Phantom Couloir

Phantom Couloir - Mt Ogden

~15km car to car

1250 m elevation

Couloir - 300m vertical

Phantom Couloir

We took the opportunity of a stable snowpack and bluebird day to check out a new zone and ski my first Rockies Couloir this past weekend! It hadn't snowed in 2 weeks so we weren't expecting fresh tracks by any means but it was a good excuse to get out with our friend and ski something cool. It was -23 at the Sherbrooke Lake parking area and we managed to grab one of the last parking spots at 7:45 am. We kept moving to stay warm, but still had to do spot checks of each others faces for signs of frostbite.

Crossing the frigid Sherbrook Lake, aiming for the sunny slopes on Ogden

It felt even colder when we got to the lake. The cold air from the Wapta must sink and settle in the valley and it was still shady as we crossed the ice to the slopes below Mt. Ogden. The big east face of the mountain towered over us and was mesmerizing with all the fluted snow plastered to the bare rock. As we climbed up towards the Ogden bench and moved into the sun, the temperature rose thanks to an inversion and we felt much more comfortable.

Looking down on Sherbrook Lake

Climbing out of the icebox and into the sunshine

An impressive snowy face

We gained the Ogden shoulder and got our first look at the North Facing Phantom Couloir, tucked around the corner in the shade. There were already a few parties on the bootpack so we took our time getting transitioned over to bootpack to give them time to get to the top and ski down before we entered the run-out zone.

Starting up the Phantom Couloir

We tucked in behind a big rocky outcropping as the other parties descended. The snow was wind hammered and marginal. The other skiers seemed to be having issues with the conditions and were moving painfully slow. As the other groups timidly picked their way down we ended up getting very, very cold. Eventually, we just had to move. We took off up the couloir, kicking in steps as the side slipping skiers had filled in the bootpack. Another party had caught us while we waited and we ascended the couloir together, stopping to chat at the summit and admire the panorama from the top of Ogden.

The final push to the top of the bootpack

View off the top of Ogden down the valley towards Field

Connor dropped in first and picked his way carefully down the rocky, steep entrance into the guts of the couloir where the snow improved and it was easier to link up some turns. Although the couloir isn't very steep or narrow compared to others in the area, blowing a ski could have ended in a long slide to the bottom thanks to the challenging snow conditions. 

Connor gets ready to drop in

Kyle picks his way down the couloir

We regrouped at the bottom to watch the other party descend and snap some photos. It was really fun to share a cool line with an equally stoked party, especially since 1st tracks were not much different than 12th tracks that day. The slopes back down to Sherbrooke Lake were tracked out but surprisingly fun. There was enough fresh snow from the last storm that it was soft and enjoyable. Overall, the day exceeded our expectations.

Farming some 2 week old freshies!