Trip Stats (Click here)
Summit Elevation: 10,262 ft.
Trip Distance: 15.6 miles,
Total Vert: 5,660 ft.
Travel Type: Ski-Touring
Travel Buddy: The one and only… @Benjamminmtns
The adventure up this Owen-Wilsonesque peak started about a year earlier in the spring of 2023 when, after a quick search through Turiano’s, “Teton Pass Backcountry Guide,” I found myself climbing Talbot’s ridge on a Saturday whim. Sitting alone on top of Talbot’s, I noticed what looked like a sloping ramp leading to a summit that I had never given much attention to. After looking at a map and finding out it was named “Mount Wow” I knew that one day I wanted to stand on that peak, even if it was a long crappy slog up a low angle ridge. What followed showed me the mountain really lives up to it’s name.
An early plan to attempt Wow involved leaving from the weigh station parking lot on the Pass, followed by skiing down the tight gully north of Talbot’s toward Moose Creek and then finally ascending, but more intelligent designs were ultimately conceived. So, in the pitch black morning Ben and I headed for the narrow parking lane in front of Moose Creek Ranch. The early light of dawn was just beginning to light the ridges and trees as we geared up in the 12 degree (F) February air. Within minutes we were skinning up the icy, rutted road; soon crossing the border between Idaho and Wyoming and continuing toward Moose Creek Trailhead.
The original plan was to begin climbing the first ridge after Plummer canyon, but after finding a very well packed skin track we decided to chance it and continue up Plummer canyon in hopes of finding our goal easily rather than a 2000 ft. bushwhack. It should be noted that everything on the north side of Plummer canyon (on the skinner’s left) is closed to winter traffic to create a habitable winter refuge for elk and deer. This should be respected so winter access to nearby areas can be maintained. So, taking care not to veer left, we climbed up the canyon bottom in search of a breaking tree line.
While the skin track up the canyon makes a couple jack-knife turns near the top, we decided to dip off into the woods in search of a shorter way. I wouldn’t recommend this as the trees were tight with a lot of dead fall; making the navigating difficult and steep at times. Ben and I are often sucked into a good bushwhack to our own chagrin. The wiser and faster route is to enter and egress using the Plummer canyon skin track.
After a couple slow hours we broke the woods onto an open alpine face at around 9,000 feet. With hastened excitement we climbed a couple hundred yards to an expansive view of a gorgeous, backcountry bowl. What an unexpected surprise! Just as we crested the ridge and took in the sight, a group of seven backcountry riders began a party lap from the top of Wowee, Mount Wow’s minor summit. We both pumped each other up as we realized what we thought was going to be a slow summit push through a mediocre meadow might become one of the best touring experiences we’ve ever had.
As the stoke began to simmer, we also realized that the easy meadow seen on the map was actually a couple 300 ft. deep drainages standing between us and further climbing. With a short discussion of circuiting the drainages on the north we opted to just push straight through them. We hurriedly took off our skins and transitioned for a quick ski into the first drainage. I began to ski away from Ben and made a final double check of slope angle. Ben zoomed by me and headed off down the hill bucking and boosting his skis in the slightly flat light. The stoke was high as I followed him into the pit. The snow was amazing but then I hit a strange drift that couldn’t be seen. I was only thrown slightly off balance but then hit another, and then another; barely keeping on my feet and saving the run. I realized in that moment my touring partner hadn’t been boosting down the slope, he was comfortably riding those striations in the snow like a bull rider moving smoothly with every undulation of the animal. A fact that became even more humorous as he relayed that his hat flew off his head after the first snow drift and he caught it in mid air, riding the rest of the drifts with his hat in hand in classic bull rider fashion
After transitioning again, we decided to climb out of the second drainage and stayed in our skins to save some time. And after a quick swig of water, we began to curve slightly south, pushing up the west face of Wowee leaning closer and closer to the ridge as we went. As we ascended we bumped into a few of the riders from the party lap we witnessed earlier. They reported to us that they were visiting from Montana and would be headed to the summit later. So, we went on ahead following their pre-set skin track up a quick 900′ climb to the minor summit. Ben allowed me to huff and puff most of the way up this one with the agreement that he would break trail to the summit.
