Stephen Koch

While reading a trip report on TetonAT.com about a recent ski descent of the Grand Teton I experienced butterflies in my stomach reading about the slough avalanches and felt their vulnerability while viewing one of the rappelling photos in the middle of the Chevy.

Skiers on Grand Teton. Photo - Stephen Koch

Some of the comments about the trip report were about ropeless descents and downclimbing on the Grand Teton during ski and snowboard descents. In 1982 Rick Wyatt, on free heel gear, solo and without a rope, skied and downclimbed the Ford/Stettner route while making the first free heel / telemark gear descent. A bold outing for sure!

On one particular descent of the Grand Teton by way of the Ford/Stettner route on June 26, 1996 – specific date according to Tom Turiano, who has thankfully kept meticulous record of my, and all who are willing to share with him their, Teton descents –  Wes Bunch, Hans Johnstone, Mark Newcomb and I made up the group. After the climb, as we descended towards the abyss that is the bottom of the Ford Couloir, Mark and I partnered for the technical part of the descent. I chose to eschew the rappels through the Chevy (connects the Ford and Stettner Couloirs on the Grand Teton) and Stettner and descend by “downcliding.” “Downcliding” is a combination of downclimbing and sideslipping.

Knowing Mark, he probably could have descended the Chevy with his skis on. But instead of joining me in my morphing of styles, he waited before rappelling.

Mark Newcomb on Upper Saddle of Grand Teton. Photo - Stephen Koch

I “Downclided” by taking my back foot out of my snowboard binding (using hardboots and plate bindings) and attached a crampon, leaving the front foot with the board on to slide on snow and kick into the snow and ice as an edging tool. I used two ice axes. My idea was to make the “cleanest” descent I was comfortable with. As with most technically challenging  ascents and descents, mountain surface (snow, ice and rock) conditions have to be relatively good. In this instance, the ice was soft enough for me to occasionally get a “bite” with the edge of my snowboard. My triceps received a good workout that day!

Bottom line: stay alive, have fun and be as accurate as possible if you tell.

Oh yea, if you do decide to tell, obviously, don’t put a video of your adventure on the web if your activities involve anything illegal.

The advantages of leaving the board on are:
1. Zero chance of dropping board
2. May be faster (debatable as I was more tentative than with two crampons but there was not the changeover from snowboard to crampons and snowboard on pack and back again to deal with)

3. One step closer to a clean descent

After our descent of the Grand, Mark and I went on to ride the Middle and South Tetons. The day began for me, Hans and Wes from the Lower Saddle, where we spent the night. Mark met us at dawn from the Valley floor, which he left a mere 2 hours earlier.  ”Newc,” as I lovingly call him, is one of the most talented and beautiful skiers and climbers I have known, a true badass – and a humble one at that – who has been a fantastic partner I have been privileged to do many creative and fun (and scary as shit) climbs and descents with over the years!

Stephen Koch morphing styles by "downcliding" on the first descent of the Heim Glacier Route on Kilimanjaro. Photo - Wade McKoy

I feel my morphing of styles to try to accomplish a cleaner descent was somewhat contrived. Aren’t all descents somewhat contrived once we use means other than turning (straightlining is the exception!) on snow to get down a mountain on skis or a snowboard? Side stepping/slipping, jumping, downclimbing, downcliding, belaying, rappelling (now there is speed flying too)…they are all ways to get down a mountain when the mountain (steepness, etc.), surface conditions or our own physical or mental abilities may prevent us from making a clean descent.

Being in the mountains has been the best way to learn about myself – to momentarily strip away my fears and insecurities. I have seen what was thought impossible and made it possible. I have the mountains to thank for making me a better person. Being a proficient technical climber opened up the door for me to take descents from traditional, non-contrived to way contrived. Why not? I think it would be bitchin’ to make turns down the hanging snowfields of the north face of the Grand Teton! If you are not hurting anyone else, why not go nuts learning about yourself?

Point of View - SW Face, Denali, Alaska, 1993. Photo - Stephen Koch

Of course the ideal descent of the Grand Teton, or any mountain, is one with no downclimbing, sideslipping, belaying or rappelling. On the Grand, some jumps, or at least very creative jumpturns over extremely steep, technical terrain will need to be overcome. The steep nature of the Grand Teton does not lend itself to a “turn all the way from the summit down the mountain” (non-contrived?) descent, which is why it has not yet been done. I read that “travo,” a commenter on Teton.AT.com, skied the Grand with a belay through the steep and exposed Chevy section linking the Ford with the Stettner.  The next logical step in the evolution of descent on the Grand is to take it one step further and do what has been done sans belay or with board/s on both feet! That being said, I believe someday a bold person will meet the right conditions and it will be done. The ability of humans to push boundaries is amazing!

Whatever you can do or even think you can do, do it now. Boldness had genius, power and magic in it. Begin it! – Johanne Wolfgang Von Goethe

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