Magpie

Skiing is dangerous, and backcountry skiing is even more dangerous.  Extreme steep skiing involving alpine climbing involves consequences that include serious injury and death.  Objective hazards (e.g. avalanche danger and rock fall) may be present, and the consequences of a fall or other subjective (e.g. decision-making) mistakes could be fatal.  You are responsible for your own safety.  The decision to pursue an objective like what’s discussed below cannot be taken lightly; it takes years of gaining knowledge and experience to pull it off.

On March 11, 2017 Mat Brunton and Brian Harder completed another possible first descent in the Western Chugach Mountains (Girdwood area).  They ascended Magpie’s south couloir, and descended its north face-couloir.  This was their second attempt.  The first attempt was nixed on the apron of the south couloir due to rapidly deteriorating snow conditions: abundant sunshine had unavoidable rime chunks showering down and it was deemed to unsafe to proceed (they instead ascended Raggedtop to its summit, and completed a likely first descent down the north ridge into a northerly chute into Raggedtop’s northern cirque).  An even earlier start made their second attempt at Magpie possible.  This day was a modest ~7 miles and 6000′, and involved a short section of technical climbing.

Mat on the apron of Magpie’s south couloir:

Mat in Magpie’s south couloir:

Mat leading a pitch of steep rock and rime to top out the south couloir:

Brian nearing the top of the south couloir:

Brian on the ridge between the south and north aspects:

Mat deconstructing the anchor at the top of the south couloir, and Brian traversing across the upper north face:

Mat getting into the north face, before it funnels down into a couloir:

Mat working into the narrower sections:

Looking back at the line:

Brian and Mat heading up and out from the Magpie glacier:

Mat nearing the top of the pass between Magpie and Crow peaks:

Mat descending the Crow glacier back towards Crow Pass (Rook mountain and its south couloirs in the background):

Video of the day (prepared for a 2017 Mountaineering Club of Alaska presentation):

Gear:

  • Pieps DSP Pro avalanche beacon
  • Black Diamond Deploy shovel
  • Black Diamond QuickDraw Tour probe
  • Black Diamond Snow Saw Pro
  • Black Diamond Helio 105 skis
  • Dynafit Superlite 2.0 bindings
  • Dynafit ski crampons
  • Dynafit TLT6 boots
  • Black Diamond mohair mix skins
  • Petzl Irvis Hybrid crampons
  • Smartwool ski socks
  • Mountain Hardwear Chockstone pants
  • Mountain Hardwear Compressor pants
  • Patagonia Capilene boxers
  • Patagonia Duckbill hat
  • Tech t-shirt
  • Outdoor Research Cathode hooded jacket
  • Black Diamond Coefficient fleece hoody
  • Black Diamond Hot Forge Hybrid hoody
  • Black Diamond Helio gloves
  • Black Diamond Cirque 35 pack
  • Black Diamond Traverse ski poles
  • Black Diamond pitons
  • J Snare v-thread tool
  • Petzl Sum’Tec hammer ice tool
  • Petzl Altitude harness
  • Petzl Laser Speed Light ice screw
  • Petzl RAD glacier kit (with 30m RAD line)
  • Petzl Reactik headlamp
  • Julbo photochromatic sunglasses
  • Camp Speed helmet
  • 20′ 6mm cordelette
  • Repair kit: Leatherman, bailing wire, Voile straps, Black Diamond binding buddy, extra batteries, pole basket, etc.
  • Emergency kit: InReach, space blanket, narcotic pain killer, herbs, etc.

Thanks to Brian Harder (SkiMoLife.com) for media contributions.