Skiers Descend the North Gully of The Stawamus Chief in Squamish
The Howe Sounds has been blanketed is snow that's made for some coastal skiing
B.C. is known for its world-class skiing, with must-visit slopes peppering the province from east to west and south to north. Over the past few months, record snowfalls and exceptionally cold temps have combined to create perfect early winter ski conditions throughout.
Over recent weeks, sub-zero conditions have settled on Squamish where countless ice climbers have found old and new lines to ascend. However, skiers have also been taking advantage of the rare coastal winter to descend steep lines.
West coast skiers Eric Carter, Chris Christie and Paul Greenwood recently completed an often-talked about plan to ski the North Gully on The Stawamus Chief (originally known as Siy’ám’ Smánit). This week, they made what could be the first ski descent of the entire feature.
Below are thoughts about the descent by Carter and Greenwood and photos of them by Kieran Brownie. Many years ago, Pryce Brown skied off The Chief, watch below.
Carter said, “Skiing from the top of the Second Peak we started to think we might pull it off. Looking into the gully, we got even more psyched. When we finally touched down and started making deep pow turns in the narrow gut with the massive north walls soaring above us, we knew we had scored. We made several rappels over chockstones, and the forest at the valley bottom was a bit desperate, but otherwise it was a helluva backyard adventure and we all made it to work on time.”
The Chief Ski BASE
Watch Pryce Brown ski off Canada’s iconic granite wall in Squamish.
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