[VIDEO] The FIFTY Episode 44: SPLIT – Tragedy and Triumph in Split Couloir, CA Cody Townsend’s The FIFTY returns with this winter’s first full episode. Related: 3 Caught 1 Killed in Avalanche on Split Mountain, CA Mountains can have a certain energy to them, and a mountain called Split, located in the High Sierra Mountain Range in eastern California, has an energy with a dark side. Split Mountain is a 14,000-foot peak with a […] SnowBrains | October 4, 2023 0 Comments
Body of Hiker Without Mountaineering Boots, Crampons, or Helmet Recovered From Snowy Couloir on Aspen, CO, 14er The body of a 37-year-old Aspen, CO, resident was recovered from the Conundrum Couloir between Castle and Conundrum Peaks on the morning of August 2, 2023. The recovery was a two-day effort between the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, The Pitkin County Coroner’s Office, Mountain Rescue Aspen (MRA), and Care Flight. The employer of the missing hiker reported them overdue on […] CragBrains | August 4, 2023 0 Comments
Trip Report: Snowbird, UT – “Pipeline Couloir” on July 21, 2023 Report from July 21, 2023 “Pipeline Couloir” at Snowbird, UT yesterday was a buck-wild adventure ski! Maybe the best adventure skiing I’ve ever had anywhere… Rockfalls, waterfalls, evil melted-out black bomb holes, second-thought-inducing steeps, convoluted/corrugated snow, violent pitch changes, unholy spine-chokes, a large rocky waterfall mid-chute, and more rocks-embedded-in-snow than you can shake a stick at. I actually removed about […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | July 24, 2023 2 Comments
Trip Report: Peak 12,691′, CA – “Paiute Pass Ridge Chutes” – The Walled Couloir Report from July 8, 2023 Peak 12,691′, CA’s “Paiute Pass Ridge Chutes” – The Walled Couloir yesterday was spicy hot! Ok, ok, we were only gonna do 20 lines for this Eastern Sierra project but we just couldn’t resist chute #21… I saw this well-walled beauty 3-days ago while skiing in this zone for line #20 of the project. I […] Trip Report Miles Clark | July 9, 2023 0 Comments
Trip Report: 11,744′ Independence Peak, CA – “Independence Couloir” Report from June 27, 2023 11,744′ Independence Peak, CA’s “Independence Couloir” yesterday was a mind-bender! This was #18Â of our 20 “new-to-us” ski mountaineering lines Eastern Sierra project 2023. We knew this chute would be sun-cupped and bumpy, but we just couldn’t resist this 2,500-vertical-foot, in-your-face, dazzling Eastern Sierra couloir. The top was recklessly fun. The middle was pretty heinous in […] Trip Report Miles Clark | June 28, 2023 0 Comments
Trip Report: 13,632′ University Peak, CA – “Northeast Couloir” Report from June 25, 2023 13,623′ University Peak, CA’s “Northeast Couloir” held epic skiing & chockstone anxiety yesterday! This aesthetic chute stuffed a nail into our mind’s eye last Thursday when we passed underneath it on our way to and from University Peak’s “North Face.” We never could tell if the thing went or if it was a closeout… Yesterday, […] Trip Report Miles Clark | June 26, 2023 0 Comments
Trip Report: 13,494′ Mt. Thompson, CA – “Trident Couloirs” Report from June 20, 2023 13,494′ Mt. Thompson, CA’s “Trident Couloirs” scared the crap out of me yesterday! I thought about turning around at breakfast at 4 am, on the drive down, immediately upon hitting South Lake, near Treasure Lake, at the bench below Thompson, and even halfway up the Couloir, where I considered down climbing. Anxiety shadowed my every […] Trip Report Miles Clark | June 21, 2023 0 Comments
Trip Report: 12,871′ Mount Johnson, CA – “North Couloir” Report from June 15, 2023 We’ve had terrible weather in the Eastern Sierra since Saturday. Rain, snow, thunderstorms, lots of clouds. We waited out the storms, then gave the snowpack two days to adjust to all the rain, hail, and new snow. We returned yesterday hoping for a good overnight freeze and smooth corn skiing. We were wrong. The snow […] Trip Report Miles Clark | June 16, 2023 1 Comment