Red Lady Goes Solo

After six days of resort skiing it was time to take a trip to the backcountry. I haven't had much luck finding a backcountry partner so I decided to take Gibson and tackle Red Lady bowl on my own. Avalanche conditions were as stable as they get out here and with a storm coming in this was definitely my best shot at knocking this one off. We set off at 8:30 am from the winter parking area below Kebler Pass (closed in winter) and began the 3300 vertical foot ascent to the summit. The weather was perfect, no wind, and plenty of sun. By 10:30 we had gained the ridge leading to the summit and we're very close to treeline. We took a break and I snapped a few photos. The first is looking back down our ascent and the second is up to where we were headed.




From our rest stop it only took another 45 minutes to reach the summit where I snapped a few more photos. First is Gibson on the summit.



Next the obligatory self portrait.



And finally a look back towards town and the ski area.



After a brief rest I dropped into the bowl and cranked out a few turns in what was surprisingly soft and powdery snow. I was expecting serious wind and sun affect but found none. The turns were buttery all the way back down to the car. Here's a view just below the top.



And here's one of Gibson chasing me down a little bit lower.



With the sun so strong we made a beeline back to the car to avoid any potential wet slides and we're back at the house not long after noon.