Ice climbed at Jackson Hole Skiing Paradise

Jackson Hole is synonymous with perfectly groomed pistes and outrageous backcountry skiing, offering some of the best of both disciplines in the entire USA. Now though this skiing paradise may pique the interest of ice climbers, too, as Nathan Brown, Sam Macke, Brian Mulvihill and Brian Mulvihill have climbed two new routes on the North Face of Rendezvous Mountain.

Rendezvous Mountain is a peak located just 20 minutes from the top of the Jackson Hole aerial tram and in February 2017 the trio Brown, Macke and Mulvihill approached its North Face to make the first ascent of State of Emergency, a 110 meter WI4 M6+ climbed in two long pitches. Although no bolts were placed along the line, fixed anchors were placed for abseil. In early December 2017 Brown and Macke teamed up with Jackson Marvell to climb the the obvious gully immediately to the right. Village Ghost breaches difficulties up to 5.10 WI5 and, once again, ascends excellent dolomite limestone without any bolts close to the apex of the tram.

The routes are situated at an altitude of approximately 10,000' feet and require ski access, with skins, from the top of the Jackson Hole aerial tram. Approach requires avalanche mitigation techniques. State of emergency has abseil anchors that serve both routes.

Talking to planetmountain.com, Brown commented: "Apparently the ice in this zone forms with an annual regularity. So far these are the only two new mixed routes on the North Face of Rendezvous Mountain, although the future may hold new ice routes in different spots."