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trip report—coinslot couloir

A classic ski line in perfect conditions

The week before we skied this line was unseasonably warm. Temperatures soared into the mid 40s at high elevation, and the Colorado snowpack went from a persistent slab issue to wet slab concerns. Two days before, I had skied another classic—Silver Couloir—in less than optimal conditions, bordering on coral reef. Though the surface was firm, we were glad the spring weather and temps had helped the underlaying snowpack bond with the incredible amount of snow we got in early march. The historic avalanche cycle had finally run its course. Today however, we awoke in the back of Grayson’s 4Runner to 3 inches of light powder and were headed towards a North-facing, well-sheltered couloir. We were cautiously optimistic during the fast skin up, which is only about 1,500 vertical feet to the top of Mount Royal. Good cloud cover and light snowfall during the walk up kept our hopes high. After reaching the saddle I spent nearly an hour searching for a tree wrapped in cordlette that would serve as our rappel anchor and mark the top of the line. We were too far East. I stomped around on the steep slope above the face digging out snow around increasing smaller diameter trees. Given our proximity to i-70, a consult with our phones revealed the colouir to the West and we soon found the anchor. I was glad I brought an ice axe which had seemed unnecessary while packing. I lowered down into the narrow slot first, and found perfect snow conditions. After a fantastic ski down we decided to go ski Cadillac couloir before driving back down the hill. Not bad for a couple of weekend warriors.

All photos by Grayson Tamberi

Surprisingly spacious accommodations at the Frisco Inn.

Evidence of the massive amount of slide activity from the historic march cycle.