Specifically expert and extreme terrain! I'm using this channel to not only show you some of my favorite runs at various resorts, but to also document my journey of attempting harder lines each season! Follow along with me as I dive into the world of gnarly big mountain skiing to see just how far I can go!
Those look fun, do you know if the resort carves them a bit to get people to ski those lines and make them more defined, or are they totally naturally formed by skiers?
Nice job but next time you should try to go to the left side of the trail in the trees and away from the boundary I find it more fun and a bit more of a challenge(also more pow!)
Thank you! I definitely want to retry this run under better conditions and I've heard that skier's left is more extreme. Definitely something I wanna hit next time I'm here!
Its a controversial line. Really depends on conditions as it is right on the edges of advanced/expert. I wouldn't go so far as to say it should be a double though. It doesn't have the same level of consequence as most double blacks in LL (WH 2, Saddleback Ridge). Also, the technical choke sections are quite short whereas a lot of doubles are technical almost the whole way down. Wounded knee isn't really a double, should be bumped down a notch. I'd say Ptarmigan Chutes are the most underrated run at LL. Highly technical, steep, and absolutely lined with trees. Imo more difficult than Outer Limits in Whistler (Which is a double) and all 3 should be rated double I reckon. I'm surprised you thought it was more difficult than Hell's Kitchen and Southside, I'll have to wait a few more years if we ever come back to compare.
Yeah, I guess I just got really unlucky with conditions. I can see how 3rd gate could be rated single, but just due to the sheer pitch and exposure on the day, I'd personally give it a double (although I'm sure it's way easier when conditions are better). Definitely agree about Wounded Knee, it was super chill even in the horrible conditions we had. Never done Ptarmigan Chutes but I 100% agree those should be rated double, I'm shocked that they're not. Just to clarify, I found the First Gate harder than HK and Southside. For me, 3rd gate is harder than both Wildslide and Farside (both of which I think barely even qualify for a double rating, if at all) but definitely not as hard as Hell's Kitchen. Hell's Kitchen is definitely more technical than First Gate, but I found First Gate a lot more intimidating, idk why. I guess I have to go back to Banff one day as a better skier to try out these lines in better conditions to see if my opinions change at all!
@@arjunski Yea I was mainly referring to first gate I got the videos muddled I think. I've never done HK but it looked pretty spicy. Also thanks for the Fatmap contributions I see you filling in the details everywhere haha. Unfortunate it's merging with Strava soon, Rise and Alpine was talking about how bad the product afterwards could be :(
Absolutely! That's definitely something I really value in POV ski videos so I try to include them. As for this run, both the traverse in and out are frustrating, but worth it since the snow's always great back there!
Kirkwood ski patrol typically just leaves extreme unmarked runs like Once and Heart Chute to your best judgement so even though there was nothing to prevent you from skiing it, nobody was going anywhere near it 😂. There are plenty of Once is Enough videos on youtube, some of my favorite ones are from my buddy Martin Brehovsky! Hopefully I'll get one in the coming seasons!
thanks for the vid. I enjoyed the full run. any particular reason Devil's Corral is a diamond? just seemed funny. I really like the layout of your overlay with the icons and info, btw.
Thank you! The overlays are my new favorite addition to these videos! Only reason that Devil's Corral is a black diamond is that only single and double diamond terrain filter into it (IE, you can't get there via a green or a blue). In term's of difficulty though, it's definitely a green.
Hey Arjun wondering if you planned to ski aspen again next year. Also wondering if you have skiid the cirque before at aspen snowmass and your thoughts on that. Thanks
Hi Sam! Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be coming back to Aspen next year, but it's certainly in the cards in the future! The Cirque was one of my most anticipated zones at Snowmass but unfortunately, it was one of the few major expert zones that was fully closed during my visit due to lack of snow. That along with several other reasons is why I want to come back soon, but not before I try out a few other resorts!
Don't use pole straps, find it too cumbersome to keep putting them on and off. It's a personal preference though, I know plenty of people who use them and plenty who don't.
I haven't done OIE yet so take everything I say with a grain of salt, but I'd say the Fingers are only good practice if you actually straightline them. If you do that, then yes, they're definitely great practice, but definitely not even close to as steep as OIE.
Hi, nice run! I was wondering where you got all this information for this run as I can't seem to find any websites that document runs as well as you did in the description.
