the big couloir
I finally skied “the big couloir” which is something that I should have done a long time ago, but better late than never. When I signed out with ski patrol they said “it is as bad as it gets today”, which means the snow was rather firm, or rather it was “slide for life”. To give an idea of how steep 45 degrees is, it is steep enough so that when you stick your arm out from a standing position you can easily touch the slope. I was lucky enough to step out of my ski about half way down and then slide on my side for about 100′ before I was able to arrest myself, it was good for me to get that first fall out of the way early, but I will tell you what, if you ever want to get your heart rate pumping, have I got a ride for you.