Technical alpine
5.4 rock (Owen-Spalding); Exum Ridge 5.5
Real climbing — steep snow/ice or roped rock at altitude.
2 days
Fee / registration
Overnight camping in Garnet Canyon requires a backcountry permit; day climbs need none.
Jackson
Crowds: medium · most parties climb guided
July through early September, after the couloirs shed snow. Afternoon lightning is the metronome of Teton climbing — summit early, descend fast.
The Grand is where American alpinism was invented, and it still delivers: a wilderness approach to the Lower Saddle, then real rock climbing — exposed 5.4 on the Owen-Spalding, or the aesthetic Upper Exum Ridge — with a rappel on the descent. It demands rock shoes-optional confidence on easy fifth-class terrain at altitude and efficient rope transitions. Guided ascents are a Teton institution for strong hikers ready to step up.
North America's summit — a three-week arctic expedition where you haul everything and the cold is the crux.
A solitary Cascade giant — 2,200 m of snow climbing that teaches the whole craft in a weekend.
America's glacier school — the most heavily glaciated peak in the lower 48 and the classic Denali tune-up.