January 26, 2020
BIG LINES in January!! What is happening?! George, Marshell, Casey, Haley, and I hiked up the Sultan Ridge and skied a rowdy couloir! We shuttled cars again, on Molas Pass this time. Parking one at the bottom at the last switchback and one up top starting at Cataract Gulch. We started skinning up that and linked into Deadwood Gulch. Took that the rest of the way into the high alpine basin. Skinned up the Southeast face staying as low angles as possible to ridgeline. That puts you on top of the “Constellation Couloirs”!!! We skied that furthest one up before the notch in the ridge! “Scorpio”!! It was GNAAAAAR biscuits! We had to downclimb into the couloir in nastt faceted snow and loose rock! Nice n scary!! But the whole time you could see the beautiful POW below and you had your friends right there so… Just keep descending!! Got through the rocks and strapped in!! I dropped first!!! The first two turns were soft breakable crust, to one turn on firm wind board, to the rest of the line in that sweet sweet puuuuurtty POWDER!!! Incredible line!! Big walls, rock spires, POW, and mach speeds!!! I got to the bottom and got drone shots of everyone else skiing it!! Stoke was so high!!!! Real big line for middle of winter in the San Juans! Snow pack is lining up nicely!! Shredded that drainage down to the truck at the bottom of the pass in Silverpow!!! Another day of more ski vert than skinning!!!! 2,200ft of hiking and 2,900ft of skiing!!! WORK SMARTER NOT HARDER!!!
Snow Report
No new snow. Sunny about 0C. High winds from NW on ridges and peaks. Calm down lower. Northwest facing slope was powder past wind hammered ridges. Natural SE wind slab avalanches. Wet releases on warming aspects. Skier triggered avalanche the day before on a Northwest slope above treeline. Triggered at apron of one of the Constellation Couloirs in loaded spot on slope. Looked like skier was able to ski out at an angle on the slope, while the avalanche propagated above. Besides seeing that, the snow we skied felt very stable and had no moving snow!
I am no snow expert. We are just out here getting after it everyday and I would love to share my observations to the beautiful ski community!! Be safe! Take faceshots!! Colorado Avalanche Information Center is a great resource: https://avalanche.state.co.us/
Ski Bum Philosophy 