We took a few moments to catch our breath, and without transitioning, again we “free-heel-skin-skied” to the small saddle hiding between the two peaks. At this point the ridge is wide and very low angle, allowing you to climb eastward up a 400 ft. ramp spread out a little over a half mile. This is where the cardio steam engine that is Ben came in handy as he began to break drifts like a Union Pacific train engine headed for the summit. I trailed behind and tried to catch my breath as we climbed up the ridge into the clouds.
The weatherman had predicted partly cloudy skies, but we ended up popping in and out of the low hanging overcast clouds the entire way up the final summit push. We could see sunspots hitting the hills and forests below as well as the valley. We hoped there would be views from the summit, and after about an hour in the icy cold wind we summited Wow! What a Mount!
The cold breeze on the summit was almost too much to deal with as both Ben and I’s hands began to freeze up. We quickly bundled up and as we did we hit the jackpot. The clouds in the valley north of Wow opened and we were graced with a gorgeous view of the surrounding mountains. We laughed and awed as we pointed out Taylor, Fossil, Housetop, the Tram at the top of JHMR, and even the Spearhead near the Death Canyon Shelf. The views were exceptional and dramatic.
Although the views were incredible, the cold was just too much to bear. Ben and I both began to feel the warning signs of frostbite and decided it was time to descend. As we ripped skins and goggled up we looked over our shoulders and saw a conga line of our Montana friends headed up the skin track toward the summit. So, with a quick pole tap, we began to tear down the way we came, hooping and hollering in the amazing snow.
As we boosted past, the skinning crowd they sent some respecting head nods our way. We cut through snow drifts like butter and quickly descended to warmer territory. Not worrying about quick transitions we both again slapped our skins on and climbed to back over Wowee the way we came. The snow quality on the face was incredible as we made big soft turns on the western side of the mountain. It was a consistent 8-10 inches of soft sugar on a firm base in every direction. The snow was just too good and neither of us even stopped to consider taking pictures.
With burning quads we paused at the bottom of the double gullies we had climbed earlier, refueling and cracking jokes before the final short climb of the egress. Once the engine was refueled, Ben returned to his steam engine ways and pulled us up and out of the double gullies. Within a few minutes we were dipping back into the tight woods in ski mode. We bobbed and weaved through aspens and pines, returning to our freeride roots. We popped off logs and slashed around tight turns making the most of our Atomic setups (Ben Skis the Chetler 120’s and I Ski the Bent 110’s). We both noted how the playful skis were the right choice for tight terrain.
With the stoke still high we found ourselves back in the skin track up Plummer Canyon that we had climbed earlier that morning. The luge track back to Moose Creek was fast and allowed for plenty of opportunity to play. Around every new turn was a small log or bush to launch off. At one point I found myself cutting off the corner of a large stump just to look over my shoulder to see Ben absolutely sending it off the center. After a few well timed shifties, we found our way back out of the canyon.
The final mile or so back to the car did involve some pole planting to gain momentum, but if a person isn’t afraid to kick off his skis and bootpack the very few, short, uphill sections then he is rewarded with a relatively quick return to the awaiting car. We arrived with just enough sunlight to peel off sweaty ski gear and load it in the Subaru. As we did, we noted that the parking lot was full. Both sides of the road were packed with cars as we pulled away. We found a parking attendant in a reflective vest and he didn’t know quite how to respond when Ben asked him, “uhhh, is this Bill Johnson’s barmitzvah?” Apparently, the joke was lost on him and he told us that Teton County Search and Rescue was having a fund raiser.
Ultimately, it was an exceptional day full of laughs, good snow, and a ton of opportunities for fun. It honestly turned out to be one of the best ski touring days I’ve ever experienced, and it all started on a whim after laughing at a mountain that someone decided to label as WOW.
Cue the Owen Wilson “Wow” track…
The Mountain Muir 
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