Goldfinger Couloir  Steep Snow PG13

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Type:  Snow, Alpine, 500 feet FA:  not known Season:  fall or spring most likely unless you like suffering ) Submitted By:  Jason Kaplan on Jun 28, 2007 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (2) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

BETA PHOTO: Goldfinger still fresh before anyone got to it.

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Description 

This is a really fun couloir.
The crux is the steep roll before everything starts to funnel down into the choke (going down). It's probably at least 15 feet wide at the choke, and once through there is a group of rocks that split the line in the middle. I took the skinny line on lookers left at the bottom. Steepness, this line clocks in at about 50*, and the roll over at the top is usually near vertical if not a overhanging cornice, you can usually sneak in.

Location 

Just west of the black wall on Spaulding, there is a main drainage that funnels into this line.
It is pretty easy to find, but there is definitely some commitment getting out. We left a car at Echo Lake and went down the Chicago Lakes basin and up the main trail back to Echo Lake. Lots of deep snow, willows, water, and bushwacking. EDIT: This year we climbed back out via the trail back up to Summit Lake, and it was way less slogging and death marching.

Protection 

Beacon, shovel, probe, partners. I am not sure what you would use for going up (besides the obvious ice axes and crampons) but could probably use snow pickets or maybe some rock pro as the Black Wall is just to your left.

Photos of Goldfinger Couloir Slideshow

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The line after we slayed it and as our third membe...	Our third member, David, skiing as the storm clear...	Goldfinger June 1st '08.