb the beautiful 5.10- splitter In the face above which gradually tapers into a more variable crack system. Belay on flat ground above near the top of the first tower on Serendipity Arete. (30m)

P4+ Continue up Serendipity to the summit of Owen. Descend the West Ledges back into Vahalla, down climb the Koven, or link with the North Ridge/Italian Cracks on the Grand.

From the saddle north of Amphitheater Lk, descend the ledges into Glacier Gulch.  Stay close under the N face of Disappointment Pk and head towards the toe of the E Ridge of the Grand.  Climb over the moraine and cross the nearly level glacier to the obvious Koven Couloir.  Ascend the Koven or the slabs to the left (or a combo) to the notch between Owen and the East Prong.  Make a sharp left and follow the ridge, ascending a rock step by an obvious chimney or the ledges on the right, to the snow band called the "Collar."

Circumvent the vertical nose of the east ridge by traversing on snow either south or north (my preference) 200 feet to weaknesses in the cliff.  Gain the crest of the ridge and follow it to steep slabs which are climbed on small holds for 25'.  This slab is mildly RO but protectable.  Traverse left to easy rock at the summit.

Descend by rappelling and down-climbing the route or by descending the easier Koven route.  The Koven Couloir is best rappelled on slabs to the west of the couloir.  Numerous rappel stations exist (slings.)

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Mt Owen