Congrats to SuperDave and ChrisR for summiting the Grand Teton! And congrats to Chris for summiting two days in a row (Direct Exum, Owens Spalding) and leading his first pitches ever on the Lower Exum!


Chris's first lead is a good one- Pitch 5 on Lower Exum


Upper Exum fun

Our tent was definitely the coolest on the mountain

The "grand" rappel

That is one big mountain. Good job.

Very cool. However, the photo links aren't working for me at home or work.

Awesome trip, couldn't have done it without Chris and Sean.

First lead climb for Chris is a good one



Nez Perce

coolest tent ever- old school



basecamp at the Meadows

Great Pictures! I really like the first one. Surprised you liked the "old school" tent. Having spent many nights in one decades ago, I can tell you that they really suck.

I Sir, take offense to your suggestion that that teepee sucks. What part, exactly, did you find that sucked? The easy one pole setup? The fact that a 6 foot tall person can stand up in it? Was it the roominess perhaps? Maybe the idea of having three people and all the gear be able to fit comfortably was what sucked? Or was it the full doors on the front and rear? The two side vents? The fact that it is made to accommodate a stove!? Perhaps that it doesn't 'crinkle' when the wind blows makes it suck?

The only thing I could concede Sir, is that at 7 pounds, it is not an optimal tent choice for 1 or 2 people. But for 3, a wieghted average of 2.3 pounds per person, with all the benifits listed above for a shelter a group can hang out in together for weather, cooking, and sleeping? I find no suck factor thus far.

Good Day Sir.

As a bonus, it was even made in the USA, by our friends at Mountainsmith.

Thank you for the wonderfully polite response. I am glad it is still possible to buy American. However, the single pole tent will likely not make a comeback any time soon. Besides being heavy, it has no floor to thwart insect and rodent attacks and is wide open to our many mosquito friends. That tent requires more than a dozen tie downs, yet still collapses in even the gentlest breeze. It is horrible in the snow as well. In college, none of my friends owned backpacking tents so we borrowed a single pole one from the university outing club. As a lowly freshman, I was often the middle person and my back is permanently bent from rapping around the center pole. I will concede one thing, it is well ventilated for after those beanie camp dinners.

You have to remember this an old teepee, probably late 80's, early 90's? so it is heavier than a new one, but I think the design is solid, and the price was right, I paid $20 for it. The new versions weigh in at under 5 pounds for 4 person shelters, and there are floors for them. Most major tent companies have one or two in their lineup. Sierra Desings, Black Diamond, Nemo, Kifaru, Mountain Hardware and such.

It is an aquired taste though. I am comfortable sleeping under a tarp, so not having a floor isn't a deal killer for me. They seem to have a following in expedition style trips, I have seen them used as gathering/ cooking shelters as well as sleeping. The couple times I have used it, it handled the snow and wind without any problems, plus, it just has a 'cool' factor!

Happy Trails!

Chris, you forgot to mention that the price was easy on the wallet.

Great job guys! I would love to climb it myself one day

Great trip, what a climb! Here's the trip report:

http://idahoalpinezone.com/index.php?p=4_26

Dave, looks like an awesome trip. This is on our list for next summer.

John