Backcountry Ski Bucket List

[smitchell333]

I've been thinking lately about what I need to have on my skiing bucket list. I've done around 20 of the CO 14ers but not sure that I need to do them all so if I look more broadly for a bucket list of ski descents I wonder what I should have on there.

There are a million and one lines, but what descents have you have done that are must-do in your book? Of course it always depends on conditions, but certain lines are just classic. Give me your top five or so classic lines that you've skied to-date that you recommend for the Bucket list.

Mine - not necessarily in this order:

1) Mt Adams SW Couloirs WA
2) Mt Shasta - Avalanche Gulch CA
3) Torreys Peak - Tuning Forks CO
4) Silver Couloir, Mt Buffalo CO
5) Volcan Lonquimay, Chile

[raisingarizona13]

Some side country classics imo that are worthy

1. San Joaquin, Telluride Colorado.
2. Central Couloir, Jackson.
3. Shit For Brains, Loveland Pass/A Baisn Colorado.

[Meadow Skipper]

I'll play. For classics, I can recommend from experience:
- Mt. Moran, Tetons
- West Face and/or Diller Canyon, Mt. Shasta
- Grizzly Peak, Sawatch Range (my TGR avatar)
- Lake Fork Peak and/or Sin Nombre, Sangre de Cristos near Taos (local faves)
- La Plata Peak, I haven't skied a lot of CO 14ers, but I really liked that one.

The Silver on Buffalo was fun. Also I'd like to hit Mt. Dana and the Fuhrer Finger. I've been unsuccessful twice on the Grand, and the Middle would be cool. And Baffin...

[zartagen]

I haven't skied it, but terminal cancer in NV is definitely on my list

2nd on silver couloir and shit for brains

[smitchell333]

Mt Moran - yes that was always on the radar so in the Bucket for sure.

Rejected off of the Grizzly in Sawatch once so it should be there.


Interested to hear from the Euros too. I've not done anything there.

[raisingarizona13]

Lots of stuff in the Eastern Sierra. Someone from that area would know better than me on which lines are the most classic.

That line on the -Middle Teton? that was in a TGR film a few years back looked freaking sweet. The Skillet on Moran of course is the Teton classic.

There is so much in the San Juans too. I don't know what are the most desired classic lines there but I bet the Snake on Sneffels would make that list.

A place I really want to go ski is Great Basin NP. It might not qualify as classic but it's on my list.

[smitchell333]

Lots of stuff in the Eastern Sierra. Someone from that area would know better than me on which lines are the most classic.

That line on the -Middle Teton? that was in a TGR film a few years back looked freaking sweet. The Skillet on Moran of course is the Teton classic.

There is so much in the San Juans too. I don't know what are the most desired classic lines there but I bet the Snake on Sneffels would make that list.

A place I really want to go ski is Great Basin NP. It might not qualify as classic but it's on my list.

I've skied a few in the Eastern Sierra that were classic. North Mount Morgan, Mt Wood, Dana Couloir, Basin, but yeah there are so many there.

[angrysasquatch]

There can be only one king

http://www.pbase.com/nolock/image/97234443

[christoph benells]

shasta- hotlum wintun
rainier- fuhrer finger to nisqually bridge (10,400' descent!)
eastern sierra during corn season (pretty much any of them, or trans sierra tours)
thompson pass/valdez in april
denali

never skied the tetons or colorado but obviously there are some super lines there.

[Danno]

- Grizzly Peak, Sawatch Range (my TGR avatar)
- La Plata Peak, I haven't skied a lot of CO 14ers, but I really liked that one.

Grizzly is on mine for sure (my yet to do bucket list).
Got shut down once on La Plata, so I sure would like to get it sometime.

Loved the Silver, done it twice (got shut out a third time) and would do it again.

Not backcountry or even sidecountry these days, but Palmyra Peak at Telluride is on my to do list.

[powdork]

Lots of stuff in the Eastern Sierra. Someone from that area would know better than me on which lines are the most classic.

