THE GRAND DESCENT

STOP THE PRESSES...

Thankful for his apprenticeship with the legendary Chuck Pratt, Cameron was able to fulfill his lifetime dream of skiing from the summit of the Grand Teton. On June 4, 2004 he and AMGA-certified guide Doug Coombs, along with fellow Exum guide Mark Newcomb began their ascent atop Wyoming's challenging 13,700' Grand Teton peak.

They reached the peak in less than 3.5 hours from the Lower Saddle, which is by far quicker than was expected from his guides. Cameron took a moment and reflected back on two years ago when he a friend attempted to ski from the summit. Even though he had successfully climbied the mountain several times by other routes, he underestimated the ice, snow and climbing in the Slettner Couloir, a sheltered chute on the south face.

On the early morning of June 4th, he was finally there, ready to descend. They clicked-in to their skis and began to make their first turns down the challenging peak. To Coombs and Newcomb's relief, Cameron showed how strong of a skier he was. "Less encouraging was the moment when Coombs dropped Cameron's camera and it went skidding away, caught air and flew into nothingness. A good reminder of where they were."

Unknowingly, Cameron raised the bar in American ski guiding history. This was the first commercially guided descent of such magnitude. Several years ago, tours consisted of only 5.7 routes, and now people want to be guided on 5.10 - Cameron's is an extension of that.

NORTH AMERICA & AROUND THE WORLD

With such an empowering goal obtained, how could he stop there? When he stands atop a jagged, snow-encrusted peak with endless views in every direction and the morning sun is glistening off the fresh powder ... there is no stopping. He's been summoned.

With his skills in guiding and avalanche safety, he took it a step further. He took mountaineering and touring to a new personal level. As a keen skier, he has dipped in on some of the most sought after and alluring terrains throughout the world.

NORTH AMERICA:

Valdez Alaska
Skeena Range of Northern British Columbia
Wasatch Mountain Range, Utah
Uinta Mountain Range, Utah
Zion's National Park, Southern Utah
The Tetons, Wyoming
City of Rocks, Idaho
San Juan Range, Southern Colorado
Yosemite Valley, California
Joshua Tree, California
Tuolumme Meadows, California
Rock City, Mt. Diablo, California
Sandia Crest, New Mexico
Taos Gorge, New Mexico
Sangre de Cristos range, Northern New Mexico

REST OF THE WORLD :

Southern Alps of New Zealand,
Himachal Pradesh of Northern India
(established landing zones up to 17,500)

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