Solstice Couloir route page

[rhyang]

I just submitted a route page for the Solstice Couloir on Mt. Dana. Any feedback would be appreciated. I'm particularly clueless about the skiing and boarding aspects of this route.

[forjan]

Rob,
Thanks for submitting this.

[Diggler]

Hey Rob,

in case he doesn't see the thread, you might want to contact Rich (steeleman), one of the resident SP Cali backcountry ski experts- I'd guess that if it's skiable, he's probably been down it.

BTW- as I didn't see it (& haven't done that couloir, so I don't know), is there a 'schrund that needs to be crossed? This would be a good thing to mention if so.

[Steve Larson]

The one time I was on Dana to ski I checked out the Solstice Couloir. It was out of condition (way too many rocks), but it looked quite reasonable. My understanding is that the crux is dropping in. It's usually corniced at the top. That was certainly the case when I looked down it.

[rhyang]

Thanks guys - I have incorporated your comments !

[steeleman]

well, the main issue about the solstice is not the schrund, but the cornice. Usually it keeps a honkin' cornice (mandatory BIG air) until well late in the year, then it collapses and messes up the whole ski line

funny story is that a few years ago a friend was up there and reported seeing a huuuge group of n00b skiers atop the solstice contemplating the entry, and then literally one by one then tumbled down the thing, cartwheeling the entire way down. The followers never learned from the ones who went before them. How tragedy was avoided was sheer providence.

A few cornice shots from teletips and splitboard postings:

[rhyang]

that last one is friggin huge - I remember topping out on the left side of the couloir, and seeing a 15-20' boulder directly in front of me - which in that pic is entirely covered by the cornice.

Thanks for the info Rich - I've put your notes into the route page.

[bcd]

Damn! Those guys are studs!


The page looks good. I added another snowboard shot to it, showing a smaller cornice from a season with a more average snowfall.

[PellucidWombat]

Nice page, Ryang. I was interested in yoru putting it up because half of the job of a route page is to show what is out there (and hopefully enough about the route to see if it is of interest!).

BTW, I disagree about the easiest descent route. There is an easy and very reasonable X-country descent route that leads back to the car:

Take the main trail down until you reach a mild saddle with some sort of structure built on it. From there, traverse away from the trail, heading just to the right of a rocky knob (cl. 1) From the knob, descend a few hundred feet to the right of the knob, aiming towards a sublte promontory that juts out from the ridge (cl.1-2-). From here, descend slopes to the right to a meadow, and pick up the use trail you used to hike in just downhill from the outlet of the meadow, next to the river.

There is a good topo map that shows this route on the Dana page, and I was very happy with the route.

[rhyang]