Mountaineering Archives - Zachary Kenney

Climbing in a Flow State on The Grand Teton

December 28th, 2020Zachary Kenney0 Comments

Move after move, far above my last piece of gear, stemming off a thick sheet of rime ice, I felt like I couldn’t fall. Climbing 5.4 off the ground is no accomplishment on its own; but in some of the most adverse climbing conditions I’ve ever faced. And at 13,000′ and going on 12 hours of climbing, it’s something I wanted to look into. I’m no 5.12 climber or experienced mountaineer, but why was I making every move with pure confidence? I attribute it all to being in a flow state. Flow is something most adventure and action sport athletes …

Capitol Peak | My Experience On One of Colorado’s Most Dangerous Mountains

September 18th, 2020Zachary Kenney0 Comments

The most shocking part about climbing this mountain is how different the experience can be for each climber in the same party. For my 3 friends, it was an incredible time, totally fun, no big deal. For me, this mountain almost killed me, and has changed my feeling towards mountains for the rest of my life. I will never climb on any rock this sketchy ever again, and will reconsider my climbing trips to mountains and routes that overtly warn against unstable rock combined with high exposure in 100% no-fall zones. This is the story of that trip. The genesis …

Failing to Summit The Grand Teton

September 16th, 2020Zachary Kenney2 Comments

The Grand Teton as a special place in my heart. Ever since my buddies and I did it back in 2019, I’ve always thought about taking Courtney up it. Sure it’s massive and an excruciatingly long day, but she’s strong I and I knew she could do it. Fast forward to the end of August 2020, when nearly out of the blue, she says to me, “Let’s go climb the Grand in September!”Needless to say, I couldn’t have been more stoked. We had about e weeks to prepare, get it more specific climbing shape, and get the best beta we …

Gear List Required to Climb The Grand Teton

August 26th, 2019Zachary Kenney0 Comments

On July 20th, 2019, three of us climbed the 13,770′ Grand Teton via the Owen Spalding Route. We headed out from the parking lot at 1:30AM, in the pitch black of night, and didn’t reach the truck again until 9:30PM. Car to car in 20 hours (just 17hrs off the FKT). Granted, this was our first time up this mountain, finding the route, and mountaineering in general. We were physically prepared to climb the mountain in the snowy and icy conditions that were ever-present on the route; however, the mental aspect of such a long day in the mountains was …

The Grand Teton via Owen Spalding Route: Full Trip Report

August 1st, 2019Zachary Kenney8 Comments

11:30 PM After grabbing a late burrito dinner in town at Abuelitos, we finally entered Grand Teton National Park. The plan was to catch a couple hours of sleep next to the truck before heading out. I can remember getting into my sleeping bag with a cool breeze rolling down from the mountainside across my face. I fell asleep immediately. That is, until the moon rose up and lit up the entire sky. Zachary KenneyMy name is Zachary Kenney and I’m an adventure filmmaker & photographer. My passion is to tell stories that will hopefully motivate you to go live …

Scrambling to Upper Saddle | The Grand Teton

July 26th, 2019Zachary Kenney0 Comments

This photo captures a moment. A moment on this climb, when things were just about to get real. We just made the lower saddle at sunrise, took a quick break, and were moving up the ridge towards the Black Dike picture in the middle of the frame. In all the research and beta I could find, most notably on Wyoming Whiskey’s page which outlines, in detail, all the route options up the Grand, there was no mention of how difficult this section would be. A 1,544′ scramble separates the upper saddle from the lower saddle, in just over a half-mile. …

10 Things They Don’t Tell You Before Climbing The Grand Teton

July 24th, 2019Zachary Kenney0 Comments

Here are 10 things that they don’t tell you about before you climb the Grand Teton via Owen Spalding Route: Zachary KenneyMy name is Zachary Kenney and I’m an adventure filmmaker & photographer. My passion is to tell stories that will hopefully motivate you to go live a more adventurous life. Whether that is to experience the view from the summit of a mountain, or wandering through a new town on a road trip. Currently based out of Park City, UT. www.zacharykenney.com