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Sherpa NE col 2-20-2013

2/20/13
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Posted by alecapone on 2/21/13 10:19am
I wanted to take advantage of the brief clearing and get some alpine in before the weather get's wild. unfotuantly, windows and clocks don't always align. The upper basin between Argonaut and Sherpa and the many couloirs has always looked interesting, and you gotta love them names! I was comfortable doing the approach in the dark,  figuring i would have a path to at least the colchuck/stuart lake junction. The road ski was 4 boring miles as usuall, with a few bare patches lower down.  waxing moon allowed me to travel without even the red lights. some funky tunes in my right ear, mountaineers creek in my left.

my original plan was to have coffee and brekfast and watch the sunrise just past the colchuck/stu junction. Excited to find somone had been working the area, i skipped the break, and followed a skin track that was obviously going the right way. i've done this appraoch a dozen times and for the most part felt I was on the same track we set earlier this season.  Dudes had it dialed and styled, and i was glad to be able to take advantage of  gettting through the meadow lands in the dark...

I passed their obvious campsite and in a state of dark confusion thought they headed off towards stuart. In turn, i started to traverse under argonaut going east. after making it some ways I could tell by the little light on the skyline that something wasn't right.  I reveresed and then set a mellow track up to the north east side of Sherpa, still making it in time for sunrise and coffee!!

I've stared at the Y shaped couloir on Sherpa often enough. Was stoked when Dan H. skied them both a couple years ago. Looked really good, and so far stability didn't seem an issue. mostly boot top pow on a firm base... and it was coooooold! I decided to try the ne couloir first. Setting my addmittadly hippy angle skin track of around 2.5 degrees... so fun! eventually i had to boot once it got too steep. the couloir had mostly light mid calf powder with easily avoidable spots of small wind slab and crust... topped out and was once again amazed to be standing on a sunny col in the stuart range in the winter with zero wind. Scrambling around and touching highpoints seemed like a great idea, but riding powder seemed like a better one!



Wow! (ok, i am a crappy photog. there are tracks in there!)




I rode all the way back over 2'000 feet to where I had left my stash and had more coffee and food for an early lunch. perfect! Getting a little tired I was able to take a nap all the way up my hippy ass skin track. Instead of going up for teh second half of the Y, i lost some elevation and traveressed east to a wider, lower angled run. maybe a little too steep, but it was wide enough that i skinned all the way up to my stopping point. the predicted clouds where moving in, and it began to snow and get windy.  Maybe i learned my lesson last time I was out here. ;)

Second line.


go right



Hugging the wall riders right held 2-3' of blower through out for a second run of around 1,800' or so... both runs where great. a nice mix between steep and really steep in a great location.

funn bouncy pillows to the creek and then skins on and time to pay the price... not so hard when you have a great day behind to fuel you out.


I woke up freezing at 2 am at the nason creek rest area. windows caked with frost. battery dead. not perfect....

It's always an adventure.

Ass kicking day Scott!  Well done!

Fantastic! 

Coffee makes those long days go by easy.  Too bad about the battery, but somethings got to keep you on your toes :)

Way to go Scott. Looks like a lot better conditions then when we were there last.


I'd like to go pick off a few more lines up there, but I think I'd want to camp...day trips up there are pretty brutal

Awesome.

I always knew you would ride those solo.

Nice work.  Always wanted to get back in that area.  The tracks to stuart were from this past weekend.  They went in saturday and were still in there when we came out sunday night. That snow from saturday night skied great on sunday.

author=trees4me link=topic=27607.msg116067#msg116067 date=1361507572]
Fantastic! 

Coffee makes those long days go by easy..


New back country mantra... what would john plotz do? Good thing that includes a hot cup of coffee!

Thanks guys. That is a pretty nice area. I agree, a bit far for a day trip.



author=alecapone link=topic=27607.msg116082#msg116082 date=1361553174]
New back country mantra... what would john plotz do? Good thing that includes a hot cup of coffee!





I'm pretty sure he'd go rock climbing.

author=jwplotz link=topic=27607.msg116101#msg116101 date=1361563401]
I'm pretty sure he'd go rock climbing.


He'd climb 5.12 in the cold without a rope!

Nice work Scott!

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sherpa-ne-col-2-20-2013
alecapone
2013-02-21 18:19:18