Jade Lake Couloir Collecting

Jade Lake Couloir Collecting

Shoshsone NF, Absaroka Range, Jade Lakes Area

December 3rd, 2006

Matt enjoys a Tootsie Pop for breakfast while taking in the scenery. It took him 13 licks to get to the center.

Our initial objective was the couloir in the background behind Matt. I've spent a couple of days this year exploring this area. I'm not sure it gets much backcountry ski traffic. In fact, I'm not sure if anyone has ever skied this couloir before. As prominant as it is (can be seen from highway) it's difficult to believe that no one has ever attempted it. It's also fairly close to a major Guest Lodge/ Dude Ranch. Either way, our crew was game for taking a look at it. We won't claim firsts though, maybe not yet anyway. The conditions seemed to be favorable. The snow was stable, the cornices were still small, and it was pretty cold. Seemed like a great day for climbing a couloir!

After theTootsie Pop break we decided to make a run for the main couloir. Matt, Brad and Nick plow across a meadow, towards the monster.

The crew gets closer to the base of the main couloir. I'll call it the Jade Lake Couloir, the main one.

Looking up the main couloir from bottom.

"Yikes, the choke looks tight- maybe too tight!", someone said. "Hhhmmm, should we do it?", expressed another. The snow was bomber solid, more like ice. Those round spots... they are boot tracks, after kicking a few times. Matt wasn't eager about trying out his new, big, fat powder skis on cement-like snow. Brad and Nick weren't too optomistic about skiing a 1000 feet of 40 to 60 degree ice either. Things weren't look good. "Let's go take a look at the choke and see just how tight it is, before we bail." I hollered, as I headed up with my Atomic ice skates strapped on my pack.

When I got to the choke, I couldn't climb up it. Probably a good indication that skiing down it wasn't gonna happen, at least for me. We decided to scratch it (almost literally) and save this couloir for another day, when it's filled in more and the snow is softer. Bummer. So what do you do when the first couloir doesn't work out?

Find another one.

Which is just what we did. Here's a view of the next couloir we decided to take stab at. I'll dub it the Jade Lake Diagonal Couloir (JLDC), just for the purpose of keeping track.

Looking up the throat of the JLDC.

The whole crew decides they can hack this one. Though the snow isn't too much better, but the angle is more forgiving.

About a third of the way into the Jade Lake Diagonal Couloir.

A view of Nick, from a couple of perspectives as he nears the top of the Jade Lake Diagonal Couloir. Nick left his skis near the middle of the couloir. It wasn't steep enough for him to bother packing skis up. He decided to show us up by launching the couloir "Otter style".... belly down, head first, straight line. Crazy bugger! Ha!

Shad out of the JLDC and top, with Breccia in the background. I needed skis. I decided I "otter" not go "Otter style". Too insane for me! Need more practice I guess.

Matt schralps it up, down the JLDC, riding a pair of snow boards!

After we got out of the couloir it was nothing but powder! Perfect for Matt's tandem surf boards.

After Matt threw down his line, I decided to get creative with mine. Maybe next time we'll try writing something or drawing a picture. Ha!

A view of the JLDC apron from distance with our lines decorating it.

One little, two little, three little... powder hogs? Something like that. Brad shreds it up!

After skiing the JLDC and apron, we scooted over to a bigger apron and tore it up- twice! It was shaded though, so the pictures aren't as impressive.

None the less, it was a trophy run and a terrific day!

When I got home that night, Tallulah showed me the turns that she'd been working on.

She rocks!

Literally.