Twins NW Couloir and Diving Board

Great morning skiing with Aaron Rice!  Our original plan was to go up Broads to East Twin then ski the NW couloir then come back up to the ridge and ski out Stairs.  These would all be new lines for me and my first time climbing up Twins in the winter which proved to be very exciting! After we dropped in off the top of East Twin, Aaron looked down the top of the couloir and it looked like there was a cliff in the middle of it.  Since neither of us had been there before we skied down on the side a little ways.  Further down we could see that what we were first looking down was the right chute and there was a way down that didn’t involve a cliff.  After skiing the couloir down into upper Deaf Smith we made our way back up to the ridge. We set a steep skinner and gained the ridge above Diving Board and I was out of time for the day.  We thought Stairs was further away than it really was so we decided to just ski down Diving Board.  We found out later one more short ridge climb and a traverse was all it would have taken to get to Stairs.  Next time.  This is an amazing area! Upper Deaf Smith is a very cool place and the Twins are some of my favorite peaks!

Definitely spring conditions

Beautiful views on the way up.  There is blue ice up there!

Looking up at East Twin and the ridge to get there

Some rock/snow/ice climbing on these slabs was a little scary but very fun and exciting!

 Aaron had to climb it with one hand, two fingers, and a cast! 

Aaron close to the summit

Summit views

Dropping in off the top

Aaron skiing down

My turn, mid hop turn

A better view of what we just skied

Looking down Diving Board

Glide cracks

I'll never look at this view from my backyard the same

Lake Chute and Red Baldy Chute

I love skiing and I love mountains!  Today was awesome.  I went up Red Pine Canyon to the top of Lake Peak.  I figured someone would have skied Lake Chute already, but when I got there I was stoked to see I was going to have first tracks.  The main avalanche concern would be any potential windslab so I cut the cornice on one side of the chute and let it drop.  The new snow sluffed but nothing more than that.  I ski cut the slope also just to be extra sure and then skied another line on my list in soft snow.

Top of Lake Peak

Looking down Lake Chute

Looking back up

First tracks

Then I headed over to Red Baldy.  I wish I had more time because I knew this northwest facing snow was going to be incredible and I was only going to have time for one lap.  I skied right off the peak down a fun chute.  The apron was heavenly!  It has been awhile since we've had soft snow and it was incredible! It was fun climbing around on Lake Peak and Red Baldy today.  I love ridge hikes in the snow and going to some of the peaks I got to experience the first time this summer, now experiencing them in the winter.

 Views on top of Red Baldy

This probably has a real name but I'll just call it Red Baldy Chute

Wasatch Powderkeg

My first race since high school track and first ski mountaineering race.  It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot.  I was able to get 5th place which I know was pretty good but I was bummed about how close I was to getting 3rd place and just feeling like I didn't do my best.  Aaron K finished five minutes faster (he raced in the elite division because his new skis were too light for Heavy Metal).  He said since he knew he wasn't going to be in the front of the elite division he just went his normal pace and ended up finishing 5 minutes faster.  I ran to get my spot out of the gate and just wasted energy in the beginning of the race and then my blood sugar got way low on the last big climb and I didn't have any other energy sources.  I also thought the people in 4th and 5th were farther ahead then they really were and let that get to me.  When we got to the last short climb I could see 3rd and 4th place about a minute in front of me but by then it was too late to pass them.  

The green in the uphill skinning, yellow are the booters, red are the descents

6,100 ft of climbing in 3 hours and 23 minutes

North Superior and Cardiac Ridge

A week ago Aaron K and I set out to ski North Superior, Cardiac Ridge, and Room of Doom but ran out of time.  

Aaron K coming up the ridge

I love the views on top of Superior, one of my favorite mountains

Still on my list

Aaron dropping in

Not quite as fun as South Superior, but still awesome

Benson and Hedges Couloir

A couple weeks ago, Aaron K, Josh and I set out to ski the Hypodermic Needle but the weather didn't look good and Josh had been out of town and forgot to pick his skis up from the shop.  With a late start we decided on B and H instead.  Due to very warm temperatures we started in BCC from Spruces and skied a decent lap in Days Draw before returning to the ridge and heading to the couloir. It was a great chute!  The snow wasn't that great but I've learned that when the snow isn't great you ski awesome couloirs and then you don't care too much that the snow wasn't great.

The snow in Days Draw was pretty good and was another first place for me.

Good views on top

The entrance 

Dropping in

Aaron K heading down the chute

Me enjoying this high walled chute

Josh mid hop turn

East Kessler Couloir and Argenta

I probably already said this in an earlier post but I decided after the Y couloir that I was going to try to ski somewhere new every time I skied for the rest of the year, conditions permitting (with the exception of my night time laps).  Fortunately, the last 3 weeks I have been able to accomplish that goal.  I also decided after the Y couloir that I love skiing steep chutes! East Kessler couloir was a great line in soft snow and it was awesome to stand on top of another peak.  It just changes the whole skiing experience when you get to stand on top of a cool mountain along the way.

 Great views nearing the top of Kessler Peak

Looking down East Kessler Couloir

Looking back up

A cool ice waterfall

Skiing back down Argenta