Corn, not just for cobbs. 4/24 and 4/26

[tone capone]

Got to ski a couple nice lines during a good corn cycle here this week. Corn skiing where I'm at doesn't seem to pan out as planned very often, but I got lucky a couple times this week.

On Friday night a good freeze was forecast, so I got a couple hours sleep after work and got up at 5:00 to meet my buddy Zed to try and ski the 2000' Southeast Face of Naya Nuki in good corn before it melted out. It's a huge bowl at the top but the bottom is a bunch of slanted rock that doesn't hold snow for long in the spring. You see this face everyday as you pull into the paring lot at Bridger, so naturally I had to eventually ski it. It's Sacagawea's twin summit, also containing "The Great One" on the opposite side.

At Sunrise:



A couple other views:



with our route up the east ridge:



Some bushwacking put us at the east ridge just in time for it to start warming up. A cloud had kept the face cool during approach, and now we were able to skin and boot quickly up the in what was becoming perfect corn.
Wish I too a few more pics but progress was steady.

Zed with the Great One entrance to the left and the Crazies in the background:



The way down:



Zed's first time on his 190 explosivs.



Hard to get a good perspective on such terrain, also hard to wanna stop for pics. I stopped just above the rollover to snap a few pics of Zed ripping the corn as he nears the bottom of the upper bowl.













After that I dodged a few rocks to the bottom and snapped a few more of Zed as he skied down towards the "catchers mitt" rock slant at the bottom of the face. It really looks like the line dead ends as your skiing out the bottom there.







Woo hoo! after only a couple turns in some debris, the runout was awesome corn again.







I was really stoked to ski some consistent corn on a line like that. So much fun, gotta make another trip in there sometime. Back to work Saturday night!

Can't really see our tracks, oh well.

[tone capone]

So on Sunday night, I was not really planning anything, but then I checked the forecast when I got home only to find another good freeze in the forecast. I got my stuff ready, got up at 5:00, and struck out over the land solo. (Hard to find motivated partners right now).

What will I ski today? So many choices:







Not alone:



After climbing up a north facing gully, I topped out on a ridge which got me within a short level walk to the bottom of some nice lines.

North facing options one ridge over:



A nasty wet slab cycle occurred throughout the range the week before during a heat wave that ended in a heavy thunderstorm. No basin was spared the destruction and many choice lines ripped out in hideous ground gouging fashion. I love avalanches. Especially when I'm not there when they happen.



This one ripped out the whole couloir on the midwinter facets then stepped down to the ground:



Walked on up the basin to see the Southeast Face of the Arrowhead looking pretty good. Always wanted to check that one out. I could tell that the choke had runnelled out but that the face and the apron were looking smooth. I opted to boot up a mellower slope at the head of the basin and then walk up scree slopes on the west side. (No crampons)



This view of that line always makes me want to go up there and see what it's about:



Another wet slab from last week. Others were much bigger and stepped down to the ground.



I love the line off that peak, one of my favorites in the range.



I could have walked the extra 20 feet to the summit, but I had enough of climbing scree ledges in alpine boots. Not fun.



The fruited plain:



Looks suitable for my purposes:



And then my whole days work was gone in about a minute. Oh well, it was a fun little line and the corn was great (except for the little choke which was hideous. Good thing I didn't try and turn) After that little crux the apron was great corn.





So then I chilled out in a nice spot and waited for my access gully to soften up, as I think it was actually a bigger line than off the peak. I couldn't help but appreciate the surroundings:



Check out the slide in Frazier:



The view south:



east:



Top of my second run, turning into perfect corn now:





It was buttery.



From top right to lower middle.



Off the top:



Another big slide in the next basin crossed it off my list for the year:



Glad I didn't take the other side of Arrowhead today, didn't look ideal. Sweet line though.



Some pasque flowers coming up on the way out:





Last view:



So yeah, I wanna try and get some bigger lines in this spring, hopefully the conditions inspire me to get out. If you're inspired and want to get out and into the mountains while there's still snow left let me know, It's hard to find people to get up early and just go. I gotta work at 5:00pm most days, but there's still alot to do in that time.

