We found the boot track that I had spotted on the way up and followed it to the edge of a very wide crevasse. A solid snowbridge led us to the other side where the slope went from 10 degrees to 40. There wasn't much of a warm up. We chattered our way down the steep ice above several crevasses and crossed via a series of snowbridges.

 

Josh skiing to the edge of a wide crevasse.

 

I was surprised by the exposure on the upper part of the glacier. It looks like a wide open slope from below but there are several large crevasses and the route through them requires a bit of nerve. Crux number one.

We managed to find a few flat spots to film and shoot photos. There were enormous seracs to either side and it was an incredible feeling to be skiing right next to them. It's beautiful place that few people will ever visit. I wanted to make sure I'd remember it even though I'll probably be back next year to experience it again.

 

Jason gets a little freaky skiing on ice. You can see the boot track that we followed on the upper glacier.

 

Josh edges his way around the seracs.

 

The slope mellowed out below the upper crevasses. The boot track went skier's right but we decided to follow the open slope to the left. We tried our best to avoid the snowball debris. The snow was still firm so we had little to worry about in the way of avalanches. We figured the hardest part was over so we kicked back to enjoy the long ski ahead.

 

Jason kicking back below the upper crevasses. The NFNWR can be seen along the horizon. Eykes.

 

Josh avoiding the snowballs while Jason films from below.

 

We traversed left about halfway down the glacier. I wasn't sure where to go at this point but I knew that there was a chute somewhere below us. The slope continued to get steeper so I couldn't tell exactly where it was until I was right above it. There are actually two chutes. The one on the left didn't look too promising (too narrow to turn in) so I traversed a couple feet over to the one on the right. The right chute was wide enough to turn in although I'll admit to side stepping a couple feet because it was awfully steep. Most of the snowballs had passed through these two chutes so the snow was icy. I made it through after a few tense turns and ducked under a serac to wait for Josh and Jason. Crux number two.

 

Josh exits the right chute. It doesn't look very steep in this photo but I'm certain that it was at least 45 degrees. The icy snow made it feel even steeper.

 

We were all pretty relieved by the time we made it through the chute. Our tracks from the previous day weren't too far below -- 500 vertical feet and a couple crevasse jumps in-between. The snow had softened up making the turns more enjoyable. The slope eased from 45 to 30 degrees.

 

Josh jumping a small crevasse below the chute.

 

Jason. Same crevasse, different angle.

 

We looked for some new lines near our old tracks and found plenty of untouched corn on the right side of the glacier. We also discovered the boot tracks from the two climbers that turned around. They had definitely been postholing (up to a foot in places) so I don't blame them for turning around. I might have suggested that they climb the North Ridge if their intention was to ski the glacier but I never got the chance. Oh well, it was nice having the route to ourselves.

 

Josh on the lower glacier. The two chutes can be seen in the upper right portion of this photo. We skied the one on skier's right.

 

Jason and Josh finish it off.

 

I recalled seeing a line on the right side of the glacier just before it turns flat. Getting to it involved crossing a few weak snowbridges but that wasn't a problem on skis. A boot track helped guide us.

It was well worth the exposure. A 30 degree chute filled with corn snow surrounded by seracs provided a fitting end to our three day adventure. The ski down the flat portion of the glacier wasn't as fitting, especially without wax.

 

Josh crossing a weak snowbridge to get to the bottom chute.

 

Jason in the chute while Josh watches from below.

 

Josh wasn't quite content. He was hoping to get a little more air so he decided to traverse onto a serac. It's the second one up on the right side of the chute seen in the previous photo. I warned him of the danger but he said he was going to jump it regardless so I agreed to take a photo. I laughed as he bounced his way across the ice on top of the serac before launching into space. Everything looked ok until it came time to land. Josh managed to find on a chunk of ice as hard as the one he just skied off. The cable on his binding broke on impact but he was able to ski the rest of the way down. Good timing? Perhaps.

 

Josh airing the serac. Those dark spots below him -- ice.

 

The ski back to camp was uneventful besides Josh's broken binding and bruised behind. We packed our overnight gear and left camp around 3pm. We were able to ski nearly all of the meadows on the way down. 3 miles of trail led us back to where we began. Our three day trip had finally come to an end.

 

Myself, Jason and Josh. A look back from our camp.

 

 

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