6/15 - Powder's Uber Guide in 2000 named Mount Mendel's right couloir one of America's ugliest faces. In 1980 Chris Landry was the first to ski the ice couloir, which in 1965 supposedly caused Yvon Chouinard to go home, redesign his ice axes, and change the future of ice climbing. Not until El Nino's 1998 record snowfall were tracks laid down the Mendel again, this time by America's father of steep skiing, Andrew McLean.

Two previous attempts at skiing the couloir had fired my drive to make turns down the 13,691-foot peak. After a five-hour drive and six-hour tour the previous week I was turned around by a late season Sierra storm. But I was able to see the shot and knew it was good to go. I couldn't wait to get back.

Last weekend I met Glen Poulsen and Andrew Parkhill at the North Lake trailhead to try again. Glen had to work on Sunday so he took off early, while Andrew and I packed in gear for the night. When we made it to the Lamarck col at 13,000 ft. we stared right at Mendel's prize. To the left is Mount Darwin, a great ski from 13,830 ft. (Landry and McLean which skied this as a warm up by). I was staring at Mendel when I noticed Glen's tracks in the shot I was aiming for. After congratulating Glen he was off to work, while Andrew and I set out to ski the Mendel.

We set up a quick camp, unloaded our heavy packs and headed up to the apron of the couloir. Warm temps made for easy skinning and we made it all the way to the base of the couloir. The bottom ice bulge was in good shape and we set off. The relentless pitch didn't let up, but good snow made for easy booting. Crampons and ice axes we all we needed.

Halfway up, the snow was in our faces and it looked to be getting steeper up higher. Not the longest shot but really steep and narrow, about 800 ft. in the couloir and another 1000ft. to camp.

The descent started about 15 ft. from the top. Things narrowed and the snow changed to ice. With enough room to set my 183 Gotomas across the couloir, I changed from crampons to skis and studied the line down--it was wide enough that turns had to be made in a sequence so as not to be facing right and having to turn right. Some precise turns up high and some slipping through the ice bulge and we were on the apron ripping bigger turns.

Down on the apron Andrew and I stared up at three sets of tracks. Glen, Andrew and I had done it. We were excited to be done with such an intense run, and we set up camp with a view of our ski. Glen was probably at the car by now and Andrew and I were hanging out with the marmots, ready to cap of a great weekend by skiing Darwin the next day. -Kip Garre