Buck Mountain East Face
Adrien and Owen looking up at Buck Mountain
To round out the 2022 spring semester, skiing was on my mind. Adrien had finished his classes and I had one class left, which was optional, since I’d already taken the final. There weren’t many better opportunities for a mid-week ski mission. Owen, Adrien, and I each tracked the weather in different ranges, and eventually agreed on the Tetons being the most logical spot for a day of ski mountaineering.
We drove out to the Tetons on a Tuesday night. Wednesday was an early morning, as per usual in the Tetons. We spent a solid few miles walking in our trail runners before we found enough snow to skin. Eventually, we were in Static draw and Buck rose high above us. We made it to the base of Buck and took a food and water break. We started the boot up to Buck, beginning with a short couloir to gain the flatter lower section of the east face. It was shallow pow up until here. Once we were on the steeper, exposed section, the snow firmed up.
Owen, Adrien, and I at the summit of Buck Mountain on the last day of school. Photo credit: Owen Desroches
Peering down the other side of Buck into Avalanche Canyon was dizzying. Thousands of feet below was the valley floor. We made it to the summit of Buck, but we had to be efficient. It was going to warm up soon, which is why you always start early in the Tetons. I dropped onto the headwall second, and something immediately felt off. I felt like Bambi on ice. Walk mode! I looked down, and my boots were iced up, so the walk mode didn’t fully engage. The snow was grippy enough that I was able to stop and fix my boots.
Buck Mountain, après-ski
The ski back down Static draw was awesome. It was a few thousand feet of corny, halfpipe-y skiing. Prime spring conditions. We skied as far as we could, and stretched it out to the lowest snow patch we could find. We made it back to the car, and made it a point to head straight to Dornan’s. I have lots of great memories of going there as a kid.
The iconic Dornan’s view
