Wonder Gully

This winter has been tough, and I didn't bother checking the forecast before leaving Ballard. I was expecting light rain, sloppy snow and a day of exercise and bad skiing. But there was a light snow falling when I arrived at Alpental and the snow around the parking lot seemed decent. Tim and I made our way up Alpental Valley, past an exposed Source Lake (it should be covered in snow this time of year) and up into the bowl above Wonder Gully or as I like to call it, Bryant Couloir.

Snow conditions were surprisingly good, and we decided to head up above the saddle to the looker's left, although that aspect was more exposed and wind blown. The top half of the ski was fantastic, and below the choke point, visibility became very poor and the snow much heavier. Getting out proved a little tricky, as the main runout had some flowing water and it took some investigation to find a way out with zero visibility.