Dusk Patrol: The Y

On somewhat of a whim, i.e. tired of studying and tired of working, Sam and I cut out at 4:00 yesterday to ski a chute. We settled on the Y, the daddy of chutes in Little Cottonwood. Since our objective was simply to get out and ski a chute, we weren't disappointed or that surprised that the Y was filled with thousands of frozen soccer-ball-sized chunks of ice.



The first challenge is the stream. Stream crossings are always fun. On the way back, I was too tired to try to balance on the rocks, so I just waded it.



The Y, according to my watch is 3600 vertical feet from the stream to the top. The lower apron was really icy. I was wishing that I had some crampons and an axe/whippet. Has anyone seen my ice gear?



We ascended straight up the gut.



And it kept on going.



And going.



And going.



The Y offers some great views of the backside of Twin, including Lisa Falls.



And views of the valley and the lake.



The last lip was pretty steep and a bit hairy. I wished I had an axe.



And the top offered views of the Pfeif.



We descended right as the sun was setting and found some nice snow in the top bowl.



And lots of death balls in the lower chute. We made it out just as it got dark.