Cristo Couloir

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123tqb
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Cristo Couloir

Post by 123tqb »

Does anyone know if Cristo Couloir is in at the moment? I'm going to be up on Quandary this Sunday and thought it might be good to get a later start, instead of skiing the East Bowl.
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SchralpTheGnar
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Re: Cristo Couloir

Post by SchralpTheGnar »

I’d wait, lots of recent snow up here will have that still pretty slabby, and more snow in the forecast, you’d probably want a good couple of weeks of freeze thaw to set up nicely, but there is snow in it. Of course I haven’t been in it this year but have skied it a few times so that’s just from past experience
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Re: Cristo Couloir

Post by 123tqb »

Ok that's good to know. I think our plan is to check it out while we're up there, but East Bowl is definitely a good backup to have.
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Re: Cristo Couloir

Post by Jorts »

It was REALLY warm today. Bet it'll be completely locked up tmrw AM. And I'm pretty sure winds today were out of the SW minimizing new loading. 3+ inches overnight and it could be pretty decent if the snow bonds well. Or it could be terrifying dust on crust.

Good luck! Let us know what you observe.
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Re: Cristo Couloir

Post by BillMiddlebrook »

123tqb wrote: Sat Mar 20, 2021 3:36 pm Ok that's good to know. I think our plan is to check it out while we're up there, but East Bowl is definitely a good backup to have.
How do you plan to “check it out while we’re up here?”

It’s not a swing-by while hiking the east ridge. You’re either on the Cristo Couloir route or not. If you go there, be careful and turn around I’m if conditions are dangerous
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Re: Cristo Couloir

Post by 123tqb »

I'm hoping to find a good test slope on the right aspect while up near the summit, but if that doesn't exist I'll be perfectly content to ski the East Bowl. I do appreciate the concern however! The day I decide to turn around is never a bad day.
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Re: Cristo Couloir

Post by justiner »

(may be better to ski what you climb up)
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Re: Cristo Couloir

Post by Jorts »

You can drop in on the skiers left top without fully committing and see whats going on with the snowpack. Probe around and feel it out. Easy bootpack back to the ridge if you don't like it. There's really no test slope. The lower coolies are more dangerous than cristo.
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Re: Cristo Couloir

Post by 123tqb »

I'll go check that area out for sure, at this point just because I'm curious to check out the snowpack for later this season! I'm getting the feeling that the East Bowl is gonna be the way to go tomorrow, I'll update after I'm up there! Thanks everyone for the advice.
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Re: Cristo Couloir

Post by BillMiddlebrook »

Jorts wrote: Sat Mar 20, 2021 9:06 pm You can drop in on the skiers left top without fully committing and see whats going on with the snowpack.
You'd only be able to get a small bit of information in that area since that upper section gets scoured, not loaded, by the wind. To get a better understanding of what's going on in the couloir, the skier would have to descend to 13,900', below the rock band.
123tqb wrote: Sat Mar 20, 2021 8:36 pm I'm hoping to find a good test slope on the right aspect while up near the summit, but if that doesn't exist I'll be perfectly content to ski the East Bowl. I do appreciate the concern however! The day I decide to turn around is never a bad day.
As I said above, you'd need to drop a good distance to the south since there wouldn't be a representative test area near the summit. If you're willing do descend a few hundred feet and re-climb if necessary, that's the best way to go.
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Re: Cristo Couloir

Post by gb »

justiner wrote: Sat Mar 20, 2021 9:00 pm (may be better to ski what you climb up)
Nah. Why expose yourself to rockfall and avalanche hazards for 2-3 hours when there is an extremely safe route to the top elsewhere? Much better to only be exposed for a short time on the descent IMO. Plus Cristo is super easy to climb back out of if you don't like what you're seeing.
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Re: Cristo Couloir

Post by 123tqb »

Update: my party didn't end up skiing Cristo, but from what I could tell there was a soft wind slab that seemed to be bonding really well. I believe it could be safely skiable within the next two weeks or so as long as it doesn't get super loaded. We happened to ski the East Bowl today, and the snow was great on the upper portion. A little bit of dust on crust, but supportive enough to be able to carve. I had a great day, thanks for all the advice everyone!
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