[TR] Big Four Mountain's Lower Couloirs-3/29/2014

[dave schultz]

Trip: Big Four Mountain's Lower Couloirs -

 

Date: 3/29/2014

 

Trip Report:

My wife and I drove the MLH on Friday to see what it was like, and I was shocked with how close Big Four is to the road. I guess it's pretty obvious when you look at a map, but I just failed to realize that it literally is right there. I immediately began thinking how I can get myself out there, and soon.

 

Fast-forward to the next morning. I got up early and thought I would just go check it out, no real plans other than get to pullout and see how it goes. I left the house at 6:15.

 

It was raining steadily, visibility was not very good, but I was so curious to see what it would be like that I ended up gearing up and heading in.

 

It took about 30 minutes to get to the couloirs, and I chose a fairly short one, just to the left of the steep, vertical lower headwall. This one had the worst conditions, very hard snow, and very little consistency for angle (like skiing a frozen choppy lake). Actual couloir length was about 200-300 vertical feet.

 

The second couloir was further left, and from the approach it looked like a vertical sliver of white. It was pretty tight, between 10 and 20 feet wide, and steeper than the first, with tall vertical walls on both sides. There was a more consistent angle and it was a little softer; making for fantastic jump turns. This was by far the best of the day. Actual couloir length was about 350 vertical feet.

 

I thought I might be finished for the day, having explored a little, but I decided to head up and around to corner to check it out, and found another one, wider and lower angled. I climbed up for probably 500 vertical feet in the couloir. The turns were not as good as the second, but much better than the first.

 

The rain made it a short day, I was back to the truck just after 11, and unfortunately I could not see much else around due to the poor visibility. I had never been to this area, and was fascinated by it. There appear to be tons of technical climbing with ski descents, all within half an hour of the road. I will be back.

 

I feel like I missed out by not ever going to check this place out before. Technical climbing and ski descents abound, and closer to Everett than anything else.

 

I forgot my phone/camera at home, but my POS GoPro was able to capture some of it. BTW, does anyone else have the Hero3 and have a terrible time getting it to work well?

 

The first couloir I skied is visible on the leftmost edge of the photo, going up and right. The other couloirs were even further left.

 

This is looking left, and you can see the entrance for the first couloir on the right. The second couloirs entrance is out of site, behind the mound of snow. I would be on the other side of the rock face in the center of the photo. The third couloir was still further left.

 

Looking at the GoPro, wondering if it is working or not ... I guess it was. I know what you're thinking ... "man that looks like good skiing weather"

 

Gear Notes:

-Two ice tools, which were helpful in the second couloir

-Crampons, also helpful in the second couloir

-30m 8mm rope in my pack

-Lightweight harness

-1 22cm ice screw and a v-thread tool

-Ski crampons, never used (too soft), perhaps would have been useful higher on the mountain

 

 

Approach Notes:

Super easy, 30 minutes from the pullout, then pick your line.

 

Even with the road unplowed, the two miles of skinning would have gone by very fast, 45 minutes at most.

 

[Bronco]

Surprised you didn't see (or at least mention) debris coming down. That face is typically pretty active on a rainy spring day.

[dave schultz]

Surprised you didn't see (or at least mention) debris coming down. That face is typically pretty active on a rainy spring day.

 

Yea, there was a moderate amount of activity. The big stuff was falling in pretty consistent intervals in the same area. Only small loose wet stuff came down the stuff I climbed and skied, easy to get to the side and let the small stuff go down the middle. The debris piles indicated pretty accurately the biggest pieces that I saw.