This past weekend I embarked on a 5-day solo ski tour adventure, because who doesn’t want to hang out with themselves in the middle of nowhere for almost a week? I love the serenity, mostly because there’s no one around to witness my slow uphill struggles or my occasional “Where the heck am I?” moments.
The approach was long enough to test my willpower, but fueled by energy gels (which may or may not have tasted like rocket fuel), I pushed on. I arrived at my camp in the dark, tired, hungry, and cold — basically the perfect recipe for an Instagram-worthy “I’m a rugged outdoorsman” selfie (which I didn’t take, because my hands were too frozen).
Saturday and Sunday were dedicated to some yo-yo skiing at Joffre Shoulder. Snow coverage was solid, letting me glide up the creek to the moraine like a graceful mountain goat, or at least a goat that’s seen one YouTube tutorial. Saturday blessed me with nice blower snow, but Sunday? Total write-off. Wind howling like a pack of wolves and snow coming down so heavy it felt like skiing through a snow globe. Oh, and a 10-15 cm weak layer on the NE aspect decided to throw some slab releases into the mix — because who needs a calm ski day anyway?
Monday’s adventure took me up Mount Rohr, shrouded in a perfect whiteout,visibility: zero. Creeks and boulders were thankfully well covered (phew!), but the summit greeted me with wind-swept crust, as if Mother Nature had left the fridge door open.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, I aimed for a glorious traverse from Blowdown to Gott/Boulder. But alas, the sledders had other plans. The ridges leading to North Cottonwood and Gott drainage were barricaded with monstrous cornices ,like nature’s version of a “Do Not Enter” sign. I made peace with fate and skied Cottonwood Peak instead, then backtracked to the car, dreaming of future trips where the cornices don’t have such a wicked sense of humor.
All in all, five days of snow, solitude, and surviving the elements,plus a few extra gray hairs. Solo touring: because sometimes you just need to hang out with yourself and test your sanity at altitude.
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