Death on The Orient

[covert]

Shitty.

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/articl...feet-his-death

Pretty rugged bio translations from their website.

http://translate.google.com/translat...6prmd%3Dimvnso

[Blurred]

Burly.

Does anyone have pics of The orient Express?

[leroy jenkins]

No pics but if I remember right its not that burly, obviously dangerous, but fairly wide, no significant chokes (i think) no real techy parts, no exposure other than a long fairly steep chute that has scattered rocks and can have icy sections, and I guess possibly crevasses, but as far as big steep lines on mnts like that go its not necessarily you fall you die terrain, but it can be. Just a big long wide steep chute with the usual denalesque obstacles. I've never been though so I have no idea.


I would like to ski it someday if its the line I'm thinking of. It can be had with good stable soft snow for most of the vert i hear. Hopefully I fair better. I feel for his family.

[Hugh Conway]

Burly.

Does anyone have pics of The orient Express?

and from a bad AT skiers site (lulz)

[covert]

worth noting that an expedition style approach, high alpine snow surface, an entrance at ~19k, etc. should qualify what is burly. not a super-techy line but definitely some real shit.

would be cool to see folks tackling lines like this in the alaska range that were not so popular. i'm sure they are but that's not news. the infrastructure/caché around the lines off the west butress route makes them pretty tangible.

Last time i was in that zone some friends let us use most of their beer and liquor in base camp then went off and crushed it proper.

http://www.doglotion.com/blog/archangel

[stevesliva]

and from a bad AT skiers site (lulz)

It's an intermediate run, huh?

[spook]

The couloir was long ago named, in a politically incorrect way, for the many Japanese and Korean climbers who slipped at the top and fell to their deaths in the 1970s.

classy

[jfost]

it would seem that it actually IS "you fall, you die" territory, no?

[AfroMullet]

No pics but if I remember right its not that burly, obviously dangerous, but fairly wide, no significant chokes (i think) no real techy parts, no exposure other than a long fairly steep chute that has scattered rocks and can have icy sections, and I guess possibly crevasses, but as far as big steep lines on mnts like that go its not necessarily you fall you die terrain, but it can be. Just a big long wide steep chute with the usual denalesque obstacles. I've never been though so I have no idea.


I would like to ski it someday if its the line I'm thinking of. It can be had with good stable soft snow for most of the vert i hear. Hopefully I fair better. I feel for his family.

4,000ft, 45degree couloir, in the middle of nowhere, at 19,000 feet. sure doesn't seem "not that burly" to me. seems more like the definition of burly...

[leroy jenkins]

4,000ft, 45degree couloir, in the middle of nowhere, at 19,000 feet. sure doesn't seem "not that burly" to me. seems more like the definition of burly...

it would seem that it actually IS "you fall, you die" territory, no?

Fuck you guys like to argue with anything. Obviously its not the molly hogan headwall, its capable of killing people cus someone just died there, but lots of people have also fallen there and managed to self arrest or been stopped by terrain without dying. Its not you fall you die its you fall you stand a pretty good chance of getting dead.

Yes, its not the bunny slope, but also, as far as high altitude super big mountain lines that require an expedition to get to, its not half as burly as many other things that get skied and is relatively straight forward as far as these things go, while obviously still being very high risk, its something that has been skied by many 'careful' risk takers.



Perhaps my perception is skewed because this is something I actually hope to ski someday and I don't view myself as someone that really pushes the limits skiing all that much or does anything all that impressive. Perhaps burly for me is whatever is just beyond my reach.

[BFD]

I use to think that skiing this was no gig deal. I probably know a half dozen people that have skied it. After skiing at over 20000' for the first time I have a greater appreciation. Normal people are tired and feeling the altitude. Conditions are most times far from perfect. When you fall on something like this it is probably from being tired which also makes it allot harder to self arrest when your body and thought process is moving slow.
Leroy how many people do you know that have fallen and self arrested skiing this?
RIP

[jfost]

Fuck you guys like to argue with anything. Obviously its not the molly hogan headwall, its capable of killing people cus someone just died there, but lots of people have also fallen there and managed to self arrest or been stopped by terrain without dying. Its not you fall you die its you fall you stand a pretty good chance of getting dead. ...

I see where you are going, I was just pointing out that people did in fact die there so the consequences are obviously high.

Perhaps burly for me is whatever is just beyond my reach.

I like this way of looking at it...

[AfroMullet]

Fuck you guys like to argue with anything. .

having just been in the alaska range for the first time, i have a new perception of "burly." i'd like to ski the messner couloir soon, very soon, but that doesn't make the orient any less wild.

i recently heard a guide tell a story of a person fall down the majority of the messner and stand up to tell the story, relatively uninjured, but that doesn't mean the messner is any less burl.

