Upper Exum Ridge Route

The Upper Exum Ridge Route is the upper section of a technical rock climbing up the Grand Teton's Exum Ridge in Wyoming.[1]

Upper Exum Ridge Route
Exum Ridge Route
LocationGrand Teton National Park, Wyoming, United States
Coordinates43°44′28″N 110°48′07″W / 43.74110°N 110.802°W / 43.74110; -110.802
Climbing areaGrand Teton
Route typeTrad
Vertical gain4,000 feet
Pitches12
Rating5.5
GradeII
First ascentGlen Exum solo, 1931.

The route and ridge is named after Glenn Exum who pioneered the climb, via a solo ascent, on a day when his mentor Paul Petzoldt was guiding a couple up the original Owen-Spaulding Route. Today the route is split into the Upper and Lower Exum Ridge Routes. It is common for parties to bypass the more technically challenging lower section and climb exclusively the upper section. The Direct Exum Ridge Route which included both sections is recognized in the historic climbing text Fifty Classic Climbs of North America.[2]

In 1931 Exum and Petzoldt started Exum Mountain Guides, which has grown to be a prestigious climbing school and mountain guide service. In 1982 Exum, accompanied by many distinguished mountaineers, made one last climb of the Exum Ridge route on the fiftieth anniversary of his first ascent.

References

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  1. ^ Ortenburger, Leigh N. & Jackson, Reynold G. (1996) A Climbers Guide to the Teton Range Third edition, Seattle: The Mountaineers. ISBN 0-89886-480-1
  2. ^ Roper, Steve; Steck, Allen (1979). Fifty Classic Climbs of North America. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books. ISBN 0-87156-292-8.
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