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I've haven't posted a bon-a-fide TR. The search function will back me up. Maybe it’s because I don’t take enough photos. Which is silly considering the weight of camera gear I carry on a typical outing. I get tunnel vision looking for ‘THE’ shot. Stupid . . . I know. My other reservation is that my trips are not that unique or that . . . interesting i guess. I stick to the well-known couloirs and the less known pillow lines. I can only imagine if i posted this TR on the TGR forums. I can see the comments now, "Dude I rode Chute the Moon with my dog and my infant son on my chest . . . switch . . . and we were having drinks at Dornan's by noon." But i digress. I truly enjoy reading the TRs on this forum. They provide an abundance of stoke and increase my motivation to explore and document. So here's my contribution . . . a TR of an oft skied Teton classic and an all-around fun outing.

I took a trip up 25 short on George Washington's birthday. Had the tentative objective to ride one of the couloirs into avalanche canyon. My cousin moved to the valley last summer and he has become my go-to partner. We made good time across Taggart Lake and up the forested spur to the treeline where we were greeted by the high peaks of the Tetons and a light high cloud cover.

Sunrise on Taggart Lake


Up the Forested Spur


The views from the ridge between 25 short and Peak 10,696 are some of the best in the range in my opinion. The vertical relief from Buck Mountain to the south fork of Avalanche Canyon to Mt Wister is always impressive. We soaked up the views, spotted classic Teton lines like the 4-hour couloir and then continued our traverse south.

Final climb to 25 Short


Southeast Face of Mount Wister


Yours truly looking like popeye . . . put your sunglasses on dumbass


The powder fields to the east were untracked, wind buffed, and inviting. A short down climb brought us to the entrance of the Turkey Chute. A 2,000ft north facing shot into Avalanche Canyon. The entrance is littered with rocks and dirt and requires about a 30ft (relatively steep) down climb. The conditions in the cooley looked inventing as well. It was early in the day and we decided to continue our tour.

Short downclimb to the Turkey Chute entrance


We continued the traverse along the aptly named Snowdevil Ridge, an avalanche prone stretch that had us slightly concerned as the snow became a little wetter and a little heavier. As the top of the Maverick buttress came into clear view the conditions changed to boiler plate and wind scoured. This created challenging conditions for traversing above the chutes at the final stretch before the entrance to Chute the Moon.

Snowdevil Ridge traverse


We checked the entrance to the line, admired the southern Tetons, and ate lunch.

Austin scopes the line


Good spot for lunch


The entrance to the chute looked bullet proof and scoured. The second half looked promising. As anticipated the top was hard and the exit apron was soft and smooth. A spectacular couloir . . . one of my favorites. Snapping photos from the rock rim as Austin exited to the south fork ramp really provided a great perspective of the scale. Light conditions were difficult for photos as the couloir was very shaded and the peaks on the horizon were blown out. I did my best but had to do much more post processing than I would like.

Austin negotiates the boiler plate.


To every cloud a silver lining . . . the light conditions created a great opportunity for a high contrast B&W shot with the background overexposed. My favorite shot of the trip.

Austin finds soft turns on the fringe and the exit.


Chute the Moon from the bottom - had some condensation on the camera lens for this shot . . . whoops.


We regrouped on the south fork ramp, ogled the scenery, and continued to the entrance of Chuter Buck aka Buck Crack, a narrow chute with two rock drops. I had no intention of tackling this challenge. Above my skill set and slide-slipping in between mandatory down climbs doesn’t seem that appealing. Austin made the same decision and we high-speed cruised the powder aprons as the canyons merged. The best turns of the trip.

High speed apron turns


The line - Chute the Moon at the top left and Chutter Buck on the Right


After ski-boarding thru the undulating pitches at the mouth of Avalanche Canyon we completed the slog back across Taggart lake.

Varied conditions, great scenery, and superb company made this a memorable day.

Wow . . . lots of skiing shots in this TR. Add that to the reasons why I don't post TRs on a splitboard forum. Guess I should of posted this on TGR Here's an iphone video for proof that SOME snowboarding took place. I'm not sure the POV haters will like this much better!

Wow, great report and photos. Even if none of these are 'the' shot, keep providing us with your second rate photography!

If your riding Teton chutes with those camera skillz, you should be posting more photos. I agree, that view from 25 Short is spectacular!!

Dln- your photos alone make future TRs by you worth reading! Thanks for posting this one. Pure visual pleasure. That zone is often windhammered and 9x out of 10 I find the best turns of the trip in that same spot as you.

Yeah Dude! Those pictures really suck and you shouldn't be posting TR's here!



Are you kidding me man!! Awesome

I loved the TR and photos---thanks for posting!

Incredible photos and siiiiick riding

Really great shots!

Yeah buddy, this one is my favorite.




I think in another thread you said you were carrying a 7D. Still the case or have you gone to FF? What kind of glass are you hauling on a tour like that? 7D is pretty much all I carry these days on a tour, but I usually only bring one piece of glass to keep it simple. If I make it out to your stretch of the woods we should get out ... I'd love to pick your brain on shooting outdoors!

And don't be afraid to post on TGR. It's not about how rad your lines are, or are not. It's about how much passion and dedication you are bringing to what you do. And clearly, your images show that's a lot.

Besides, even "Big Air Dave" gets love on that website

I carried the Nikon equivalent of the 7D for years. I did recently upgrade to the FF. On this tour I packed the 24mm prime glass only. Mostly for weight. Lightweight, compact, and super versatile in challenging light conditions. It's also super convenient to carry in the neck-pedulum case. I find I shoot more photos this way. Should of had the 70-200mm with me, but such is life. Murphys law . . . haul the heavy glass and never take it out of the pack . . . leave it at home and wish you had it all day

Lemme know if you make it near the Tetons . . . always stoked to get out with a fellow shutterbug.

Great stuff dln.

Awesome pics dln!