On August 11, while attempting to climb the Dike Route on the Middle Teton, Climber 1 and Climber 2—brothers with 39 years of climbing experience in the Tetons—got off-route. Unable to locate the top of the Dike Pinnacle, a prominent feature of the route, the brothers began downclimbing and rappelling toward the South Fork of Garnet Canyon. Due to exhaustion and uncertainty about the terrain they encountered, the brothers requested a rescue.

At approximately 3:30 p.m., the brothers called the Jenny Lake Ranger Station and spoke to rangers, who made several attempts to direct them to easier terrain. These efforts failed, possibly due to the team’s level of fatigue and fear.

Unsure of exactly where the pair was in relation to the lower Dike Route, and with concern for the party’s mental and physical state, as well as continued requests for a rescue, rangers decided the best option was to either assist the pair by walking them off the mountain or to helicopter short-haul the pair to Lupine Meadows.

At 5:44 p.m. a helicopter left Lupine Meadows with three rangers onboard to conduct a reconnaissance. After a brief search, they located the pair on a large grassy ledge to the looker’s left of the route. It was obvious that a rescue involving rangers climbing to the scene would be long and risky to the rescuers, so it was decided to mount a short-haul operation. Ranger Edmonds was short-hauled to the scene from Lupine Meadows. Edmonds placed both climbers in screamer suits, and the two were short-hauled to Lupine Meadows. The mission concluded at 8:40 p.m.

ANALYSIS

Although many climbers consider the Dike Route to be easy (5.5/5.6), those attempting it must remember that it is very long, with almost 3,000 vertical feet of climbing through complex terrain. Parties descending the route from points other than the summit of the Middle Teton must be prepared for route-finding through loose rock that is much more challenging and complicated than the standard Middle Teton descent via the Southwest Couloir. Both climbers had researched the route in both guidebooks and online guides. They appeared to be well informed about the ascent route, but not well versed in their descent options, should they need to exit the route early. (Source: National Park Service Search and Rescue Report.)