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Conditions in the Y Couloir were pretty good yesterday so I thought it might help to post this extended conditions report...
Started up the road at 9am and after pulling a Forest Service truck out of the ditch near 12,000', I finally got to the summit and started my solo ski at 10:45. The couloir had a few inches of fresh powder deposited over the weekend and it hadn't crusted over due to cool, cloudy conditions. Not bad for Mid-May! While the ski was pretty mellow, I found some spicy climbing on my ascent through the (climber-left side) cliff bands.
Route: Pikes Peak, "Y Couloir" east branch Ski Rating: Advanced, D12 / R2 / II Climb Rating: Steep snow, class 3 scrambling required Ski Vertical: 1,900' Re-climb time: 3 hours (yup, I'm slow) Junked cars on route: 2
The north face from Woodland Park
Ski Descent
Top of the east branch Dropping in A Mid-May powder day Approaching the cliff bands The cliff bands (13,600') at the intersection of east and west Y branches. The wrecked car is center.
Lordhelmet mentioned it was easiest to exit left at the car and climb over to the west branch to continue the ski. Currently, this is the easiest way to bypass the cliffs. Exiting left over the rocks. The car is on the lower right. An easy, exposed scramble over the rocks separating the east and west branches Looking up the west branch after getting back on skis A look back at the ski from the cross-over Negotiating some rocks Another look at the continuous snow used to bypass the cliffs Back in the main couloir After passing the narrow section, below the cliff bands Heading to the bottom of the snow The OTHER wrecked car, at 12,200'
Climb
A look up from 12,300', the Railroad Couloir angles up to the left Booting back up Back in the Y Another look down Back to the narrow section, below the cliff bands Approaching the cliff bands A look down as I was climbing up through the cliffs on the climber-left side Near the wrecked car, looking over the cliffs Back near the top
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
I was surprised to see that fresh, untouched snow in there. I'd like to get back to it someday when there's enough snow to take some fun drops through those cliffs. With a big dump of snow, that section could be a blast!
Nice work, Bill! Looks like the conditions have drastically improved since I attempted it in April. I was beginning to wonder if it would ever fill in this spring, although the snowpack is still well below normal.
Looks like a good ski, even if the climb back was 5/18/2011 8:39pm
Dang - I look at Pike's North face every morning and I didn't think there was enough snow to be skiable. Your trip shows that it was skiable, but I was proabably right in that it was not skiable by me. Great pictures
JoeyJ, Ha - no, I'd much rather be cranking turns instead of riding it down on my ass, without an axe. Lisa is doing ok and going through the process. Today was a chemo day.
VR, plenty of snow and it may get more soon! Unless there's a lot more deposited soon, skiers will have to remove skis temporarily to negotiate the cliff band.
I like your mentioning of the junked cars, 2! Ha! For anyone not familiar with the cars up there, one would not expect to see that!
Certainly a shallow snowpack up there right now to see both cars too.
Nice report Bill.
Nice work out there Bill. I try to get that line every year. It's just so fun. Agree with the helmet, it could be longer. Besides it's an interesting mix up, how often do we get to ski first climb last. I never have actually eaten at the cafe.
I REALLY like that part of skiing Pikes. Maybe cuz I'm fat and slow. Maybe cuz I'm old and have asthma. Maybe cuz I climb plenty and really, really like to get to the skiing. Any way I look at it, skiing with fresh legs is my fav. Sure, it's a great feeling to climb to the ski but I've always been more of a skier than a climber.
It reminds me that the only way I'll probably ski Capitol is to heli-drop 1st, ski 2nd.
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Sure, it's a great feeling to climb to the ski but I've always been more of a skier than a climber. 