Couloir Shopping at Calvert Lakes

Coulior Shopping at Calvert Lakes, via Silas Canyon

Southern Windriver Mountain (Popo Agie Wilderness Area) Shoshone National Forest

February 25, 2006

Need I say more?

I will though...

I got up early Saturday and motored the Skidoo up the switchbacks (from Bruces) and on into Fiddlers Lake. From there I motored up the trail until I was on the wildnerness boundary below Silas Canyon. Slapped on the skins and went to work. Took me about an hour to rach Upper Silas Lake. The picture above is just before the lake. My objective was to explore some couliors up in the canyon on the right.

When I got close to the couloir I thought I was aiming for, a whole canyon of couliors opened up to right of them. It's a little pass that connects the Calvert Lakes area to Silas and Atlantic Canyon. Chalked full of nifty cracks.

Looking down the one I picked to drop. It was probably the easiest, and safest. I actually went higher and thought about the one next to it, but 45 degrees (no shit- had a slope meter), was too steep for me on ice- by myself.

Here a view of my skis from my pit. Had dig a pit on this one. New country, big ass steep open slope. It was about 40 degree where I dropped from and where my pit was. Pit test was green. Typical hard ass wind hammer snow pack. Was a bit of a slab on the surface, but it took and 3 shoulder wacks to bring it out. Plus I only got Q2s- maybe a Q1 once- did it three times to make sure. Last week though, it had heated up enough to drop a cornice on one of the other couloirs and cause a good wet slide. Wasn't hot enough for that today.

Here's a view of the upper most Calvert Lake (I guess-not sureif it has a name). Also Christina Lake and that cirque is in the background.

Wonder what 45 degrees looks like? Too much for me by myself. I down climbed and dropped the wide 4o degree slope.

Yup... was solo.

The Line.

Different angle of the the same line.

Yet another angle.

Here's one of about 6 couliors draining into this little canyon and lake. I dropped from all the way to right. It's the main, widest couloir.

Here's another one.

And yet a couple more. Spose anyone has dropped these? Doubt it. I better start thinking of names.

The chairlift.

Looking down Silas Canyon toward the backside of Cony Mountain.

Snuck a few more turns in on the way back to the machine.

This was actually the couloir I was hoping to speck out. Never made there though. I suspect there are a few more around this corner too. Guess I'll be spending more time in Silas Canyon this spring and summer.