Off the top of “Northwest Corner” in the Gore Range, March 19th. Photo by Zach Wilson.
On the last full day of winter Rick, Zach, and I decided to take advantage of the sunny weather forecast and go for a summit in the northern-Gore. We settled on “Northwest Corner” peak (12,663 ft), one of the highpoints along the serrated ridge extending from “East Corner” up to Meridian Peak on the north side of the Piney River Valley.
Getting the morning rolling after the long sled ride in from Vail.
One of the main draws to “Northwest Corner” in particular was the avalanche forecast for the day, which noted new stress placed on the existing snowpack from the latest dump on north through east through southeast aspects. We were hoping the southwest aspect of the line would play nice, with the main concern being snow quality as the sun had likely hit the face for some amount of time the day prior. Sometimes you just have to go and see…
Out of the trees with “Northwest Corner” and our intended line in the distance.
After a long climbing traverse through the aspen groves on the north side of Piney Creek, we found the Marugg Creek drainage and paralleled it through a stretch of much denser pine forest. Up and over a few steep rolls we broke out of the trees and had the peak in our sights.
Getting higher as the day got hotter.
On the summit, Zach left and Rick middle, with “Peak C” and Corner Peak in back.
A closer look at the Ripsaw. This view never gets old in any season.
The position from the Corner summits is spectacular, with Eagles Nest and Powell towering above to the east and the Ripsaw Ridge and central Gore Range extending south as far as the eye can see. It’s all pretty much right there so it’s easy to lose track of time spying the hundreds of potential ski lines all over the place.
After getting in our fill we ripped skins and dropped in…
Zach off the top. Good news – the snow was excellent (and stable).
Rick linking em up. Photo by Zach.
Fun in the sun lower down on the face. Photo by Zach.
Zach. Photo by Rick.
Rick comin’ around the Corner. Photo by Zach.
And one more. Nice shots Zach!
A look back.
Overall we were pretty happy with the snow quality and stability on the face, and with some careful route finding we were able to ski almost all the way back to Piney Lake without transitioning. Stats for the day came in around 10.5 miles and 3,400 ft (+20 miles RT on the sleds).
Quite possibly my favorite apres ski location on Earth.
And with that it’s officially spring, and that means more days like this one to be had in the very near future. Zach and Rick, thanks for a fun day out there.
Cheers and happy, hoppy turns 🙂
Great pics of wilderness skiing!