Pencil Couloir is the straight shot that is tucked behind the sun-lit ridge pictured below. I have been staring at this one for a while, and waiting for the conditions to ski it. After all, good things come with patience.
A favorable avalanche forecast and a motivated ski partner, Salida Aaron, we were good to go. Woke up to a bit of a freak oragraphic snow-shower. Even though the conditions seemed ideal, we still poked around for a while testing the snowpack. A bit puckering to get in this one.
After sending a slough the length of the couloir, I felt good about dropping in. Cut out after entering the couloir to let the slough pass, then snapped some photos of Aaron.
Aaron in the gut.
Aaron snapped this shot of me exiting the couloir over our pile 'o slough.
Aaron dwarfed of the exit
The clouds broke and we gazed at our tracks
Great line. Aaron and I talked a great deal about the risk in this line. The snowpack felt bomber other than the sloughing but we were both a bit puckered still. I used to like fear, the 'rolling the dice' to some degree. It's all about eliminating the variables and putting it on the scale. We can have the odds on our side, but it is impossible to eliminate ever single variable wether its driving down the highway or skiing a couloir. Life would suck with out risk but unfortunately we only get one shot at it. Being married to a wonderful wife and living where my dreams brought me has changed my attitude. I used to live like I had nothing to loose. I am feeling kinda poor lately, but I feel like I have the world to loose.
Eszter had a workout to do today so she lapped Red Lady. 6500 feet up and down in 3.5 hrs. Crazy. Kinda neat I could see her track from mountain where I was and she could see our tracks safely exiting the 'Pencil.' We got back to the trailhead at the same time only we went up a mountain once while Eszter lapped hers. I need to get her some 'pinner' skis next year and sign her up for a rando race.
Live your dream,
Chris
Well what a line. So happy to have done that. But perhaps next ski we should do something not scary. Maybe chase eszter up skin tracks until we throw up?
Posted by: aaron w | March 14, 2011 at 07:01 PM
Less scary could be fun... throwing up maybe not.
Posted by: chris | March 14, 2011 at 08:32 PM
There may still be "no" snow in the Alps... we may have a forecast of 50-65 all week... I may be pulling the lightweight tyres out and prepping the XC bike... and I may be riding the road bike up past closed ski lifts after work... but THAT makes me want to join you for a tour.
Keep up the good work
RC
Posted by: RC | March 19, 2011 at 11:07 PM