The FIFTY

[bodywhomper]

Yeah there's a big kerfuffle on IG about the snowblade thing...some guy says he did it 4 years ago...Cody firing back that it wasn't legit or something. Good humor.

My memory is that snowblade first descents were a turn of the century thing of many of the trade routes. I remember when that south face of superior went down, pretty sure it was 2000. The “claimer” was kinda like, “I’m pretty sure it was a first,” but he wasn’t certain.

[Alkasquawlik]

Yeah there's a big kerfuffle on IG about the snowblade thing...some guy says he did it 4 years ago...Cody firing back that it wasn't legit or something. Good humor.

The best part about it all is that I've gotten people arguing about Snowlerblade First Descents.

[yeahman]

The best part about it all is that I've gotten people arguing about Snowlerblade First Descents.

It'll all get sorted out at the A.S.S.S.E.X. convention.

[TahoeJ]

It's a ridiculous claim by both Cody and Ryan. Travis Rice did it a few years back... we just haven't seen the footage yet! ;-)

[406]

^^^ good one, I laughed

[gimpy]

i thought tc would be anticlimactic after the sup' score, but no, you nailed it. while an extremely beautiful line, tc is not steep at all, allowing mere mortals to shred it with speed and style, and pros to........... make us laugh. rock on!!!!

[Supermoon]

The best part about it all is that I've gotten people arguing about Snowlerblade First Descents.

I don't think the monoski first descent counts if you don't yell "MOOOONNNOOOOOOO!!!!!" for at least 25% of the downhill turns.

[Boissal]

I like how they post hole all over the snow before they ski it.

If you know of another way to approach this one I'm all ears...

[hafjell]

What a great episode. So fun. Love that they're not taking themselves too seriously.

[Name Redacted]

Meh, you forgot to snowlerblade nekkid. -2.3 points

[bbrianburke]

If you know of another way to approach this one I'm all ears...

lol


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[mntlion]

I think that some bowvalley classics MIGHT have just gotten done

[grinch]

Aemmers would be ripe right now. Bet they were good turns

[reckless toboggan]

I think that some bowvalley classics MIGHT have just gotten done

YES!

[Alkasquawlik]

I think that some bowvalley classics MIGHT have just gotten done

One of them indeed might have just gotten done in a one day strike mission from the coast to the rockies. But we may never know...

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

It's not legit until your Rollerblade down it in the summer.

[hutash]

The best part about it all is that I've gotten people arguing about Snowlerblade First Descents.

This thread is just so damn full of winning.

[kalisto]

Did someone just fall down the entirety of Central Couloir? Tried to decipher your post. Also, if you skied that... hats off to you. I'd argue it's the steepest most technical decent in the book. I remember taking a good look at it after skiing Twisting Couloir and thinking 'oh hell no'.

[nortonwhis]

Did someone just fall down the entirety of Central Couloir? Tried to decipher your post. Also, if you skied that... hats off to you. I'd argue it's the steepest most technical decent in the book. I remember taking a good look at it after skiing Twisting Couloir and thinking 'oh hell no'.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuMgZ2yF0FQ/
Thats fucked up.
Must be so little snow in there right now. Not many high alpine steeps have really filled in round here this year

[t.odd]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuMgZ2yF0FQ/
Thats fucked up.
Must be so little snow in there right now. Not many high alpine steeps have really filled in round here this year

holy shit!

[kalisto]

They skied lookers left line for those who know the area. Still a committing line (though fun as hell). The guy fell down central.... as to how he's alive... wow.

[nortonwhis]

They skied lookers left line for those who know the area. Still a committing line (though fun as hell). The guy fell down central.... as to how he's alive... wow.

Joffre is lookers left?
Cornice collapse at top of central? Glad the dude is alive. After the guy who fell down the Owls earlier this year there has been a bunch of accidents this year.

[Alkasquawlik]

Did someone just fall down the entirety of Central Couloir? Tried to decipher your post. Also, if you skied that... hats off to you. I'd argue it's the steepest most technical decent in the book. I remember taking a good look at it after skiing Twisting Couloir and thinking 'oh hell no'.

Yeah, as you noted, we skied Joffre Couloir. It's super thin up in the alpine on north facing slopes because of the low snowfall this season and that week's worth of 100km+ north winds. Twisting does not really go right now because of all the ice and rock steps exposed and Central to me looked about the same. We stared at Central for a long time, but deemed a minimum of 4 raps to even make it feasible, which isn't even taking in to count how horrible, variable and unpredictable the snow is up there right now. Joffre seemed like the only skiable line on the NW face of Joffre (what the book says is a Classic) so we decided to go for it. I gotta say, it was barely skiable, not fun, involved one sketchy ass unprotected down climb and wouldn't recommend anyone go for anything up there until multiple meters of wet plaster snows up there.

As far as the victim, yeah, he fell down Central. He popped into my view falling which was about halfway up the couloir. It was an insanely long, violent and fast fall. It looked closer to a potato sack dropped down and elevator shaft than a fall. According to Bjarne, who was with him while I went for initiating a rescue, he rapped in from the top after climbing Aussie and then just started skiing. Not sure how or exactly where he fell, but I'm guessing it was at one of the many steps and into the variable snow (blue ice in spots, white ice in spots, neve, punch crust pow, slabby pow and windboard was what we found in Joffre Couloir). It's a miracle he survived and another miracle we weren't five minutes earlier or later. We never would have seen it and he most definitely would've died from exposure and shock had we not seen him...he was also blinded from his face been swollen up so much and began trying to stumble down the glacier blind before Bjarne got to him.

[zartagen]

Cody, you mentioned a PLB wouldn't have been good enough for a quick rescue. What kind of PLB do you carry? In the paragliding community, the DeLorme/Garmin inReach with 2 way texting is the standard. They've been proven to be invaluable with real time communication to the rescue team. Not to take away from your heroic race to cell service, but do you think that having one would've helped in this situation?

[kalisto]

As far as the victim, yeah, he fell down Central. He popped into my view falling which was about halfway up the couloir. It was an insanely long, violent and fast fall. It looked closer to a potato sack dropped down and elevator shaft than a fall. According to Bjarne, who was with him while I went for initiating a rescue, he rapped in from the top after climbing Aussie and then just started skiing. Not sure how or exactly where he fell, but I'm guessing it was at one of the many steps and into the variable snow (blue ice in spots, white ice in spots, neve, punch crust pow, slabby pow and windboard was what we found in Joffre Couloir). It's a miracle he survived and another miracle we weren't five minutes earlier or later. We never would have seen it and he most definitely would've died from exposure and shock had we not seen him...he was also blinded from his face been swollen up so much and began trying to stumble down the glacier blind before Bjarne got to him.

Thanks for the recap. Just been hoping it's no one I know... but I don't know anyone that insane. I couldn't imagine anyone would be that crazy to drop in blind + solo.

Words can't describe how lucky that guy is.

Props to you and Bjarne for skiing off Joffre in those conditions and getting two big lines in our neck of the woods pretty close together. Fun project to be following.