First ascent There is a disagreement over who first climbed Grand Teton.
Nathaniel P. Langford and
James Stevenson claimed to have reached the summit on July 29, 1872 while serving as members of the
Hayden Geological Survey of 1871. A party organised by
William O. Owen also claimed the
first ascent when they reached the summit of Grand Teton on August 11, 1898. Mountaineer and author
Fred Beckey believes that Langford/Stevenson climbed the Enclosure because their description better matches it and does not accurately describe the true summit, nor does it mention the formidable difficulties found just above the Upper Saddle. Beckey also believes that they summited the Enclosure because it was traditional with members of the
Hayden Geological Survey of 1871 to build a cairn in such a place, but no such cairn was found when Owen reached the summit of Grand Teton in 1898. Supporters of Owen's claim included The Wyoming Legislature and
Paul Petzoldt, former pioneer American climber. Ironically among Langford's supporters was Franklin Spalding, who led Owen's ascent to the summit and tossed the rope that allowed Owen and the others to follow. which is reached by walking from the Lupine Meadows Trailhead to
Garnet Canyon and then up to the Lower Saddle on a trail that's fairly well defined. The more technical & exposed part of the climb begins at the Upper Saddle. • The most popular route up the mountain is via the
Upper Exum Ridge Route (II, 5.5) on the
Exum Ridge, an exposed route first climbed by
Glenn Exum, co-founder of
Exum Mountain Guides. Much of the climbing is fourth class, with one wide step from the end of Wall Street Ledge to the Ridge comprising the first stretch of technical climbing. Other notable pitches include the Golden Stair (immediately following the traverse from Wall Street Ledge), the Friction Pitch (considered the most difficult pitch on the route), and the V-Pitch. The
direct start of the
Exum Ridge using the
Lower Exum Ridge Route (III, 5.7,) is considered a mountaineering classic and is featured in the historic climbing text
Fifty Classic Climbs of North America. • In addition to the Direct Exum Ridge Route, the "Classic Climbs" listing also features the
North Ridge (IV, 5.8) and
North Face with Direct Finish (IV, 5.8), both of which ascend the dramatic northern aspect of the peak. The Grand Teton has the most routes listed in the
Fifty Classic Climbs of North America of any peak. The only other to have more than one route listed is
El Capitan, with
The Nose and
Salathé Wall. These inclusions have helped maintain the fame of the peak in the climbing community. Since the Grand Teton's first ascent, 38 routes with 58 variations have been established. ==Skiing==