STS Couloir - Rogers Pass

STS Couloir

Cheops North #4

1100m

11.5km

Kyle starting the rappel into STS Couloir

With Forever Young Couloir ticked off the day before, the birthday party decided to keep the stoke high and tackle STS Couloir. This line has been on the list for a long time and the stable snowpack and cold but sunny weather made for perfect couloir skiing conditions. 

We hopped into the conga line snaking its way up Connaught Creek. The poor snow pack across the province had attracted everyone to Rogers Pass for Family Day weekend and people were getting after it. The snow quality sucked but conditions were stable and there were plenty of tracks down extreme lines off Cheops North that we gawked at on our way up to Balu Pass.

Early season conditions in mid-February up the Connaught drainage

First looks at STS from below

Welcome sunshine as we work our way up to a heavily tracked out Balu Pass

Skin track super-highway heading up Cheops

As we gained the ridge above Balu Pass and started making our way up Cheops, the clouds started to roll in. The steep skin track up the west ridge was icy and unpleasant and a few people opted to boot pack up the shallow, wind-hammered slope to avoid sliding backwards on the switchbacks (they were all from Squamish so obviously weren't accustomed to Roger's Pass skin tracks or ice in general).

Clouds starting to gather on the horizon. Vince Shuley Photo

Moody skies looking west into Cougar from Cheops

We stopped to regroup at the top of Niccy's Notch where a big group was transitioning to drop in. We could see a party of 2 setting up a rappel into STS on the ridge above us so knew that at least someone else was skiing the line today. With the weather changing and the fatigue from our big day yesterday, enthusiasm was waning and there was a palpable tension about the committing line. 

Despite the feelings of uncertainty, we pushed on to the top of the line and Tristan got to work to quickly set up a rappel off a bundle of tap wrapped around a ice-caked tree. The nervous energy improved significantly once we had a look over the edge. The line was totally do-able and looked like a lot of fun. The crux was going to be getting down into the guts of the couloir. Most years there is a short rappel into the line over the cornice or you can just ski right in. From our anchor, we could see that there was a 20m rappel over the cornice, but below that was a narrow chute filled with rock that looked absolutely heinous. We figured that sending all 6 of us through was a bad idea as each successive person would scrape more snow off the rocks, leaving the last people with a nasty challenge. Instead we chose to rig a 60m single rope rappel for the first 5 so we could rap backwards over the rock without disturbing the snow, and volun-told our strongest skier (Tristan) to side step down through the rocks unroped after the rappel off the cornice. He didn't seem phased. We hadn't banked on such a long rappel so had only brought two 30m ropes, tying these together gave us the 60 metres needed but it meant that we would have to pass a knot in the middle of the rappel, just to add to the challenge of a first ski rappel for most of the group!

Landon roped up and ready to rap in. Vince Shuley Photo

Dropping in. Vince Shuley Photo

It was a strange feeling lowering off the edge and down over the cornice backwards, but not as sketchy as I had expected. There was a good spot to kick in a ledge to pass the knot then it was back on rappel to get through the rocks. 

Kyle on rappel

Tristan showing off his bases. Steve Kovolenko Photo

The first jump turn into the couloir was the scariest and steepest, but after that I got into a rhythm that I was able to descend quickly, linking turns as the line opened up and the angle eased off. The snow was inconsistent - firm, punchy, chalky and icy. It was hard to know what the next turn was going to be and it was exhausting to ski for more than a dozen turns without a break.

The top of the line in STS couloir

The couloir opens up into a wide section before closing in for a narrow, steep choke right before the fan at the bottom. Snow quality was terrible, even on the north facing line. 700 metres of descending later, my legs were jello and I was pleased to clip off the skis and open my boot buckles while I watched the rest of the team picking their way down the line. Going first has its advantages.

Looking back up the couloir to see Kyle and Landon negotiating the rappel

The full STS Couloir from Balu Pass Trail. Can you spot the 3 skiers?