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Mt Shuksan, North Face

Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2020 7:38 pm
by skykilo
This is the first in a potential series of anthology threads. The North Face of Mt Shuksan is one of my favorite routes to this day.

Jeff Manor and I climbed the North Face in early November of a dry fall in 2003, with lots of blue glacier ice.
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Re: Mt Shuksan, North Face

Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2020 7:45 pm
by skykilo
Got around to skiing it in July 2004 with Cyril Benda.
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Re: Mt Shuksan, North Face

Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2020 7:49 pm
by skykilo
Skied it again with Wehrly and Hannah in 2006.
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Overall conditions were good but Hannah hit a rough patch, took a fall and broke her leg. That was scary!

Re: Mt Shuksan, North Face

Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2020 7:53 pm
by skykilo
Squad action with Tim and Chris in July 2007.
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Tim's trip report on TGR:
https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/sho ... -7-14-2007

Tragically, Chris perished in an avalanche in February 2012. There is a good New York Times article about it:
http://www.nytimes.com/projects/2012/sn ... nnel-creek

Re: Mt Shuksan, North Face

Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2020 9:39 pm
by skykilo
On my 29th birthday, Eric and I skied the North Face with a direct finish variation.
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The standard North Face gets you 2800 vertical feet of quality, mostly steep skiing with glorious exposure, but the lower half is at a lower angle. The west-facing couloir variation saves the steepest terrain for the finish.

Re: Mt Shuksan, North Face

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2020 6:32 pm
by skykilo
Then in February 2009, Dan Helmstadter and I skied the North Face in wintry conditions with the entrance being spICY (as Dan put it on summitpost).
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Some days this drop of ~4300 vertical feet to Price Lake feels nothing but exhilirating. At this moment it might have felt intimidating.