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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Eastern Block, CO
    Posts
    65

    TR: Longs Peak(14,255'), Notch Couloir 5.30.08

    We left the Longs Peak Trailhead at 3:30am and hiked in sneakers above treeline to the chasm cutt-off. Here we got our first view of the objective: the couloir that drops down from the obvious notch and traverses lookers left across Broadway to Lambs Slide, which is hidden from view(in the shadow).


    Some approach shots:




    The nice rib of rock is called the Flying Buttress(5.9) and the Dreamweaver Couloir is hidden in the cleft to the left.


    View from Chasm Lake.


    Skinning across Chasm Lake(11,800'). The snow on the approach was smooth and frozen.


    Looking up Lambs Slide.


    Looking down Lambs Slide.


    Looking up at the Lower East Face and Diamond from Lambs Slide. The nice tower-looking buttress is called the Teeter Totter Pillar(5.8). The Notch Couloir is just right of this feature.


    We climbed most of the way up Lambs Slide, then traversed right across Broadway to gain the bottom of the couloir.

    Starting the traverse across Broadway. Upper Lambs Slide catching some sun.




    IH leading across Broadway. We used two 60-meter ropes and brought a thin rack of rock-protection. We simul-climbed the whole route, stopping a few times to re-rack.


    IH traversing Broadway.


    Here we caught up to a CMS guide and client. We passed them at the bottom of the couloir. The guide turned out to be a friend of ours and was nice enough to take some photos of us.


    Looking back onto Broadway from where the couloir starts.


    The three of us climbing the couloir.


    Switching over the lead before the choke.


    Climbing the couloir.


    Looking down the crux choke.


    Topping out at the Notch.


    KiltMan topping out, Chasm Lake below.


    We decided against going to the summit for a variety of reasons. Take your pick:
    A) It was 12:30 and the snow was getting soft.
    B) All three of us have already skied from the summit via The North Face and have climbed the Diamond many, many times.
    C) We were pooped and wanted to ski.
    D) Climbing/skiing to and from the summit from the top of the Notch is fairly trivial and very time-consuming.
    E) All of the above.

    (A proper summit ski would involve downclimbing the other side of the Notch for about 150', then following the Homestretch to the summit)

    IH dropping in on the Notch Couloir with some awesome exposure.






    Kiltman making some turns near the top. Skiing with ropes on is a pain in the neck, so we made KiltMan go in the middle and get stuck with two!


    KiltMan contemplating an icy section between some rocks on the upper snowfield about 100' below the top of the Notch.


    Skiing down to the choke. Although the temps were getting warm, the entire couloir is in a deep cleft and only gets sun for a few hours in the morning so everything stayed nice and firm.


    We contemplated downclimbing vs. rappelling the crux choke. Since we were feeling behind on time, a rappel would be faster.

    Rappelling the choke. On a perfect year, this could get skied completely...but bring some short skiis!


    After the rappel, we skied the rest of the couloir in the same fashion we climbed it: all three of us were roped together and skiing at the same time with a few pieces of gear between us.



    We considered the ropes mandatory, as the steep couloir ends abruptly at a 800-foot cliff called the Lower East Face.


    KiltMan at the bottom of the couloir; the Lower East Face is right below him. Even with the ropes, we were looking at large, unprotected traverses above some massive exposure.


    Skiing back across Broadway. Broadway only sees the sun for a few hours in the morning and was actually more firm on our way out.


    The final traverse off Broadway, photo taken from Lambs Slide. We had already shouldered our ropes...maybe a little too early.


    Skiing out of Lambs Slide, which had some of the best skiing on the route. The apron down to Chasm Lake had some nice corn as well.


    One last look at the "Big D" and Notch Couloir on the way out.


    We made it back to the car at 6:30. We all had a blast skiing such an exposed and exhilarating line only an hour from home.
    Last edited by Ivana Huckalot; 09-14-2008 at 12:42 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Posts
    711
    FKNA!!
    sweet line
    +1000pts for skiing roped

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Was UT, AK, now MT
    Posts
    13,494
    Nice outing.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Dystopia
    Posts
    21,053
    wow. nice work.
    serious exposure for sure.
    . . .

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Posts
    415
    holy SHIT, this is the craziest thing ive seen here so far, you've really got balls man

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Way down in the Hole
    Posts
    1,419
    Sweet Baby Jesus!!!

    What a sick line!! The exposure... holy shit... no words...
    Skiing, whether you're in Wisconsin or the Alps, is a dumbass hick country sport that takes place in the middle of winter on a mountain at the end of a dirt road.
    -Glen Plake

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    cb, co
    Posts
    5,034
    That's some good stuff there, 008.
    Last edited by goldenboy; 05-31-2008 at 02:34 PM.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Hokkaido
    Posts
    1,301
    I soiled myself just reading the title.

    I boiled my thermometer, and sure enough, this spot, which purported to be two thousand feet higher than the locality of the hotel, turned out to be nine thousand feet LOWER. Thus the fact was clearly demonstrated that, ABOVE A CERTAIN POINT, THE HIGHER A POINT SEEMS TO BE, THE LOWER IT ACTUALLY IS. Our ascent itself was a great achievement, but this contribution to science was an inconceivably greater matter.

    --MT--

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Home in the Highcountry
    Posts
    477


    An Evolutionary Rider

    www.PeaksforPeace.com

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Chamonix/Franconia, NH
    Posts
    1,492
    Fine TR!

    Nice to see more technical ascent/descents!

    So, did you belay the skiers while roped skiing?

    Any special techniques or tricks for the roped skiing?

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Here
    Posts
    684
    Wow, another SOLID Longs TR. I really like the route. Those early morning pics of the diamond remind me of my non-skiing exploits of Longs. Thanks for the stoke!

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    north of north
    Posts
    712
    Epic skiing, very nice

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Da burgh
    Posts
    2,664
    christ man, thats a crazy crazy line. congrats.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    2,352
    sick, i guess thats some exposure for ya

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    on the mountian
    Posts
    1,409

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Denver, Co.
    Posts
    1,422
    Nice one. Id love to climb that route sometime, going down it though, no thanks!

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Colyrady
    Posts
    3,781
    Burly.

    How was the snow holding up yesterday afternoon?

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    The in-between
    Posts
    941
    F.

    K.

    N.

    A.

    Shut your eyes and think of somewhere. Somewhere cold and caked with snow.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    Golden
    Posts
    6,383

    Lightbulb

    Whaaaaaaaaaaat.
    Drive slow, homie.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Teton Village
    Posts
    113
    Awesome.
    'cast the future past'

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Madison Park, Seattle
    Posts
    1,226
    that was sick. good job.
    Top of the Food Chain for White Trash America

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Denver
    Posts
    2,054
    Fucking sweet line
    Last edited by KillingCokes; 05-31-2008 at 09:30 PM.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    denver
    Posts
    1,863
    killer descent

  24. #24
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    489
    Nutty...

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Your Mom's House
    Posts
    8,296
    Damn.
    Talk about a no fall zone.
    Very, very well done.
    I don't think I ever need to ski something like that.

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