Gulf Of Slides Gully No. 3 - 2/23/25

Feb 23, 2025

With a coating of snow overnight I had high hopes of better ski conditions that yesterday morning's firm and fast adventure. After hearing the Gulf of Slides Ski Trail was in much better shape than our last visit, we decided to head that way and check out a new (to me) line, Gully #3. The GOS trail is more packed down and mostly cleared of debris which made for a smooth access and exit, except for one blowdown before the trail rejoins the skintrack.

The entrance to Gully 3 was a bit brushy for about 100ft or so before opening up and becoming easier to navigate. Just stay in the drainage until it opens up more and you're all set. The bottom of the gully was nice and smooth however it became more wind affected higher up, typical of what we have observed over the past few days. About half way up we spotted a nice section of trees that offered a better descent option.

Booting up we saw minuscule pockets of soft snow in between sastrugi texture, creating a smooth top layer that looked like it would ski better than it did. Just shy of topping out, we found a cozy spot to transition and make our way back down through the trees then back into the main section of the gully, enjoying some fast arcing turns once the bed surface underneath was uniform and smooth. The GOS Ski Trail was an enjoyable exit with another coating of snow having fallen since our initial ascent.

- Greg