Today was one of those days that started out as a mellow ski tour and ended up as a bit of an epic. Nate, Chad, Colin, Rob, and I got off to a late start with our eyes on Memorial Couloir #2 on the East side of Mt Olympus. Unfortunately, somewhere in Neffs Canyon, we made a wrong turn and started up the wrong drainage. Luckily, it wasn’t anything that a whole lot of closely spaced kick turns, bootpacking, and a bushwacking-traverse over a ridge couldn’t solve.
Eventually, we ended up in the correct place and skinned our way up the couloir. At the top, we found ourselves looking down the Tolcats Couloir into the city below. It was just too much for Nate to come all that way and not ski it, so the two of us ripped skins and headed down until the skiing got bad and the bushes got thick. Then we skinned back to the saddle to meet up with the rest of the group.
Looking down Memorial Couloir #2, Nate and I had ourselves a GFI and made yet another new plan. We would ski most of the way down the couloir with Chad, Colin, and Rob. Then, while the rest of them skied out to the car, we would skin most of the way back up and over the ridge to Memorial Couloir #3. So, following a lot of skinning and a whole bunch of bootpacking, we were once again on top of another amazing looking line.
About half way down the line, there is a spot where it splits. The skier’s right is the #3 couloir, and to the left is #4. Not knowing this, we went left. The skiing stayed great, right up until the point where we got to a tree with some tat in it and knew that we were screwed. Not willing to downclimb a 15-foot cliff in ski boots, we put the skis back on the packs and booted up once again.
Eventually, we got to a spot where we could cross over to the #3 couloir and finish the ski out—tired, soaking wet, and wearing ear-to-ear smiles. If you’re trying to keep score, we basically skied 2/3rds of four separate couloirs, and didn’t actually finish any of them. But, we did get in 5400-feet of skiing and had ourselves a great day out. I’m so happy today wasn’t mellow.
Three steps and a kick turn was the name of the game for most of the approach.
Nate in the first of many bootpacking sections.
Chad getting deep in the bushwacking.
Chad and Colin finally in Memorial Couloir #2, and headed up.
Nate dropping in on Tolcats Couloir.
Colin riding Memorial Couloir #2.
Chad dropping in.
Chad falling over.
Nate headed over to Memorial Couloir #3.
Nate right before we decided to give up on skinning.
Nate on the day’s second bootpack.
Nate dropping in at the top of Couloir #3.
Nate ripping after things widened up.
After the split and right above the rappel in Memorial Couloir #4.
That’s not a good sign.
Bootpacking once again.
Back over to #3.
Skiing toward the city once again, but this time on the correct side of the mountain.
