Mount Sopris Laundry Chutes 5.6.11

After our successful day on Pyramid’s Landry Line, Brittany and I were looking to do some more skiing somewhere in the Roaring Fork Valley. Pyramid had tired us out, both mentally and physically, so objectives like Thunder Pyramid and Cathedral were out. A few suggestions were made, but ultimately when Jordan suggested Sopris, we were instantly in, since it fit the bill perfectly as something fairly quick, easy, and fun. An added bonus for this trip was Lou Dawson deciding to join us as well. We’ve been trying to get together with the 14er pioneer for years on a tour, so it was nice to finally make it happen.

Though not even a thirteener at 12,953′, the twin Sopris summits tower over 6,000′ above the Crystal and Roaring Fork river valleys, making Sopris appear much taller than it is. Our intended descent route was the Laundry chutes, seen here from the scrub oak halfway up the mountain.

Nearing treeline:

The weather was surprisingly cold, windy, and cloudy compared to our cloudless day on Pyramid. Still, it made for some interesting light as another group made their way up the mountain.

We went straight up the bowl and then found ourselves on the ridge, where the cornices were peeling away from the earth.

After reaching the summit and skiing back down the ridge, we reached the entrance of our chosen couloir. Brittany:

Lou:

Jordan. As you can see, conditions were still quite powdery:

Jordan got some nice shots of me:

Carbondale, still far below:

Brittany. Photo Jordan White:

Lou, exiting the couloir. Photo Jordan White:

Frank, coming out into the bowl below the couloirs.

Brittany from below, with the Laundry chutes above.

From the bottom of the bowl, we still had a lot of bonus turns until we reached our snowmobiles. Brittany:

All in all, it was exactly the kind of day we were looking for. A fun and aesthetic climb, a steep powdery couloir, bonus corn skiing, and all with great people. Thanks Lou and Jordan!

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Frank Konsella

Frank loves snow more than anything... except his wife.  He ensures his food is digested properly by chewing it 32 times before swallowing.He is a full-time real estate agent serving Crested Butte and Gunnison and would be honored to send you his monthly newsletter.

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