Norway 4

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 TipTop, Norway – Precariously perched on top of a line that has never been skied before, yet looms over the entire Tamok Valley I listen to radio chatter from the background grumbling through the radio in my pocket.  After looking at digital photos of the line over and over I give the others the sign that I am ready.  Over the radio I hear a bunch of gibberish in Finish and then, “rider ready in five seconds.”I took one look back at my brother who had been studying the line with me for a few days.  I got the unspoken almost telepathic look of encouragement or approval then grabbed through my jacket to grasp my radio and said, “Dropping.” As I pushed forward the ground dropped away until there was nothing in my view except the snow under my ski tips and the waiting group and helicopter 4000 vertical feet below me.  I pensively took my first turn at the top of the run in order to test the unpredictable snow conditions and take a look further into the top of the 55 degree line to make sure I was dropping in on the correct part of the massive face.  If I were to make a wrong turn there was10 to 100 meter cliffs awaiting my arrival. This made me a little apprehensive at first, however as I skied further and further I found that our patients and scouting of the line had been correct.  The snow was perfect, the light was bright, and the line was a lot bigger than I expected. In my mind I was thinking about each turn and the features I was using as land marks where I needed to turn to avoid eminent death, but they just seemed to be further and further away.  The line was big in the photos as well as from the helicopter flying up, but to put it into perspective this was like skiing all of Snowbird and a half in one continuous face.  I have never experienced such an immense mountain and found it daunting to be able to link full speed GS sized turns down the face between features that were the size of large buildings.  After reaching a crux in the slope I looked behind me to make sure I had not started an avalanche, that at this point would have been chasing me right to where I was turning which was the only clean line through the slope and led right off a 30 meter cliff.  The couloir in the middle of the slope was wider then I expected, however only two meters across was lined with large cliffs on both side.  Pealing out of the couloir I looked behind me to see my sluff just as it cascaded through the couloir and off the cliff that I had fearfully skied around.  However, at this point I had made it down the most extreme part of the slope, but ended up coming over a role and spotting a large gully that I had not anticipated in my line choice.  I creamed into the upside of the gully at full speed and came out rolling head over heals with a broken pole, broken ski, but a smile on my face to walking away safe.  I was sad to end such an extreme line by crashing at the bottom in the flats, but the group watching at the bottom was stoked to witness the event and got a good show out of the ending.  The rest of the day was equally as epic…  

  

1 Response to “Norway 4”


  1. 1 Kate

    Sounds awesome…the way you describe it I feel like I can see it! Way to paint a picture with words! Although, I would like to see a picture of the broken ski :)
    Glad you are not hurt and still kickin’ it down the steeps in Swiz like a pro.

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