Pipeline, finally!

Yesterday was not a great day for doing “Pipeline” as I had long planned in Snowbird, but it had to be the day. The temperature was fairly high, the snow a bit mushy and the skies overcast, at least early in the morning. Since last year, I was mesmerized by the 27 degree slanted “couloir” that is in part quite steep and that runs across the north face of Twin Peaks, at Snowbird. Seen from the ski runs, the chute looks forbidding and this must be what creates the attraction int the first place.

For years, I had noticed the spot forever, but it's last year that I got interested, when I heard that Junior Bounous, Snowbird's director of skiing who is now 86, skied that hairy run when he was already 80! As I would found out this Saturday, the hardest part of the descent is the 45 minute strenuous climb, with skis on the back, that lead to Twin Peaks western summit. As is often the case in mountain climbing, the top of the descent is a bit intimidating for the neophyte, but the descent is not really a problem and ends in the beautiful snowfield at the opening of the gulley. A spectacular run that I will re-do very soon!