ARCH COULOIR | PANDORA'S BOX | TETONS (JHMR BACKCOUNTRY) | WYOMING | UNITED STATES

ARCH COULOIR
ARCH COULOIR
Date Created: 10/23/2010
Last Updated: 10/24/2010
Ranking:Premier
Avalache Terrain Rating:Complex What's This?
Hardest Difficulty:Double Black what's this?
Average Difficulty:Black what's this?
Skiable Vert:4000 ft
Climbing Vert:3400 ft
Top Elevation:9600 ft
Trailhead Elevation:6200 ft
Ascent Mileage:3
AVG Ascent Time:3-4 hours
Ascent Type:Skin, Lift Access
Trees:Nicely Spaced
Slope Aspect:North
Steepest Section:35-45 Degrees
Slope Type:Ridge, Bowl, Chute, Couloir, Face, Gully
Exit:Clean
First Descent:
Nearest Town:Teton Village
AVG Snowfall:500
Snowpack:Jackson Hole is famous for "Cowboy Powder", which a lot of other folks might call "Hero Snow". When it's snowing regularly, this is the place to be. When it hasn't snowed for a week or more, expect the JHMR backcountry to be HACKED UP.

Things generally fill in well by Christmas but expect pockets boniness unless JHMR is reporting a 100" base.

The whole range is severely avalanche prone. Don't head out the gates at JHMR unless your properly equipped with the tools and knowledge to improve your chances.

Highlights

Slaying the Arch... first tracks in perfect pow. Good as it gets. Though it doesn't seem too far away, skiing the Arch is an all-day tour. Catch an early tram and keep moving throughout the day to assure you get out before dark.

Ascent

Take the tram up. Head out the top gate and take any number of routes out to Pandora's Box. Skin the South side of Pandora's Box and traverse the ridge West to the correct drop in point. Be careful because there are only a few safe(r) routes off the summit. If you don't know where you're going, you'll get cliffed out and/or die.

Descent

If you find a gigantic limestone arch, congratulations. Ski through it... the faster the better. Below the couloir it opens up into a broad face for a few turns before the trees take over. Getting back to civilization from Pandora's can be a long and frustrating slog. Heading East down Granite Canyon seems like the fastest and most straightforward route. Expect to do some stomping around before you link up with the normal Granite Traverse.

Access/Permits

JHMR Lift Access.

Photos

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The Arch on Pandora's Box
Taken on October 23, 2010
By WarPigSinFin
fun on the way
Taken on February 24, 2005
By passholer
  
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Comments

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passholer wrote on 10/23/10 at 10:48:05 pm pst:

jk and schroder having fun on the way to the arch,def worth skinning for

Waheenie wrote on 10/25/10 at 9:35:57 pm pst:

Both of those photos are making me drool.

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