Monday, May 1, 2017

Line of the Week, South face of Eiffel Peak

I know, another line  that requires either a long approach or waiting until the road opens. Either factor keeps this classic line from being the highlight of the ski guidebooks.
Staring across to the SW ridge of Mt. Temple. Also skiable...apparently

From Moraine Lake, follow the trail to Larch Valley and Eiffel Lakes. I prefer to ski up the SE shoulder of Eiffel peak rather than center punching the slide path which may or may not have a couple of chokes to navigate. Once on the face, it's just a straightforward skin up to the top, with possibly a short bootpack through a choke. Pick the right day and the views at the top are incredible!
South facing powder at the end of May. What?

800m of fall line skiing awaits. Ski out the avalanche path all the way to the bottom. If you are lucky, the snow in the drainage will still have a supportive crust and you can surf your way down the moraines to the lake. Or slog it out if the snow has become isothermal.

While the top of the line had slid down to hard snow through the choke, we were content with powder turns in the main body of the line. On this outing, the base of the avalanche path had melted out, with only new snow on the grass, bushes, and rocks. made for an interesting exit.
Elevation gain: 1080m
Round Trip distance: 10km
Top Elevation: 3077m
Line length: 800m
Other options in the area: As mentioned the the Eiffel-Pinnacle Couloir article, there is no shortage of lines in the Moraine lake area.
hillmap route

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