Goat Head Couloir: April 10

Goat Head is a sneaky bastard: a Wasatch style couloir hidden in plain sight in the Chugach. She boasts 3,000' vertical, a 5 minute approach from pavement, and continuous 40°+. The couloir rarely (if ever) gets wider than 25' and often it is half that. The crux is definitely the "Improbable Left" at about 1,200'. When booting this gem, alders loom in your future. Just below the springy whips exists the "Improbable Left." It doesn't look like much even once you're committed, but have faith. It twists and turns and gets steep (48°) and narrow and after 10 minutes, it opens up and your back in 42° land. The snow was great today (1:30 PM). There are two piles of debris below the crux, one old (not bad) and one new (a bit of the old side step / side slip). The crux catches a lot of AM sun and will become more cruxy as the melting continues.

Thanks to the Noodler for the hot tip.

- Vladimir Pucholt

Looking Down above the Crux

Looking Down below the Crux