By: randosteve|Posted on: August 20, 2009|Posted in: Humor | 43 comments

female-snowboarding-grand
Is being the first women to snowboard the Grand Teton
one of the final prizes left up for grabs on the mountain?

First Male Alpine Descent-Bill Briggs, 1971
First Female Alpine Descent– Kristen Ulmer, 1997
First Male Telemark Descent– Rick Wyatt, 1982
First Female Telemark Descent– Aj Cargill, 2004
First Male Snowboard Descent– Stephen Koch, 1989
First Female Snowboard Descent– Dani DeRuyter, 2010

So, nearly every day I get emails from TetonAT.com visitors asking questions about routes, gear and technique. (I really enjoy corresponding with the people who visit TetonAT, so please…feel free to get in touch.) For some questions, like…”What Dynafit binding is the best for all around backcountry skiing?”…the answer is easy, the Vertical ST. But once and a while, someone might hit me with a question that stumps me. Anyone know the answer to this one?

Steve, thanks for the great website, it’s really helps and inspires me as I do my own exploring of the Teton backcountry. As I get more experienced and confident in my skills, snowboarding the Grand Teton seems more and more within reach. I’ve been asking around, but maybe you know the answer to this. Has a women snowboarded the Grand yet?”.

Thanks…Michelle.

Now, I had to think about this one for a while, but after a bit I realized that I just wasn’t sure. From a historical standpoint, I think if a women hasn’t snowboarded the Grand Teton yet, it could be one of the last great “firsts” left on the Grand. So…anyone know the answer? HAS a women snowboarded the Grand Teton? From what I’ve learned…not quite yet.