Cascade Peak Couloirs

It's been a great week for skiing, starting with cold temps and nice powder, and now ending with spring like conditions.  We've taken advantage of our available time and today was no different.  Trying to squeeze in another pilgrimage to the county, we set our sights on one of the couloirs on the south end of Cascade Peak.  

Jim Knight has recommended the Upper Pole Couloir but for convenience it was going to have to wait for another day as it was the farthest from our starting point at the mouth of Rock Canyon.  From the outset, we were pleased that there was still snow from the parking lot and made quick work of the approach to the base of the Grr Couloir.  With the recent warm temps and expected high in the 50s today, we were concerned about the possibility of ongoing wet activity. 

Tom and Jason approaching the Grr Couloir

Then we pulled into the mouth of the thing and saw that the warm March sun had already done it's work.  Happily, was threw our skis on our backs and hiked up the frozen debris.  

Best snow on earth

Tom, Jason, and Layne

Tom nearing the top of the couloir.  

The chute was longer than it looked from the approach at the top of Rock Canyon.  Somewhere along the way, we all guessed how much farther we had to climb.  For the record, Layne was the closest with his guess of 700 feet (out of maybe 2500 total?).

Layne near the top of the Grr

Then, as seems to happen in Utah County, Jason let his fashion sense run wild.  He pulled out these fine women's glasses, added big gloves, and took off his jacket.

JD, happy as can be in his ladies googles

Then, it deteriorated into shirtless mountain climbing.  With our unusually cold winter, I think we have become more acclimated than usual to sub freezing temperatures.  With strong sun, still air, and warm weather, we were all a little fried.

I don't know if he's scratching his brow or hanging his head in shame

At the top of the Grr, there are still maybe 500-1000 vertical feet of climbing to reach the summit ridge. We took a couple detours to avoid some rotten snow and scrambled an icy choke and pulled some high alpine boulder moves.

Jason tries not to bomb loose rock on Tom and Layne

Topping out the V0 ridge move

From there it was easy skinning to a bump on the ridge that we think was the South Summit.  We snapped some pics and came to the consensus that skiing the Grr would be a horrible idea.  Instead, we opted for the South Summit Couloir (?) and ventured into the unknown.

Tom and Jason high on Cascade

Tom Goth on the South Summit with Freedom and Provo Peaks in the background

Our main concern was of course that the our new descent plan was flawed in a major way.  There is a massive eroding cliff band that barricades much of the lower western aspect of Cascade Peak.  Some guy drew a line on a topo map that we found online so we figured it should go...

If not, our wives, children, and employers would not be happy.

Tom Goth skiing the greatest snow on earth with Mount Timpanogos in the background

A little more Tom

As we descended, the snow of the upper bowel gave way to a narrower, icier, and steeper pitch with enclosing walls of warm rock.  Jason was out front shouting something about how he wasn't sure of something.  Not waiting to find out, I skirted to the skier's left and picked my way through the cliff bands to emerge underneath his position.  Jason, Tom, and Layne persisted in a game of whippet assisted side stepping until they too were through the difficulties.  Well, Jason and Tom did.  Layne didn't have a whippet so his experience was likely more memorable, plus he was on race skis and he forgot his helmet.  I almost felt bad for him and almost lent him a whippet earlier in the day.  In the end, I was glad to have both.  

Jason emerges from the icy choke

Jason, debris, the lower South Summit Couloir, and Utah Lake

Tom finishing up

Tom, a runnel, and some very firm snow

Tom, some debris, and some very nice snow

JD heading home

Once everyone was out of the chute, we traversed hard skier's left to try and get back to the road and the trail out of Rock Canyon.  After a little bushwhacking and hiking without skins (not needed if there's no wax on your skis and the snow is warm and the slope minimal), we found ourselves skiing the foot of another debris pile back into Rock Canyon.

1500 feet of luge style skiing ensued with hopefully only a few children and BYU students getting scared.

Tom and a nice young family

I think Layne was happy to be done in time to relive his wife from the kids so she could go running with mine.

It was another great day in the county.  5500 feet of skiing, excited company, and spring weather tend to leave me quit content...for a few days at least.

Stuff I used...
Scarpa Alien 1.0 boots
Ski Trab Maestro skis, Race Helmet, Nordic Race Gloves and Sport Evo Jacket
BD Whippets
Outdoor Research Radiant Hybrid Hoody