Skiing a Peak: What it takes

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Scary_Canary
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Re: Skiing a Peak: What it takes

Post by Scary_Canary »

bergsteigen wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 6:53 am
If you take a photo of the ski route and you show a resort skier - hey look at the peak I skied! Would they a) laugh and say that’s not even remotely skiable, or b) say that’s cool! When taken on the overall, this is what all the grey area means: it was a peak that looks skiable to a reasonably informed audience. A patch of snow on the side of a hill will get laughed at. How exactly do you strictly define that into “strict rules”? You can’t.

So unfortunately there will never be strict criteria. It will be up to the skiers discretion. BUT if they end up skiing all the ranked 14ers and want to tell the community about it, there will be questions if you skied 100’ patch of snow on the side of a peak! Will my friend chide me of side stepping 3’? Sure. Will everyone else? Doubtful
Im sorry haha, you wont take the opinions of an average hikeneer into this discussion, but lets bring a resort skiiers opinion of a picture, and call them reasonably informed. They dont even hike. I don't mean to sound like an ass, but no way will I assume they are reasonably informed just by means of slidey sticks.

There will never be a strict criteria, that is very obvious! :lol:
However, my point is there doesnt seem to be a consensus amongst you guys even on what a base of "generally accepted" critera is; other than from the summit.
Even that is its own shade of grey. This is sounding like a certain novel? So, here we go.
" Of course I climbed to the exact summit of every peak as that’s an important component of claiming a ski descent. In ski mountaineering tradition, one usually doesn’t say they skied a peak unless they climb it to the summit" -Dawson. Touching it with a trekking pole counts too tho, scaredy skiiers, I know. 50 shades of Dawson's Grey.
"Perhaps what’s most important to me is qualifying my claims based on those who came before me" there was no way I was going to say I ‘skied’ *insert peak here* unless my style matched (or exceeded) the style of the other descents that came before me. 50 shades darker. Again, if someone has since skiied El D from the summit, it seems from there on, you should now have to wait for it to be in to ski it? Or can we downclimb slightly still? Since the 58 has been done, in the spirit of Dawson, sould that not be the new standard? Or do you just choose not to follow that part of his style for what ever reason? Sticking to the 54 instead. I'm only going of what I read. 50 shades freed. I'm just the young grasshopper here trying to learn from. Forgive me for the questions, but this is what this thread is about yeah? Clarification. I know I'm coming off a little hard here, for that I apologize. I feel that the more I dig the less I finding, the more were told theres no real hard rules. But we have to still abide by these vastly grey areas.

Everything seems to be a grey area here tho, even when its not. So why get so up in arms? It
Even trying to do things in the "spirit of Dawson's rules" but seemingly going directly against it is ok. Shoveling snow to the summit, because they were late to the show...snow.
Do you people in the "older generation" not see the gross contradictions in literally everything that has been said in this thread? But so hard pressed on making sure everyone is following in lock step with what you say.


But what do I know, I'm just part of this pesky younger generation trying to understand the weird, vague rules set forth. Foolish me. Ive only left this with more questions than answers.
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Jorts
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Re: Skiing a Peak: What it takes

Post by Jorts »

Trolling again? Otina, just cause I called out your inconsistency with your OP (e.g. average snow year versus waiting years for a line; true summit ski versus hiking down a little as would be required for certain lines like Sunlight on an average snow year) doesn't mean you're being trolled. It's seeking clarification.

And that's why I asked which line counts. I'm not the one who would bring attention to someone for not meeting MY personal standards when deciding to check a box.

Anyway, I was genuinely curious. It's definitely all somewhat arbitrary, but I was just thinking that, yeah - both Quandary and Holy Cross are good examples where there are easy summit skis adjacent to more legit lines. Made me wonder if someone could ski all the pedestrian runs... like Holy Cross's ridge instead of the Cross and still justifiably check the box or if you and the small community pursuing summit skis from all 14ers would call them out for it.
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Re: Skiing a Peak: What it takes

Post by SchralpTheGnar »

You can just ask me and I’ll tell you if it counts or not.
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Re: Skiing a Peak: What it takes

Post by bergsteigen »

SchralpTheGnar wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:58 am You can just ask me and I’ll tell you if it counts or not.
Couldn’t agree more. I abdicate all decision making authority to Schralp henceforth immediately!
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Re: Skiing a Peak: What it takes

Post by gb »

Jorts wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:19 am So with regards to a summit ski, is it supposed to be a particular line? For example, on Quandary you could ski Cristo, Quandary Couloir or the east bowls. Each without taking skis off, each over 1000 ft. Would any of those options count? Only the two steep spring lines?? Only the popular Cristo and not Quandary even though Quandary is the steeper ski?
Now you're really stirring the pot. After I finished skiing them all I even went through them all and came up with a "best descent" list on my website for shits and giggles. So for instance someone would wait for conditions and ski the very cool looking SW face on Blanca instead of the standard N face. And ski Oxford as a totally separate mountain instead of just combining it with Belford with a pretty non-descript route as is usually done. N face of Culebra for sure. To be clear, I wasn't trying to be judge and juror, I just thought it was fun to think about what the "best line" might be.

