1/13/07, Lichtenberg Mt., South Face

I've been scoping this line for years, but never got around to it when ski/avy conditions were amenable. Yesterday it finally all came together. Three of us took the standard route up, drafting a nice track made by others, then carried on across the upper bowl to the rocky ridge dropping to the west. Wind had scoured down to the ice crust in places so we had to boot the last few hundred feet to the top, then traverse to the southern peak.

Jeff had his heart set on a steep line skier's left of the rock buttress that splits the face, but the wind affected snow put me off, so I dropped into the straight couloir skier's right (red dots in picture). The snow was more protected here, and while a bit wind packed on the surface in places, was mostly calf to knee deep powder over the firm ice crust. I just wish I'd been in good enough shape to drop it all in one go, but I had to stop twice to relieve the burn and savor the experience (with Sea of Joy on my iPod).

Jeff and Jameson skied their line, but the snow was difficult so it was survival turns up top where a fall would have been nasty. Clouds came in so I didn't get any pictures of their descent.

Just wish we'd had time to do another!