[leroy jenkins]

Leroy how many people do you know that have fallen and self arrested skiing this?
RIP

Fucking none dude thats fucking crazy!! I'm fairly sure it has happened though. I'm almost positive climbers have taken a good slide and survived, so no its not you fall you die like some other lines.

I can't think of any examples cus I don't really follow it but I have seen much gnarlier lines skied at higher altitudes, real fucking crazy shit.

Just in my own analysis of my ability to ski this I realize I have no idea if I can function at that altitude as some just can't, so I have the usual n american test climbs to do, I need a LOT better endurance and the ability to exert a lot of power strength when I'm already very tired.as well as maintain excellent alertness and mental focus for a long ass time while tired as fuck. I got some work to do still. I gotta save up some money first too, but if you want to do something 'like this' this is basically one of the better 'beginner' lines right?

Obviously skiing this is a big deal. It'd be the burliest shit I can possibly imagine myself doing on skis, but I'm a hack. If youre going to ski something big and steep at high altitude though this is a good starting point. Obviously its ridiculously easy for even badass people to get killed doing less burly shit than this.

Fuck I'm a hack no judgement was intended I was just answering blurred that as far as these kinds of lines go its pretty straight forward.

I get this and the messner confused, which is another 'beginer' high altitude steep line on denali. Its a bit steeper though right? Anyone know?

[AfroMullet]

I get this and the messner confused, which is another 'beginer' high altitude steep line on denali. Its a bit steeper though right? Anyone know?

the messner is steeper, one of the rowdiest lines that's been skied on denali as far as i know. 4000 feet of 50+ skiing..? i would consider the messner a pinnacle of NA ski mountaineering. shit, the west butt is pretty damn wild for a skier...

[leroy jenkins]

the messner is steeper, one of the rowdiest lines that's been skied on denali as far as i know. 4000 feet of 50+ skiing..? i would consider the messner a pinnacle of NA ski mountaineering. shit, the west butt is pretty damn wild for a skier...

ok 30 seconds of googling yeilded this

http://www.planetmountain.com/englis...2&keyid=38329#

makes the orient look like the bunny slope, and ive seen just as crazy of shit from teh himalayas at high altitude. there are some ridiculously insane people in the world that are not famous at all if you dont make apoint of following them. I'm sure you realize pictures do not even come close to capturing some of the burlier shit.

This thread scares me and gives me a boner.

[AfroMullet]

ok 30 seconds of googling yeilded this

http://www.planetmountain.com/englis...2&keyid=38329#

makes the orient look like the bunny slope, and ive seen just as crazy of shit from teh himalayas at high altitude. there are some ridiculously insane people in the world that are not famous at all if you dont make apoint of following them. I'm sure you realize pictures do not even come close to capturing some of the burlier shit.

This thread scares me and gives me a boner.

the orient being a bunny slope is akin to the messner being the k12 on one ski. it makes the women go sterile just looking at you. and damn, the south face in relation to the orient, well, the style of that comparison, that's k2 to the tgr forums...incomprehensible.

[Trackhead]

4,000ft, 45degree couloir, in the middle of nowhere, at 19,000 feet. sure doesn't seem "not that burly" to me. seems more like the definition of burly...

This is fukking TGR brah, if there ain't no spine and a four helis circling the action, then < burly.

Leroy, Have you ever been above 14k with skis on?

[spook]

Leroy, Have you ever been above 14k with skis on?

no. he's too busy being scared by and getting boners from arguing with female vegans.

[leroy jenkins]

This is fukking TGR brah, if there ain't no spine and a four helis circling the action, then < burly.

Leroy, Have you ever been above 14k with skis on?

Yea tons of times, all the way to like 400 whole feet above 14k. I'm a hack though, my comments weren't about it not being burly because I'm so badass, but its a fact that in the realm of skiing big steep superhigh altitude lines on mnts like denali, the orient express is the bunny slope. Someday I hope to be badass enough to hop turn and sideslip my way down that bunny slope and will be really full of myself if I do because it is super badass, but far gnarlier lines get laid down on denali and other mnts by far gnarlier people than me all the time.

Someone else should post some denali stoke. This seems relevant, http://live.tetongravity.com/_The-No...101/75233.html

[covert]

you are a warrior

[doughboyshredder]

you are a warrior

Leroy, you are just stupid as hell.

Refried chicken.

WTH, did I just watch?

[moose pit]

Wasn't there a spot in one of the Powderwhores movies where one of the guys they were skiing with tomahawked the whole thing and walked away?

[Trackhead]

Wasn't there a spot in one of the Powderwhores movies where one of the guys they were skiing with tomahawked the whole thing and walked away?

Yup, walked away with corneal abrasions, no busted bones. Unreal.

[icelanticskier]

Wasn't there a spot in one of the Powderwhores movies where one of the guys they were skiing with tomahawked the whole thing and walked away?

ya, problem was is that he opted to ski the line in plastic, not leather.

rog