Matt Ruta 
Monthly Archives: May 2021
Dedicated to Trevor Sexsmith. Friend, mentor and Rockies steep skiing pioneer who passed away while skiing on the Sickle in September 2016. I’m a big fan of skyline traverses. You know: routes that connect the terrain you see silhouetted against the sky when you’re standing in the valley. I also like classic steep skiing lines, so it only makes sense to combine the two when it’s possible. Standing on the shore of… Read More
If you want to talk about roadside steep skiing in the Rockies, you won’t get far without mentioning Bow Peak. The classic Grand Daddy, stiffer Funnel of Death and techy Gutentight couloirs are all well known, but there’s more still. Down Dog sits off to the right of FOD, and between Grand Daddy and Gutentight, there’s another open book corner/couloir feature called The Godfather. I believe it’s yet another Wexler/Unterasinger first descent,… Read More
Last week I bailed on an objective close to home because the approach was too heinously melted out. Then, the other day, Kieran and I pulled the plug just above the bergschrund on the north face of Mt. Andromeda because the snowpack was far too wintery and unstable. Can’t win, apparently. So yesterday, Chris and I thought that maybe west was the goldilocks aspect and set off from Lake Louise towards Mt…. Read More
Matt Ruta 