That line on the -Middle Teton? that was in a TGR film a few years back looked freaking sweet. The Skillet on Moran of course is the Teton classic.

There is so much in the San Juans too. I don't know what are the most desired classic lines there but I bet the Snake on Sneffels would make that list.

A place I really want to go ski is Great Basin NP. It might not qualify as classic but it's on my list.

I was just there. Definitely worth a visit but I didn't see anything I would call a classic. Most everything blew off the night before I got there and it turns out that's not uncommon. I would think its a good place for a more midwinter visit since you should be able to get from and to the car on snow. The road is closed at 7,500 and snow level was well above that, and will be rising more before the road opens to the upper campground

For me
1. Terminal Cancer
2. Glider Chute (off Ebbetts Pass)
3. Moon couloir (more of the local bucket list probably)
and the ones still on my list
4. Shasta
5. Red Slate (that's one of those eastside classics)

There's obviously more but I was told I could only have 5

[gimpy]

In no particular order

Grand Teton
White wolf couloir (and surrounding peaks in the mission range north of Missoula, mt)
Fuhrer finger - rainier
Diller canyon -Shasta
Giant steps couloir - mt Williamson
Boundary peak - white mtns
Z couloir - mt wood
Mt Emerson north couloir

That pic of Robson is obscene. Unfortunately I don't see that one being in the realm of possibility

Oops didn't see the 5 spot limit
I'll go with my bottom 5 of diller through Emerson since those are all likely to happen

[neck beard]

Why does "backcountry bucket list" almost automatically default to some combo of difficult, dangerous, scary?

My backcountry bucket list is any where with untracked 30-35 degree boot deep 800m vertical of consistent fall-line north aspect powder without any terrain traps, thin areas or convexities.

[powdork]

In no particular order

Boundary peak - white mtns

Yes please

[bodywhomper]

Why does "backcountry bucket list" almost automatically default to some combo of difficult, dangerous, scary?

My backcountry bucket list is any where with untracked 30-35 degree boot deep 800m vertical of consistent fall-line north aspect powder without any terrain traps, thin areas or convexities.

Over compensation..... duh. To me, chutes and big exposed faces have an aesthetic that i like.

With the eastern sierra, my bucket list has changed from lines to exploring zones that i know (or hope) have goods, though there are certain peaks that I'm still intrigued about.

-"great western divide tour"
-base camp on the north side of glacier divide
-north face of whorl peak

[raisingarizona13]

Why does "backcountry bucket list" almost automatically default to some combo of difficult, dangerous, scary?

My backcountry bucket list is any where with untracked 30-35 degree boot deep 800m vertical of consistent fall-line north aspect powder without any terrain traps, thin areas or convexities.

I fully agree with this. What about the most aesthetic and most pleasurable ski lines? Lines that are fun and not ass puckering scary you fall and die bullshit are well....way more fun and intriguing to me. But then again I do enjoy being a little scared from time to time.

[Meadow Skipper]

I fully agree with this. What about the most aesthetic and most pleasurable ski lines? Lines that are fun and not ass puckering scary you fall and die bullshit are well....way more fun and intriguing to me. But then again I do enjoy being a little scared from time to time.

None of these are particularly scary. A lot of work, but not really scary:

I'll play. For classics, I can recommend from experience:
- Mt. Moran, Tetons
- West Face and/or Diller Canyon, Mt. Shasta
- Grizzly Peak, Sawatch Range (my TGR avatar)
- Lake Fork Peak and/or Sin Nombre, Sangre de Cristos near Taos (local faves)
- La Plata Peak, I haven't skied a lot of CO 14ers, but I really liked that one...

[powdork]

Terminal Cancer is only puckering on the approach. It's one of those that looks steep when you're directly across from it. Boundary Peak is difficult access and egress, not difficult skiing.
Mount Moran (and many things Jackson) are on my list. I will live there in the future.

[talus]

Cordillera Real mountains in Bolivia

[klar]

OP: of all the chilean ski volcanos, why specifically Lonquimay?