[single]

FKNA!

Nice work Tony! How are those wateas treatin ya?

[Lexi-Bell]

Way to get after it, great pics thanks for putting them up! That sure looks tempting but for me when ski season ends chore/project season begins (and mebbe some fishin too).

Keep em coming, great stoke!

[tone capone]

Those Watea's absolutely slay the corn. It's like having autopilot.

when ski season ends chore/project season begins

Hey, don't give my wife any ideas, she'll put me to work then no more stoke!

[cdlv]

nice looking few days.

[mtskier]

way to get after it. i would love to rip some turns with you, but i'm in missoula.

[LeeLau]

So what do your toenails look like after doing all that in alpine boots? Nice work

[Slaag Master]

way nice pics and sweet lines. it is hard to stop and take pics - thanks for the effort. many times i will stop on a great pow day for some pics and whoosh there go 10 skiers ahead of me. ah the price for glory.

[montanaskier]

$$$$$$$$$$$ I miss Montana sometimes

[leroy jenkins]

Nicely done, like the solo style, and yea, that line is a classic, been obsessing over that one since moving away a couple years ago,

actually I was mistaken, and am not sure wher ethe line you're talking is, but it looks fun too.

[jonesy]

Real nice photos. Good adventure,I could almost feel the Zen.

[tone capone]

So what do your toenails look like after doing all that in alpine boots?

Toenails are fine, but the bone spurs on my heels have been killing me. Gotta get some new tools for next year. SO slow on my dukes and alpine boots. Or maybe I'll just always be slow.

And yeah Leroy, I've never skied it, but that line in the second pic you copied looks so awesome.

[hartzejr]

Sweet! Nice photos and good work.

Some seriously cool looking lines in this here...

[Slaag Master]

last spring/summer i did so much hiking and rock climbing in my alpine boots that i just looked at them as "mountain" boots. and yeah, im slow - but only when compared to someone faster and most days im out there alone! keep on keepin on!

[stalefish3169]

Awesome!!!.....Let's hope there are some more days like these in the near future.

[goldenboy]

SO many choice lines in those photos....

[Sirshredalot]

Thanks for the stoke, t.

[smitchell333]

Good lines over there.

[lifelinksplit]

Nice job. The basin just to south of frazier u showed that ripped is tons of fun. Spent a lot of time skiing those lines. Hard to hit them right with regards to avy conditions considering the aspect. How long till ya hit snow? Guessing past the loggin road near the creek crossing if u went in the way I think. Love the fact u can have 20 people skiing frazier and one basin away be by yourself

[BobbyBill]

Superlative stoke as usual, Tony! It's hard to go from skiing almost every day to a weekend warrior in the space of a couple weeks. Glad you are getting after it! Looks like we might be skiing powder this weekend if the forecast holds; as a matter of fact the Bracket Creek Snotel is already showing 9 inches of new from this morning.

[tone capone]

Hit me up any time, Rob.

Lifelinksplit, snow started around the logging road but melting fast in spots. Maybe the lower elevation melt will be delayed a few days now with the forecast.

And yeah, those lines in the north facing side of that basin are sweet. Got to hit the little coolie that ripped in good pow once, but never that hanging ramp to couloir line.

That line is so aesthetic and exposed but like most stuff up there is probably not as scary as it looks. Would love to hit that one up in boot top hero pow. Maybe conditions will line up one more time this year...Hit me up if your feeling motivated. I don't really have much of an agenda except to hit what looks good on any given day.

Also, I just wanna thank everyone here for the stoke as well. Always inspiring to see what you all are doing all over the skiing world.

[pnut]

Sick, brings me back to the days before kids.

No mention of Norbert Joos' 1st Descent of S. Face of Sac on Cross Country skis? You gotta claim that shit buddy.

[bobrmr]

nice trips tone! i never get sick of looking at the bridgers. they are so much more diverse than they look from a distance. pm coming for a day trip or two.

[Z]

Good stuff. Looks like a ton of steep lines out there.