50 classic ski descents of north america

Project- 50 Classic Ski Descents of North America

I’ve been toying with the idea and exploring the daydream of attempting to ski the Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America, but such a massive and unlikely project has made me reluctant to admit that this is what I’m working towards. Last season, a quick hit to Mount Washington to ski Huntington and Tuckerman’s Ravines put me at the halfway point. A point where it seemed like it actually could be possible—if still highly improbable—for one person to climb and ski them all.

(The greatest form of literature………the kind you can ski.)

(Sunny summit of Mount Washington with local crushers; Jerimy Arnold, Brian Dupee, Andrew Drummond and Ben Leoni)

The start of this ridiculousness began before the book was even written and published. In the early 2000’s I skied my first “classic”—the south face of Mount Superior—and through the years I went on to preemptively descend Mount Shasta, Terminal Cancer in the Ruby Mountains, the Mountaineer’s Route on Mount Whitney and even the remote Polar Star Couloir in Baffin Island in 2004, along with a few others. When the book was released in 2010 (written by Penn Newhard, Chris Davenport and Art Burrows), I bought a copy along with every other backcountry skier. I thumbed and drooled my way through these incredible images and massive awe inspiring descents, but even being the grandiose daydreamer I am, I never considered trying to ski them all. The book collected dust on the shelf while I went skiing.

(Small turns on Giant Steps, Mount Williamson, Sierra. Photo by Jason Dorais)

Over the next few years I coincidentally ticked of The Patriarch in Montana, McGowan Peak and The Sickle in the Sawtooths and the Giant Staircase on Mount Williamson in the Sierra. After someone mentioned those lines were in the 50 classics book, I took another look and realized I had ticked some of the more rarely skied and difficult lines. In fact, I started counting, and I had already skied ten of them. This planted the very small seed that just maybe I could ski all 50 lines, or at least visit them and give them an honest attempt.  

(It’s pages in the book like this that leave you lusting.)

The progression to the 50 classics project happened organically. I love having a list and lining up terrain and conditions which I did while skiing all the lines in the Chuting Gallery  So adding the complexity of travel, unknown approaches, avalanche conditions, etc. into a new project sounded appealing. The last few seasons my focus has narrowed and the intensity has ramped up as I’ve skied my way to the halfway point—chasing high pressure systems, avoiding avalanche hazards, and putting in miles of skin tracks with good friends and partners along the way.

(Staring down one of Colorado’s finest lines coated in a foot of powder, Wilson Peak in the San Juan Mountains.)

The hunt led me throughout the western U.S. enjoying great turns on the Devil’s Bedstead in Idaho, North Maroon Bell in Colorado, and Mount Tukanikavits in Utah. The Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America presents a glorious challenge with unique adventures built into each attempt—like the heinous twelve mile bushwhack on Mount Stimson deep in Glacier National Park, or the bike assisted entry to Mount Holy Cross in Colorado, or the frozen lake crossing to access Mount Moran. 

(Ben Peters making his way down the Grand Teton.) 

Here is the chronological list of what’s gone down so far with links to the trip reports.

(Skiing the lower slot on Split Mountain on a second failed attempt due to low snow/ice conditions. Photo Louis Arevalo)

I’m approaching this overall project like I try and approach every individual mountain—show up with humility, tune in-to the conditions and use the tools that I have to go as far forward as possible. The list is fun, but not the goal. The travel, the companions, the moments are the real objectives, the list is just an excuse to get far outside of my Wasatch comfort zone and into new ranges for exploration. I’ll continue to post updates from some of the most beautiful and prized ski lines in North America here on the blog and on Ascent Backcountry Snow Journal.