Fortitude

A couple of years ago we went up Flat Creek on a day with good stability and skied the right slide path in this photo from about two thirds of the way up.



Directly across on the other side of the valley that day we saw this line on Mt. Fortitude.



It's been in the back of our mind as a potential destination ever since. This weekend with the stable conditions we went in to have a look with Nick, Neil, and Gerald.

This is the upper part of the route as seen from the Bostock parking lot.



The first order of business was to negotiate the trestle bridge.



Under, not over. You must follow ze rules! It's a beautiful climb up the northeast ridge of Fortitude through old growth forest that somehow survived the age of railway building in the pass.



Once on the ridge there are great views north to the avalanche paths which run across the highway.



And onto the snow sheds which protect the highway (scene of that whopper size 4.5 which came down in January).

(Photo: Nick)

At our high point we basked in the warm sun and enjoyed a unique perspective on the peaks in the area.



The first half of the descent was obvious. We pointed the skis downhill and enjoyed the effortless turns.



There were a couple of points on the lower third where we needed to scope things out to avoid some cliffs but this just added to the sense of adventure. If you come this way yourself, basically stay left to avoid any difficulties, and there are many variations. A great day out.