Thread: Coalpit Headwall-The Wasatch Gem

Coalpit Headwall, not in June, but four years ago in March. I wish I was still doing this in June.

Spanky slides scanned on my old, dusty, shitty scanner.

Coalpit Headwall is visible at the head of LCC Canyon from SLC. It stairs at you like a waiting mermaid until you finally slog up to it. Finding safe conditions is the crux. Prevailing winds load this puppy up with a hair weight trigger to slide.

We booted 3,000ft up the 'Y' Couloir and then up the spur ridge to the left side of Coalpit Headwall for a total of about 5,000 verts. At the top of Coalpit, you are also at the start of the Hypodermic Needle Couloir that drops into Maybird. So out of water and exhausted, we couldn't resist. We skied the 2k or so down the 'Needle' then booted back up it to ski Coalpit.
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...9/normal_5.jpg

Hiking up ridge. Pheiff in background.
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...9/normal_9.jpg


Starting down the 'Needle'. NW Couloir of Pfeifferhorn visible on the peak in the back.
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...9/normal_4.jpg

Back at the top of Coalpit. Kicking cornices to enter.
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...9/normal_6.jpg

Some folks came over after a descent of the Pfeiff and joined us in cornice kicking.
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...9/normal_1.jpg

Looking up at the entrance turns. Steep at the top, then mellows.
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...9/normal_3.jpg

Midway down. You can see the SLC valley in the background. Views like this while you are skiing makes it all worth it. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to be in sight of the 'Temple' while carving Coalpit.
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...9/normal_8.jpg

Friend showing tired legs after about 3500ft of turns and 1500ft more to go. The final 1500 or so down the Hogum gully are pretty tiring, but fun. Sort of like a half pipe for 1000 feet. Good to have about 100ft. of rope for the short rap over the waterfall at the bottom, right before the talus.
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...9/normal_7.jpg

Linking the Hypodermic Needle (visible when driving down LCC Canyon) with Coalpit Headwall yields about 7k of vert. Plenty of exercise to justify sucking down beer and burritos afterwards.

Next week...............Another Wasatch Classic............Stairs Gulch.

Dude, your TRs are hands-down tops.

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...9/normal_8.jpg

nice

me and stash gonna have sum fun wit you when you make it back here

Sweet! My mouth is watering right now.

Originally posted by tibaher
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...9/normal_8.jpg

Yeah, but it gives the pics an old-school nostalgic feel. Either way, this pic is badass. Thanks again Trackhead for yet another sweet TR.

Zactly!

incredible!! those pics are awesome. I'll have to say that you got my hopes up for a sec when I read the thread title, for some reason I thought this might be from a very recent outing, still very very cool though. hypodermic, coalpit, and the Y are all on my list for sure. thanks for the stoke.

Have you skied everything in the Wasatch?

You're a machine.

Definitely sick.

Originally posted by powderwhore:
Have you skied everything in the Wasatch?

Not even close.

Not being a Wasatch local anymore is making it more difficult to hit the right conditions, etc. for the desired list....

Some nemesis' of mine

1. Twin: Lisa Falls-N. Face of Twin-SW Face of twin.
2. Grunge on Timp from the summit. West Face of anything on Timp.
3. Damn near anything in the Uintas.
4. East Couloir on Lone Peak (I think Xover was near it this spring).
5. E. Face of Monte Cristo to the road.
6. And the grand daddy nemesis-Storm Mtn west face from the summit. And some cool east face lines down to Stairs Gulch.

I don't like SLC, but I sure miss the Wasatch.

Originally posted by Xover
nice

me and stash gonna have sum fun wit you when you make it back here

The man speaks truth.

Great TR Track! You should start a web site - www.trackheadtr.com and put all your adventurous TR's on there.

Originally posted by Trackhead


West Face of anything on Timp.

This is probably the only line you haven't done that I have. A great ski for sure. Skied it from near the top of the "Everest Ridge" (west ridge) that leads to just east of the summit. Mrs. Powstash watched through binoculars as me and a buddy nailed this during a Feb high pressure system about 5 years ago. It stayed overcast so it was bullet proof most of the way. Almost took the slide for life. The wippet saves all.

Skied almost all the way down to the mouth of Dry Canyon. It was a short 30 min walk back to the car. Almost 5k vert in all. If you hit it right and could ski back to the car, it's around 6000K vert