Nearly every year I lived in Jackson, I was either trying to find someone to take me up the Grand Teton or had friends who wanted to go but couldn't because I didn't have the skills. The Grand isn't your typical hike — it requires scrambling through exposed terrain where a mistake could be fatal. Ropes, belaying, rappelling, building anchors. I didn't know any of that.
I'd been up before. In 2019, another buddy and I got caught in hail, rain, and thunderstorms all in the same day. We made it — barely. That day left a mark.
In the winter of 2025 I finally said — it's time to learn. I wanted the skills to self-guide, but more importantly, I wanted to be able to take friends up. I started telling people so I'd actually follow through. My buddy Craig immediately said he wanted to do the same. When spring came he asked: "What do you think about getting trained in the Scottish Highlands?" No-brainer.
One of the most technical mountain ranges in the British Isles — jagged gabbro ridges, exposed scrambles, weather that turns in minutes. Two days with our guide Pete. Everything we needed.
The first day we got our bearings on rock climbs before Pete started teaching us how to place gear and build anchors. Every move deliberate. Every piece of protection placed with intention.
The exposure was real — 50 feet of air below us while we worked through systems that would need to be second nature on the Grand.
Day two we climbed a local Munro — still no idea how to pronounce it — putting every skill to use on actual exposed terrain. Scrambling, placing protection, moving as a rope team, rappelling. These were exactly the skills we'd need on the Grand. By the end, we knew we were ready for practicing in the Tetons.
Once we got back to Jackson, it was game on. Training, gear, fitness — all of it pointed at one objective.
If you know me, you know I love gear. I'll happily spend hours researching the best options — ropes, cams and nuts, harnesses, helmets, carabiners, tag lines, walkie-talkies. Probably way too much time, but that's part of the fun for me.
Once the gear arrived, we started practicing at local climbing spots and getting comfortable with the rope systems we had learned. A couple highlights on the fitness side were a 6-mile bike, 11-mile jog, 6-mile bike day with my buddy Scott, hiking Disappointment Peak with Craig, and Delta Lake with Sam.
Training was only part of the preparation. Throughout the summer, I was constantly gathering beta from friends who'd already climbed the route and reading everything I could find online.
A few days before the climb, we practiced rope systems in Craig's living room and rigged anchors around the condenser units in my concrete backyard.
13,775 feet. The preparation was done. Now it was just about execution.
Which is exactly what you hope for. The biggest challenge was completely running out of energy about 750 feet below the summit. Had to stop and stuff my face.
The other was getting mentally broken by the endless loose rock section — felt like I was going to fall every ten feet. Found a quiet spot next to a waterfall, sat down, reset. After that, good to go.
"After 13 hours and 42 minutes, 14 miles, and 7,000 feet of elevation gain — we got it done."
Scotland, training days, gear research, practicing rope systems in living rooms and backyard condenser units — it all added up. Once Craig and I committed to building the skills, the goal slowly went from feeling impossible to feeling inevitable. A year ago, I didn't have the skills. Now I do. And this summer, I'm taking two groups of friends up the Grand.
Destination guides, trip stories, and honest takes from 39 countries and 44 U.S. states.
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