Storm Point, Guide’s Wall (5.8+ to 5.10, 6p)

Storm Point

Route:

Guide's Wall

5.8+ to 5.10, 6p

A popular moderate non-summit rock climb in the Tetons.

Region: Wyoming

Elev: 10,054 ft

Rock type: Gneiss

Type:

Date(s): July 20, 2023 (Thu)

Partner(s): Erin Houlihan

Route Overlay

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Intro

This was my second trip to the Tetons this summer. In early July I had climbed for four days in the Tetons with my sister Jenny. It was a great time with my sister and I was reminded of how much I love the Tetons. Plus, Jackson Hole is an easy place to find places to work remotely (so I can work a bit around the edges) and there is plenty of easy free camping in the area if you know where to look. I returned two weeks later, not batting an eye at the eight-hour drive from Estes Park to Jackson Hole. This time I climbed with Erin, a newfound and equally-psyched climbing partner from Boulder. Erin and I climbed for four days. I drove up after work on Tuesday, worked remotely out of the Jackson Hole library and explored town on Wednesday while Erin drove up, and climbed with Erin on Thursday to Sunday. We climbed Guide's Wall (5.8+to 5.10, 6p) on Storm Point (Thursday), Armed Robbery (5.9, 8p) on Cloudveil Dome (Friday), Dihedral of Horrors (5.9, 4-6p) on Omega Buttress (Saturday), and Caveat Emptor (5.10, 6p) on Cathedral Buttress (Sunday). It was great to have a partner on the same page— i.e. a rest day just means a sligtly shorter route with a slightly shorter approach. I drove back to Estes Park on Monday, after putting in a full day working remotely from the library and Whole Foods in Jackson Hole. What a stellar four days of climbing!

This page gives a trip report for our first route of the trip: Guide's Wall on Storm Point. Storm Point is the massive crag south of Symmetry Spire and across Cascade Canyon from Teewinot Mountain. Many routes have been completed on Storm Point over the years, although among them only Guide's Wall has become popular or is even known to most climbers. Guide's Wall is the name given to the first six pitches of the Southwest Ridge route on Storm Point. The original route follows the entire 3000-foot ridge to the summit. Now only the first six pitches are normally climbed. Guide's Wall is a classic Teton non-summit rock climb. Its moderate grade, quality climbing, easy approach, and easy descent all combine to make it an extremely popular route. There are many variations, as well as many nearby short climbs, that allow for a wide range of difficulties.

This was a fun first route of the trip. Erin and I climbed the route as four pitches, linking Pitches 1+2 and Pitches 3+4. It was still before noon when we finished the route. We decided we needed to add some more climbing to the day, so we explored a couple of the popular route variations: after making the first rappel, we traversed back over to the base of Pitch 5 and climbed back up to the top of the route via the excellent 5.9+ splitter variation on Pitch 5; and after rappeling back to the base, we toproped the 5.10a roof/flake variation for Pitch 1. So, all told, we climbed 9 pitches (ignoring the linking). We arrived back at the trailhead by mid-afternoon, with plenty of time to write the trip report (me), explroe Jackson (Erin), enjoy and evening at camp, and prepare for our bigger climb the following day.

The following page gives a route overlay, time stats, and photos from fun day climbing a Teton moderate classic.

Time Stats

Trailhead to base of route (no shuttle across lake): 2 hours
Climb route (+3 addiitonal pitches): 3 hours 35 minutes
Descend (4 rappels): 30 minutes
Hike back to trailhead: x hours x minutes
Total car-to-car (includes breaks): 1 hours 40 minutes

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

2nd

Starting at Jenny Lake, hike the Cascade Canyon Trail to a rock slide directly below the southwest ridge of Storm Poin. Hike up the rock slide to the first cliffband, scramble right across a conveneint ledge, follow a steep path up and right, then go left to the top of a ramp. From the top of the ramp, scramble left behind a tree, go up a steeper ramp to a ledge on the west (left) side of the arete, and set the belay.

Pitch 1

5.7 or 5.10a, 120'

Standard route (5.7): Climb a right-facing dihedral with a fixed pin and follow crack and corners to a two-bolt anchor 15 feet above an obvious ledge.

Variation (Blobular Oscillations, 5.10a PG13): Start behind the initial tree and climb a roof and clean dihedrals above to the two-bolt anchor. A few extra small pieces is helpful. This pitch can also be toproped with a 70.

Pitch 2

5.7, 100'

Climb an undistinguished pitch with harder variations to the right or left and belay on a broad ledge with some trees.

Pitch 3

5.7, 100'

Climb upwards. There are several variations. One variation climbs a long left-facing dihedral on the left side of the arete. Another moves right and climbs a steep finger crack. Gear anchor.

Pitch 4

5.easy

Climb a short, easy pitch to Flake Ledge, a long terrace that wraps around the arete and is characterized by a 30-foot spike of rock. There are sevearl variations possible.

Pitch 5

5.7 or 5.9+, 80'

Standard route (5.7): Climb twin cracks just right of the spike and belay at a stance just past the left end of a big roof.

Variation (5.9+): Climb the splitter finger/hand crack a few feet to the ight of the double cracks and merge left at the roof.

Pitch 6

5.8+

Continue up a shallow dihedral and a thin crack with fixed pins , then step left on a ledge and belay from a two-bolt anchor. There are some fixed pitons on this pitch.