Cheops Shelf Line

<p>Went up with a crew to ski the North Face of Cheops (#34 in Rogers Pass- Guide Book). We were making our way gingerly along the ridge at the top, giving a wide berth to the ridge line its self and cornices. As we got closer to the entrance we moved up and closer to the ridge. As I got closer, I watched most of the cornice(60m) on top of the line settle and creep away from the ridge line. It didn't fail completely, we spent the next few minutes contemplating what we should do, when it creeped even further, creating an even larger void. At this point the answer was pretty clear that we were heading back the way we came. I would say that until this cornice has fallen it would not be advisable to spend anytime on the line underneath it. We did ski STS which was a fantastic consolation prize, with an easy ski entrance on the skier lefts of the MASSIVE cornice. It was still nice to have a rope on to find the entrance though. It skied great top to btm with minimal sluffing, and the debris out the btm was quite firm. </p>

Terrain Ridden

Alpine slopes, Convex slopes, Steep slopes.

Avalanche Conditions

30cm + of new snow, or significant drifting, or rain in the last 48 hours.

Snow Conditions

Crusty, Wind affected, Powder.

Weather Conditions

Warm, Cloudy, Foggy.