Just returned from 3 weeks in AK where we spent way too much time holed up in the RV waiting for weather. So, it’s been great to see the snowpack holding up and see there’s still a ton of fun stuff to ski here in the Wasatch. Spring is a great time to taste the forbidden fruits that the resorts closely gaurd all winter. Darrell and I shot up to Alta today in hopes of getting in and out of the Devil’s Castle Couloir before the storm hit. This is the hard to view, really tight and steep line that splits Devil’s Castle. The Chuting Gallery rates it as S5-, 53 degree pitch, Northern aspect. There’s a great photo of the Castle here , it doesn’t show the Couloir very well, but it splits the rock mass from the deep notch separating the sunny slope from the shaded rock face.
Here’s looking up from the apron. Clearly not as filled in as one might like, but it’s not as bad as it looks. We made several traversing zig zags through waist deep sugar snow until we could get up and around the cliffs and to the main chute.
Darrell Finlayson working his way up the main upper chute. There were a few tight pinches of ice and rock (doesn’t happen much in the Wasatch), the crampons and whippets came in handy. We tied off some webbing to use as a hand line for the way down.
Self photo using the cell phone. I can see how this would be a really fun mini classic with enough coverage, today was not that day.
We topped out just under the cornice and dug a large platform to gear up on. This part always freaks me out, fiddling around with all this stuff that you don’t want to drop. Once the skis click on, the pack is clipped and everything is ready, then there is an instant relief and return of confidence, at least I know that everything will fall down with me at this point.
Darrell contemplating the turns to come.
Like most chutes, the Devil’s Castle Couloir isn’t as steep and crazy once you are up in it, but 50+ degree slopes above several cliff bands never gets boring.
Starting down. The little bit of snow there was made for good skiing/side stepping.
More side slipping to get a good feel for the snow and how it will react when I get up the nerve to finally make some turns.
This is right before the crux (rocky side-stepping extravaganza). This is a fine art that requires years of practice, and it helps to have gangly long legs.
Out of the chute and back and forth through the rocks put us onto this fun rib before we hit the finish apron.
Though they have only been closed a week or so, the resort has already installed this new lift. It was a quiet ski out Alta Resort with a few inches of fresh coverage. I love this time of year in the mountains, nobody is around, a huge empty playground.