TETON RECORD: Chin grabs Grand’s first solo ski in less than 10
No stranger to the high summits of Wyoming’s Teton Range, world-class mountaineer Jimmy Chin put his extra superhuman chromosome to work on Feb. 19 when he successfully nabbed the first solo winter descent of the Grand Teton – in less than 10 hours.
“I knew the conditions were going to good,” said the 32-year-old Victor, Idaho-based expedition photographer and climber. “I wouldn’t have gone up there if it wasn’t super bomber.”
Taking advantage of ideal climbing, skiing and snow conditions produced by a healthy high-pressure weather system, Chin, who first skied the Grand in 2002 and currently holds seven descents to his credit, tackled the 13,770-foot peak alone under a blue sky and enjoyed soft powder turns off the summit.
Departing the Taggart Lake parking area in Grand Teton National Park at 4 a.m., Chin comfortably skinned up through Garnet Canyon and reached the start of the technical climbing after only a few hours. Navigating his way over slick ice bulges nestled in the Stettner Couloir, Chin continued through the Chevy Couloir and kicked steps up the Ford Couloir to the sun-drenched summit.
“I know the route really well,” Chin said. “I broke the day into sections and just kept moving and eating on the go. Going solo is great because you make your own decisions and you’re a lot more efficient in some regards.”
Popping into his 173 Black Diamond Havocs, or “little shorties,” Chin pushed off the summit at approximately 10 a.m., with optimal visibility, and skied the route he ascended. Rewarded for his efforts, Chin carved smooth powder turns for the first few hundred feet leading down to the Ford. After skiing chalky snow in the Ford, Chin carefully made his way over to the Stettner where he unfurled his 100-foot, eight-millimeter climbing rope and completed two rappels to the top of the Teepee Couloir. Here, Chin was greeted again with light fluff as he linked turns toward the valley. Accomplishing his impressive solo in less than 10 hours, Chin was driving his rig away at 2 p.m.
“I really wasn’t thinking of soloing it, but I couldn’t find anyone to go with me – it just worked out that way,” Chin said. “It was pretty mellow. I just wanted to get back down because I had a friend in town and I told him I’d see him off.”
Although his solitary feat is a measure of extreme skill, determination, knowledge and confidence, the always humble Chin saw it as just another day in the mountains. According to Chin, one of his best days of skiing in the Tetons came in 2003 when he scaled and descended the Grand, Middle and South Teton in an astonishing 14 hours car-to-car. That day, Chin skied the Grand with some friends he bumped into on the approach, but tamed the final two peaks solo.
Making reference to a friend’s comment on his aerobically-inspiring exploits on the Grand, Chin said, “David Gonzales says it’s my favorite backcountry lap.”