Despite lean times, I am happy to report I skied a descent this past weekend that’s been near the top of my most-wanted list: Bloody Couloir, in the Mammoth Lakes region of the Sierra.

Blood Couloir has something of a reputation as a test piece for the locals—at least according to the guidebooks. In any case, it’s a popular backcountry skiing destination, accessible via 4WD.

I was most interested in the chute that drops from Bloody Mountain’s west summit—this appears to be the steepest pitch on the mountain. How steep was it? I brought my inclinometer and was surprised to repeatedly get measurements nearing 50° in the crux section.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Sierra Descent without some sort of fiasco: in this case, I decided to try to bike the 4 1/2 mile approach road, with skis and overnight gear. The experience was nothing if not educational. While I can’t recommend the Laurel Lakes Road for bicycles (in fact I strongly, strongly recommend against trying it), biking to long approaches could work, given the right conditions.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 30th, 2007 at 12:12 pm and is filed under Skiing. So There.