Backstory:
Cayoosh and I go way back. I first climbed it in 2009 in a total whiteout, on snowshoes. Yes, snowshoes, while everyone else had skis. A true suffering classic. Fast forward to today: same peak, same me (more or less), but now armed with skis, two friends, and a decent forecast. Surely, this time would be smooth sailing.
We started out full of hope and high spirits. Then immediately… got lost. Classic.
Despite me having already done this peak, our group boldly took the completely wrong line up the boulder field, overshooting the SE ridge by a kilometer of effort and ego. Naturally, we skied down into the valley to “fix it,” only to follow a promising skin track… which led us straight back to the exact same boulder field we just escaped. Cayoosh: 2, Us: 0.
Realizing our “shortcut” was now just a glorified mountain lap, we gave up and started a heroic traverse through deadfall, cliffs, sidehilling, and snow that screamed bad decisions were made here. Eventually, after some spicy moves and more than a few uphill swear words, we popped out onto a well-trodden descent track. Civilization! Hope! Salvation!
Right as we emerged from the trees like confused yetis, we saw a group above us. Surprise—it was Stano, Eric, Kat, and Kat’s sister. Social media in real life! Below the Armchair glacier, we spotted two more groups, one of which had a dog that had been judging us earlier in the boulder field.
Shockingly, that group turned out to be Alex G. (from our Stein Traverse) and Maddy. Because why not? Add to that a member of the other group who used to be my mountaineering instructor. Honestly, at this point I was expecting to see my childhood dentist skinning by.
Conditions on the NE glacier were pristine, except for the open crevasses everywhere. I felt like I was skiing over booby traps while trying to remember how to “trust snowbridges” again.
One crevasse required a lovely little switchback right above it. While Ben nonchalantly glided across it on skis like he was in a cereal commercial, I immediately panicked, got off my skis, and bootpacked like someone who values intact femurs.
The top descent off the glacier? Incredible. Creamy turns, good snow, the kind of stuff that makes you forget you almost fell in a glacier crack 20 minutes ago.
Then we hit the forest.
Imagine a pinball machine, but the ball is you, and the flippers are every tree between you and your car. Tight trees, deadfall, and a maze of branches made it a test of flexibility and forgiveness. We emerged with thighs on fire and zero remaining dignity.
As if the mountain hadn’t been social enough, I crossed the road toward the parking lot and a car pulled up. “Hey, it’s you!” It was Serguey, casually driving back from a Joffre trip. Because apparently, everyone was out today. Possibly including the entire alumni of my university.
A wild day of misplaced confidence, solid turns, and surprise reunions. Great skiing, better company, and enough detours to earn us honorary degrees in mountain inefficiency.
 |
| Alpen glow in the morning. SE face of Cayoosh Mountain from the logging road vantage |
 |
| Eric and company |
 |
| Ben and the Joffre group behind |
 |
| SE ridge of Cayoosh |
 |
| Ben on the Armchair Glacier |
 |
| Ben on the summit. |
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| Joffre massif |
 |
| Looking down towards Duffy area |
 |
| Us on the summit |
 |
| Ben skiing off the NE ridge to Armchair glacier. A crevasse is visible from this vantage |
 |
| Ben dropping down from NE ridge |
 |
| Mt. Rohr |
No comments:
Post a Comment