The Fall is Here

We can finally say goodbye to shorts and running shoes. It’s raining, but the fun of snow peaks out through blueberries and shrinking day length. A chill is in the morning air, a yellow tinge is sweeping through the canopy, and once again we can dream of winter.

That’s right, fall is here.

This is a time to reminisce on the past and dream of skiing. Tick lists evolve through failure, success, virtue, and vice. Dreams emerge from experience. So, I find myself reflecting on a few ski mountaineering lines from the days of yore. I can’t say why these lines floated into my mind’s wonderings, you tell me. 

Each line below is rightfully ‘classic’ (no secrets revealed), yet each also lacks appropriate fanfare IMHO. These lines rarely land on any sort of ‘top five’ list, provide relatively easy access, and involve something that makes them ‘ski mountaineering’ in my mind (glaciers, ropes, steeps, technical movement). I’ll try and share why these lines deserve space in my subconscious and a spot on this unlabeled listicle. For starters, each line here is a relatively short day trip (or less), with incredible bang-for-your-buck. Each line has impacted how I look at mountains in some way. Each line involves at least one component that requires what I would consider ski mountaineering skills. For the record, this is in no particular order and is not intended as a “best of” anything list. It’s just five lines worth sharing.

**Author’s note: I live in Anchorage, AK, and used to live in Leadville, CO. No surprise why these lines are in these two locations. Again, not a ‘top five’ or ‘best of’, just fun skiing….

Tony’s Nightmare, Officer’s Gulch

Officer’s Gulch is a stretch of the Mosquito Mountains along I-70 rightly known as an ice climbing area. Tony’s Nightmare is an ice climb. Depending on conditions, there are usually three ice steps, up to WI3+ at the steepest. Avalanche conditions are fickle; there is rarely good snow, and few skiers give this zone much of a look. That said, there is a wealth of superb fun to be had if you like swinging tools, but don’t want to walk down. The whole line is connected by great ski terrain. 

No route guide out there for skiers, but take a look at Mountain Project and wait for stable snow.

The Moonshine Couloir, Mt. Arkansas

The first time I skied this line, my friend Rohan asked if I wanted to go for a quick morning tour. I think I had to work at 9, so I said no, but then he said he did too, so I said yes.

A short drive from Leadville, where we both lived at the time, meant that this classic 13ner line was somehow still in the cards. As I recall, we met at 6 and made it to work just fine. The line is steep, the peak is high, the entrance is exposed, the descent is consistent fall line skiing, and the approach is short. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. 

A cool piece of the equation here is that the couloir sits on the Northeast side of Mt. Arkansas, facing a high ridge line between the 14ers of the 10-mile Mosquito Range. The road is on the opposite side. This makes the Moonshine feel still hidden in a dark holler–a bit of magic when you round the corner and find the line. 

Here’s a great write-up from Ted Mahon. 

North Face, Pioneer Peak

Pioneer Peak looms over Palmer in Southcentral Alaska. This line is huge.

It’s 6500 ft of steep skiing with several technical steps of water ice and easy mixed climbing. So, what’s the catch? There is no approach. No, I do not mean that there is like a short approach- there is no approach. You park, walk across the street, and you are at the bottom of the line. 

I have only skied this one once and managed to seriously underestimate the undertaking. I let the roadside-attraction-quality of Pioneer lull me into a false sense of ease, only to bonk hard as we topped out the face long after I depleted my measly ration of gummy bears and a quarter liter of water. Lesson learned. We also brought a 50m rope that had been cut a couple times, leaving maybe 45m… finding the line in dry-ish conditions, this was about 15m short… spicy. 

Pioneer definitely earns consideration as a true big dog ski mountaineering classic.

North Face, Pastoral Peak

This is a Turnagain Pass ultra classic. It’s in the heart of the pass, you can often skin to the top, and it’s not super steep compared to the rest of this list. But it still requires crossing a small glacier and moving up a rimed ridge to top out on one of the pass’s highest peaks. I love this tour. 

I once motored up Pastoral as fast as I could on little skis in 2 hours. I have also slow-rolled the Pastoral glacier over a long day, taking in the views. It feels high and alpine, the turns are fun, the terrain is beautiful, and the approach keeps the riff-raff out. 

Some great route info on Billy Finley’s blog.

Northwest chutes, Flattop

Flattop is the nose of Chugach State Park, rising above Anchorage and offering the most common hike for anyone in the Park. It’s a straightforward trail rising only about 1,500 feet to spectacular views. 

Just down the ridge from Flattop, Peak 2 and Peak 3 see the most ski traffic, offering residents our closest proxy to a resort ski (though still very much backcountry). Lou Dawson’s 54-Classic Ski Descents of North America lists Flattop. It’s the most obvious run above town.  Note here that Lou lists the west-facing bowl, which is the “standard line,” but the two steep Northwest couloirs add a super steep entrance, optional scrambling on the up, and a full-value feeling to this already classic local spot. It’s a short approach to genuine, interesting, steep skiing. 

Locals will balk at me for calling this ‘ski mountaineering’ – I admit, this one is on the line, but these couloirs on the Northwest face can involve belayed ski cuts midwinter, crampons, and a surprising bag of tricks for their location.