[brutah]

Why does "backcountry bucket list" almost automatically default to some combo of difficult, dangerous, scary?

My backcountry bucket list is any where with untracked 30-35 degree boot deep 800m vertical of consistent fall-line north aspect powder without any terrain traps, thin areas or convexities.

your bucket list item sounds like a dream. might as well bump up the vertical though, eh? if we dreaming?

Bucket list items got to have some vertical. at least over 3000 feet. Steep helps. something you ski and you'll never forget. that you instantly want to ski again. that's got views on the way up and down. something aesthetic on the way down, steep walls, really steep big space face, easy to score corn, good friends...... suffering with a long slog helps cement the memory and make that nice long descent all the more memorial.

BTW what you're describing sounds more dangerous to me (minus your deduction of avy triggers and consequences) 30-35 degrees in boot deep powder than skiing steep lines on big mountains in firm late spring / early summer snow.

i'll throw in another vote for hotlum-wintun on shasta. That's a beauiful ride. I'll have to look into the west face and diller canyon.

SW chutes on Adams are fun, there's a few northside descents that are more fun. Look up liz daley's TR from the NFNWR on adams for a good example. But they're both classics in my book.

so many mountains, so many descents, so little time. Stoked for some spring skiing! get some people!

[Foggy_Goggles]

Thread needs pics! Can one of your office monkeys waste your employer's time on this please.

I'm not sure what the parameters of backcountry are and where "freeride" and "sidecountry" and "ski mountaineering" fit in the mix but I'll say this, I know plenty of long time backcountry skiers, myself included, who've had there mind blown by Cham in good conditions. Perhaps, it's not for everyone but even just the lift served classics are...classic.

186859.jpg

Neck, I love backcounty pow skiing but If we are talking "top 10 runs in my life" they are all >35 and many have not been pow.

[GeezerSteve]

Isolation Traverse S-to-N. We did the traverse a few years ago on foot N-to-S. North aspects appeared to have better ski descents. My body is probably too old and slow to pull it off safely. See Jason Hummel's account: http://www.cascadecrusades.org/SkiMo...averse2011.htm.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Isolation Traverse S-to-N. We did the traverse a few years ago on foot N-to-S. North aspects appeared to have better ski descents. My body is probably too old and slow to pull it off safely. See Jason Hummel's account: http://www.cascadecrusades.org/SkiMo...averse2011.htm.

You're not to old and slow for christ sake, I just saw Beckey hitchhiking by the roundabout at the alt hwy 97 and US 2 a couple weeks ago.

[AKbruin]

Lines I wish I could ski but most likely never will:
1) Split Couloir (CA)
2) Grand Teton (WY)
3) Pyramid Peak, Landry Line (CO)
4) Denali, West Buttress (AK)
5) Everything in Chamonix that Scott Schmidt skied in Blizzard of Ahhs

Lines that I want to ski and probably will when circumstances permit:
1) Pinner (CA)
2) Lyell (CA)
3) Williamson (CA)
4) Gibbs (CA)
5) U-Notch (CA)
6) Trinity Chutes (CA)
7) Angel Wings (CA)
8) Adams (WA)
9) Humphreys (CA)
10) Birch (CA)

And about 100 more . . . .

Why does "backcountry bucket list" almost automatically default to some combo of difficult, dangerous, scary?

Valid question. Mind you, I'm not a rad skier and am regularly humbled by what other skiers are able to do. Nevertheless, here's my pattern:
1) [Before] "I can't wait to ski that thing!"
2) [During] "This thing is really scary and dangerous, and I'm not really enjoying this. . . . Why the fuck do I do this to myself?"
3) [When I've passed the crux] "This is pretty awesome."
4) [Immediately afterward] "That was awesome but also scary. I shouldn't ski things like that anymore. From now on, I'm going to dial it back a little.
5) [A week later] "I want to ski something bigger and badder next."

There's a weird addition there that's not totally healthy. I'm not remotely close to the level of the top guys, but I can kind of understand how they end up doing the things that they do.