March 10, 2007
Round Top - Baking in the Sun, Shaking in the Moon (Crescent Couloir)
Joe, Toby, Buddy
Obligatory Round Top and Sisters approach picture. Moon Crescent Couloir is the obvious dog leg (crescent shaped) line off the tippy top of Round Top.
It almost feels as if we skipped Spring and went right to Summer, in a week. So while the snow pack is still fat, Toby and I decided to ski a long corn run we have both been eyeing for years - the South side of Round Top down to Summit City Creek / Devils Coral. We also had thoughts of picking off the Moon Crescent Couloir on our way back out since we would have to skin right back up to the saddle between the Sisters and Round Top anyway. Then while skinning from Winnemucca Lake to the saddle we watched two guys and a dog make worthy descents of the infamous couloir. It was solidified in our minds that we would also ski the crescent on this day. But first we had to do our 2,500' corn run from the back of the Sisters to the bottom of the Summit City Creek canyon. We timed it right and the run was righteous!
Toby and Buddy head over to the East facing exposure, just below the Sisters.
After enjoying the grand views, they head on down:
$$$ Corn, and the snow was BRIGHT!
The gully was a long twisting, perfectly pitched roller coaster of a ride.
The view back up from the bottom. It was a long one.
The surrounding peaks also offer a few worthy big descents:
After refueling a bit, we began one of the hottest skins in the history of Joe and Toby. There was only one shady spot in 2,500' of skinning on a bright, reflective, windless, South facing, steep, convection oven endless slope. We were cooking in the sun! This picture was taken just after Buddy chucked up his breakfast.
Fortunately 90 minutes later we were back up on the saddle. Watching folks play and slay the Sisters.
We threw the skis on our backpacks and booted our way up the loose pile of rubble of a summit of Round Top.
And then, the Moon Crescent lay at our feet:
But first one last look way down towards our first run of the day:
Cool views from Round Top. Both the long views......
and the one requiring immediate attention:
So I dropped in and enjoyed great turns on the chalky hanging snowfield. I had to remind myself to stop and make the mandatory Ralph into the couloir. I also stopped here to call for Buddy and snap a few shots of Toby skiing this beauty of a steep face:
Buddy gets white washed!
Toby's feeling good about it. The couloir lies below:
Buddy did not feel as good about the entry into the couloir from the hanging snowfield:
I entered the couloir while Toby took control of the camera:
Toby followed me down, but could not get Buddy to follow him. After inspecting a much burlier line than the Crescent, Buddy finally returned to the summit and took the ridge back down to us. That's only the 2nd time I've seen him freak out about a hairy descent. The other episode was on Conness.
We were good husbands and fathers and zipped home well before 3:00 PM. This was a stellar California day!
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