A last-minute decision landed me on a ski trip up Mount Ronayne with a group led by Paul K. The access was via the North Tenas Branch off the Birkenhead FSR. From the cutblock, we followed a scenic route to the base of the North Couloir, then continued up the main drainage on Ronayne’s west side. As the terrain opened up in the alpine, the route curved south over a high col, bringing us into the South Bowl, which we followed to gain the east ridge leading directly to the summit.
The original plan was to descend via the dramatic North Couloir, but Mother Nature had other ideas. With visibility dropping to "white soup" levels, we made the wise call to backtrack our ascent route. Not quite the spicy descent we hoped for, but a good reminder that mountains make the rules.
All in all, a smooth 6-hour car-to-car trip with solid travel conditions and a strong team. The snow was decent (even if the views weren’t), and the route had just enough variety to keep things interesting.
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