Places · Wyoming, USA
THE TETONS
The Grand Teton, Rendezvous Mountain and Jackson Hole: cross-country over the valley
The place
Bill Briggs made the first ski descent of the Grand Teton on 15 June 1971, rappelling a 165-ft cliff with his skis on, and the first of Mount Moran too. Kurt Kleiner flew the first paraglider off Rendezvous Mountain in 1987. In 2006 Erik Roner skied the face of Cody Peak and went straight off a cliff under a parachute, for Teton Gravity Research's Anomaly.
Is it legal? Grand Teton National Park bans BASE and free flight, and landing in it; the resort, Snow King and Teton Pass are flown, outside it.
- 4exits to start
- 3more to find
- 9cross-country goals
- 3race tasks
The exits and launches
4 exits you know from the start. 3 more are out there for whoever walks the rim and looks.
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Rendezvous Bowl
■■■■■The south-facing talus under the tram's top station, 3,139 m: the Jackson Hole Free Flight Club's launch in a south-east to south wind, the field at Teton Village 1,200 m down.
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Gondola launch
■■■■■The grass by the Bridger Gondola's top station, 2,774 m, where the tandems launch in the morning.
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Phillips Ridge
■■■■■East-facing open ground on Phillips Ridge above Teton Pass, 3,056 m, a kilometre north of Mount Glory.
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Snow King
■■■■■Under the summit of Snow King Mountain, 2,365 m, over the town of Jackson [E]: an evening site in a north-west breeze, lift-served, rated P4 (USHPA).
Cross-country goals
Rendezvous to West Gros Ventre Butte · Rendezvous to Snow King · Rendezvous to Blacktail Butte · Round the Grand and back · Phillips Ridge to Snow King · Rendezvous to the Sleeping Indian · Rendezvous to Jackson Peak · Tour the Tetons: Rendezvous to Mount Moran · The Jackson Hole triangle
