The dirtbag RV splitboard crew is now stationed out in Rogers Pass for a few weeks. We arrived to some pretty tracked out crusty conditions, but luckily we got a few days of bluebird so we managed to go get up high and find some goods under very stable conditions.
The Swiss Peaks have been the forbidden fruit dangling in my face for the past 4 years. I have tried to get this couloir line twice in the past, but I was foiled both times by weather upon climbing to the glacier. This time was a different story!
Johanna climbing hermit meadows under Sifton (gotta ride this one day…):
Climbing the Swiss Glacier towards the peaks and the couloir in the middle:
Gavan and I decided the couloir was a go, so we donned our climbing gear and got our bootpack on. Snowboard mountaineering at it's finest!
After the toughest, most technical climb I've ever done, we finally reached the top. The snow was…well…crap for the top 60% of the couloir. This was more about the destination than the snow. The bottom had some amazing powder and we looked forward to that. But the top 60% of the couloir was a battle for our lives. The top pitch was approx 55 degrees, plus it was hard suncrust with a bit of dust on top – falling was not an option. The middle was a little more manageable, but still crusty. The bottom was glorious. The video can do the talking.
Sorry for the swearing – I was really amped up after surviving that thing. I realized from climbing and riding this line that it's amazing what you can push youreslf to do when falling is not an option. One of the heaviest lines I have ever done and I'm glad Gavan and I could push oureslves to do it!