@@somerandomentertainment2657 I'm EXTREMELY bummed about FATMAP going away. It's gonna be tough for me to include the same metrics that I typically do. Hopefully openskimap is a decent replacement
Love your videos! I've hiked Half Dome, via the cable route, 3 times in my life. There is a rich history of climbing in the Yosemite Valley... that history spans generations, techniques, and climbing styles. When people say they "climbed" a route, for instance Half Dome, it typically implies Class 5 climbing. This is a Class 3 hike. It is not a climb. Tons of views... and your video brings back fond memories. ❤😊
How difficult was this run compared to the typical double black for epic resorts? It certainly looks particularly narrow but I can't gauge the steepness just from the video
It's pretty steep. Steeper than anything that I've done at Heavenly. Maybe slightly less steep than Hell's Delight at Kirkwood but steeper than anything else I've done there (Notch, Upper Sister's, Fingers, Dick's Drop, Ski School Chute, etc...).
@@arjunski Good to know thanks. It looks very challenging. That lift wasn't open when I went but I'll have to check it out next season. The Granite lift and Siberia were both weirdly different going late late spring in ways that made it both easier and more challenging. The snow being so soft made cutting threw bumps a breeze but also tested your balance because of how sticky things were.
This is a classic example of why weather and ski conditions can completely alter a run. When I did this, it was (relatively) fun and not terrifying. Whereas, at other times, other runs felt much worse.
Wacky's definitely varies heavily based on conditions! I also did it when coverage was very good. Being forced to jump over those rocks at the bottom definitely seems very intimidating!
These days when I attempt these crazy runs, for some reason both you and Arjun are the first to enter my head. Even now, I am also tapping the skis on them.
Nice! I am set to go this weekend. I decided to do Ikon this year and its amazing that they let you go this season for spring. Haven't been to Palisades in like 6 years.
That's awesome man! I absolutely love that Ikon lets Squaw/Palisades stay open this late, wish Epic did something similar with Kirkwood. Given that you love Kirkwood, you're gonna love all the upper mountain terrain here!
@@arjunski Interestingly, it was kind of windy and cold when I went. I was fortunate to have packed a long sleeved t shirt and brought some regular gloves and ski pants. Also, props to skiing with Martin. I'd probably be too afraid i was way off his level.
This was my very first run back at Squaw/Palisades! So much more to come from this beast of a mountain over the next few days and throughout next season!
Never done that all the way down because conditions always seem to be crap. Generally if there is a way I'll bail where the lift line run starts at the top of Freefall. Appears that you followed the boundary on skiers right all the way down? Nice job, hope to get in there next year.
Yeah no definitely a good choice! It does get pretty sketch towards the bottom although we did go during a particularly bad snow year. We did go all the way to the boundary line and it was very steep, though I've heard some people say the gates closer to the lift are actually harder. Still had a lot of fun with this one, it's definitely one of the steepest tree runs I've done!
Agreed! Unfortunately, we just lapped Sam's and didn't go down any further. Snow was a bit sketchy during our trip so I didn't wanna go too far down the mountain. Definitely want to come back and do Powderhorn when conditions are favorable!
Hell's Delight's a really fun one! You've gotta wait for the chute to fill out but once it does, it's a blast to ski! Hoping to do Once is Enough in 2026 when I switch back to Epic, I was going to do it this year but the conditions never lined up when I was in town
It's hard for conditions to line up when I got work and mostly ski weekends. I should have sent once is enough last year but I didn't. it just was never worth the risk this year the days I was there. But the wall being groomed this season was super awesome and I got hella t bar runs which normally is a little hike
Wall being groomed was definitely something I've always wanted to experience and I'm glad I did this season! I was shocked that they actually groomed it from the very top (the part that's typically corniced). Even though I've been skiing Kirkwood for so long, I've somehow never made it over to the T-Bar. Vista's an area I wanna check out at some point, doesn't look too extreme but definitely seems fun
@@arjunski most of the runs off that T-Bar are only steep at the drop in but very easy once you get about 10 percent down. there are some nice cliff jumps too when there is some fresh snow
I have no regrets doing it ESP back when I shot this video. It got me out of my comfort zone at the time and that's important when it comes to progression. If I were sliding or falling down the full thing, then yeah, it'd be a different story... At my current level, I could 100% ski this much better, but I wouldn't have gotten to where I'm at today without struggling a bit on this run.
@@arjunski That's true, gotta try something tougher than you're used to, to get out of your comfort zone and progress. You have more ballz than me to try that one, looks super steep. I can't wait to go back to Colorado, did Vail a few years ago.
By far my favorite day at Kirkwood that I've had! Nearly bluebird, steep chutes, fun groomers, great snow, good coverage, you can't really ask for anything else!
