Feb 15, 2009, Rogers Pass, Cheops shoulder

The forecast called for flurries and clouds, so we didn€™t want to stray too far into the alpine, and we figured the best snow was probably going to be found right around treeline, so we headed up the Connaught Creek drainage and crossed our fingers that there might still be a few untracked lines to be had.
While skinning towards Balu Pass, we noticed the STS couloir on Cheops (which we€™d seen pics of in LeeLau€™s report a few days earlier).  The bowl immediately upvalley from the STS couloir only had two tracks in it and its sheltered north facing aspect meant there was probably some powder waiting for us up there.   We toured around from the top of Balu Pass onto the ridge that connects to Cheops and climbed another 1000vf above Balu.  Ski crampons were very handy. 
Up at the top of the bowl we had to look around for a bit, but found that the bowl didn€™t have corncices at each edge which provided an easy entrance.   From the top of the bowl to the valley floor was boot-top powder with no tracks to cross€¦.it was nice to find the good snow after yesterdays variable conditions. 
We did one more lap from just above Balu Pass and then headed for the hotel.   While out skiing we got passed by a solo skier who had just completed his second of three laps he€™d do on the STS couloir that day€¦.there are some speedy skiers up there.