And then there's Sneffels. The money line is definitely the Snake or it's longer brother which I won't name. But then you're rapping off the top- so do you count it even though the lower quality (but still good) Birthday chutes go right off the top? I've done both so I'm covered, but it still brings up an interesting discussion point. Lou and I traded a few emails over this one :)
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Re: Skiing a Peak: What it takes

Post by jmanner »

Lets talk about the fact Lou Dawson isn't even the undisputed "first" to ski them all... The other guy just moved home to Minnesota and didn't feel like doing battle with Lou.
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Re: Skiing a Peak: What it takes

Post by RestlessLegSyndrome »

jmanner wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 9:43 am Lets talk about the fact Lou Dawson isn't even the undisputed "first" to ski them all... The other guy just moved home to Minnesota and didn't feel like doing battle with Lou.
I would be interested to learn more about this. Kinda reminds me of the Jason Ivanic story in relation to Chris Davenport: https://www.summitdaily.com/news/14ers- ... -them-all/
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Re: Skiing a Peak: What it takes

Post by lodgling »

gb wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 9:41 am
And then there's Sneffels. The money line is definitely the Snake or it's longer brother which I won't name. But then you're rapping off the top- so do you count it even though the lower quality (but still good) Birthday chutes go right off the top? I've done both so I'm covered, but it still brings up an interesting discussion point. Lou and I traded a few emails over this one :)
In my mind, any self-respecting 14er skier does all three lines on Sneffels, Castle and Torreys. So far I am 2/3 on Sneffels and Castle and 1/3 on Torreys.
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Re: Skiing a Peak: What it takes

Post by jmanner »

lodgling wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 10:46 am
gb wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 9:41 am
And then there's Sneffels. The money line is definitely the Snake or it's longer brother which I won't name. But then you're rapping off the top- so do you count it even though the lower quality (but still good) Birthday chutes go right off the top? I've done both so I'm covered, but it still brings up an interesting discussion point. Lou and I traded a few emails over this one :)
In my mind, any self-respecting 14er skier does all three lines on Sneffels, Castle and Torreys. So far I am 2/3 on Sneffels and Castle and 1/3 on Torreys.
I’ve done 2/3 of Torreys twice each, does that count? Personally Tunning Fork always looks so “blah” once you get to the top and look down the other two.
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Re: Skiing a Peak: What it takes

Post by Jorts »

gb wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 9:41 am To be clear, I wasn't trying to be judge and juror, I just thought it was fun to think about what the "best line" might be.

And then there's Sneffels. The money line is definitely the Snake or it's longer brother which I won't name. But then you're rapping off the top- so do you count it even though the lower quality (but still good) Birthday chutes go right off the top?
Dig the "best line" concept. Always thought the Snake looked like the one on Sneffels.
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Re: Skiing a Peak: What it takes

Post by rijaca »

Can you claim a ski descent if you didn't climb the peak?
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Re: Skiing a Peak: What it takes

Post by Scary_Canary »

So, this thread in review.

"It has come to my attention that the younger generation is unaware of what it takes to ski a peak"
"This is a PSA!"
-Bergsteigen

"What does it take to ski a peak?"
-Younger Generation [-o< :bow:

12 pages later....

"No one is going to agree on everything."
"How exactly do you strictly define that into “rules”? You can’t."

So we need to follow what rules exactly?
Oh, right. Dawson's! But, we can also bend those to our liking.

"So unfortunately there will never be strict criteria. It will be up to the skiers discretion." ](*,)

Ok, but these rules you speak of? The ones we need to follow? Yes, the RULES of ski mountaineering! The rules of ski mountaineering we need to follow that we have asked for? Cusco's poison.
"I abdicate all decision making authority to Schralp henceforth immediately!"

Thanks for the PSA! This was a gigantic waste of time.
The risk I took was calculated, but I'm terrible at math.
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