Red Slate NE face first descent?

[bcrider]

Anyone know if this has been skied before?

It takes a year like this year to make it possible…and an individual like bcd. I dont think its ever been skiied but I'm not a ski mountaineering historian. Anyone know?

Here is a pic from May 16, 2002 (nearly the same day as my friend’s descent on May 14, 2005). Looks a little peppered.


Feb 2005 Looks a liitle thin.


May 14, 2005 bcd’s line. Good to go?




Regardless of whether it’s officially a first descent or not…it’s a damn, damn sick line.

Props bcd!

[Bodhi]

Wow. Holy shit. Stood infront of Red Slate last month (and even backed out on doing the Couloir for various reasons), never even comprehended a possible line being where bcd rode. Ballsy.

peace,
BS.

[Telenater]

Ask Telegasm. I know he was contemplating it.

[bcrider]

telegasm?

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Regardless of it being a first or not...that's a wonderful line.

[Telenater]

telegasm?

Eric O (gratuitous FM to take up characters).

[bcrider]

Eric O

hey I know him.

[tarkman1]

It may be a first descent. Most of us would be sketched on the traverse over the exposure. BCD heads down there. What a year and what a line!

Did he put up a trip report? I'm sure to know whether he used ropes at any time. I think that descent was running through his mind for the last few months.

[bcrider]

Did he put up a trip report?

Kinda here

He’s really low key and extremely humble…usually just post pics of his adventures.

He did answer a few questions though…

About a third of the way down the line begins a hard traverse, and it looks like my track runs into/out of a rock face. From this angle it’s hard to tell, but there is a giant detached pillar with a narrow chute behind it. I wasn’t expecting it to be there, and it seemed like a better option than traversing below the pillar. After that you can see my track exiting that little chute and cutting across the big snowfield (with the old crown line).

I took a photo in late February, and had it with me for reference. That’s why I missed the (obviously) better line from the summit ridge - in my old photo that other line wasn’t filled in. Oh well. The way I went turned out to be pretty good, and no down-climbing involved.

[Trackhead]

Tell BCD to get his arse a little further east and we'll hit some Teton descents. Congrats on the first, second, or whatever. Beautiful line IMHO. Thanks for posting.

[skier666]

GNAR = KILLED

Damn, that line Rules with a capital 'R'. I bet that he hit it at one of the few days before it melts out around those sketchy rocky sections. I read the thread on splitboard, but he didn't say if that's a super long day trip or multi-day. I was under the impression that stuff back there was at least a one-nighter. Maybe we should go there and ski the chute propa'.....hmmmmm

[gimpy]

for most folks, red slate is a huge day or an overnighter. but bcd, he was prolly home by lunch

[lemon boy]

one word: Burl.

[slim]

That chute is huge. That face is scarey.

[comish]

Seriously impressive. Spent a couple days back there last spring and if he did it in one day I'm really impressed. Its a ways back there. That chute is schweeet though!

[H-wood]

Sweet-
that line was skied by Mammoth locals in powder conditions around '99/2000- and there's a good chance that others dropped it before that. But the line is gnarbuckets for sure.
There's a tradition of not claiming first descents on the Eastside- people have been skiing the steeper stuff for about 25 years now.

[bcrider]

“Claiming” anything is probably the last thing on bcd’s mind…I on the other hand am self-righteous and interested enough to wonder.

Seems like other folks like to keep track of some of this stuff too in other regions.
http://www.alpenglow.org/ski-history/index.html
http://www.wildsnow.com/

It’s interesting when new or rare lines go down. (especially when you ascend them yourself)
If this line isnt a first...then is sure seems rare.


Ps. thanks for the info.

[Sierra Cement]

Here's the other line bcd said he was extremely interested in pursuing this year. Turns out it didn't have the proper coverage, even after this winter:

[Trackhead]

There's a tradition of not claiming first descents on the Eastside- people have been skiing the steeper stuff for about 25 years now.

True, it's difficult in the ski mountaineering world to claim a first descent. In climbing circles, first ascents seem more important compared to ski descents for some reason. The Teton ski mountaineering guide book refers to possible first descents as exactly that. Possible. It's also easier to define a first ascent in some types of climbing because often times some piece of fixed gear is left behind. Not always, but usually.

I skied a line this year with APD that we thought might be a first descent. But who knows, in the Wasatch, likely EVERYTHING has been skied. Reguardless of how silly and contrived the line is.

After all, skiing lines like this isn't a new idea. But seeking first descents for me, is akin to climbing first ascents. I love putting up new multi-pitch rock routes, and I love seeking things that haven't been skied. All in the spirit of adventure.

Who wants to read a guide book for inspiration, you should be able to find adventure with your own imagination.

[SkiJunky05]

Who wants to read a guide book for inspiration, you should be able to find adventure with your own imagination.

Very well said.

Rad line for BCD.

[bcd]

I like the idea of keeping first descents unknown and unpublished. I didn’t know it was a tradition around here, but it makes sense. It keeps things “wild” for future generations.
Without any beta and without knowledge of a prior descent, a person can go out and have the same experience as the first descensionist. Even on a roadside, primetime peak like Red Slate.

It’s exciting to do something new, something that (maybe!?) has never been done before. It’s exciting to try something, without knowing how difficult it will be, or if it’s even possible.
If I had known it had been done before, it would have taken away from the experience. But I still would have been just as motivated.

I got this view in February, and how could I refuse...

[bcrider]

Good stuff bcd!

I can see how your pic from Feb would be strong motivation.

Check out the comparison from the one I lifted from summitpost that says it was also taken in Feb 2005. What a year!

[skier666]

I got this view in February, and how could I refuse...

Now there's the shot I was hoping for...thanks for sharing the sicko stoke, much appreciated.

[H-wood]

It's kinda like "if a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it..."

Not claiming firsties isn't some sacred local ethic, it's just acknowledging that lots of good skiers have been picking the plum lines for a long time. Plake skied Checkered Demon (not a 1st) in the mid-nineties on a pair of 212's- and that's about as techy as any line in the Sierra. Equipment and technique has been good enough to ski pretty much everything around since the early 80's. And, since there isn't really a centralized ski community and its a huge range, nobody really knows what's going down or keeps track.
The monoski first descent category, however, is wide open.

In a way (as BCD sort of said), one cool thing about skiing the E Side is how you might not be the first person to drop something, but it sure feels like it sometimes. It's still a pretty wilderness experience.
I skied Red Slate in '93, and I can still remember watching my sluff waterfall off the the end of that first pitch- like skiing off the edge of the world. The chute had been skied before, and even then it wasn't that steep, but we still had no idea what was around the corner that particular day, and it felt like a nice adventure to me.

[Telegasm]

BCD, I appreciate you doing that so I didn't have to!

I was literally planning to hit the very same line on the 16th. I had been watching and waiting on that face since the previous season. On the 15th I light-toured from McGee to Convict over Corridor Pass to recon and saw your tracks from the day before. For five minutes I was all jealous, then the feeling turned to appreciation.

Looks about as gnarly as you bargained for. The exit stuff isn't as easy as it might have looked from afar!

Let's ride some more of those, eh. Gonna be a long season even after the current heat wave.

- Eric