A-Basin, CO - East Wall Hike to ◊◊ North Pole (4-21-24) [4K]

Actual drop-in is at 4:30!

Definitely the coolest run I've done all season and probably my hardest in Colorado! The trail itself is pretty steep with a long sustained pitch of about 39° all the way down, though honestly most of my memories from this experience come from the hike up. The downhill part of that hike was kinda surreal, particularly with a couple close calls on the edge after a few sketchy turns.

Some poor fella lost their ski at 3:56, I remember trying to imagine what I'd do in their place. I wonder what the protocol for that is, I imagine patrol has to make the hike up and take you down in the sled they keep at the top. That must suck so much though!

Overall this was a really thrilling experience and honestly not too much of a step above more down-to-earth terrain off Pali. I definitely recommend this to anyone not turned off by the thin atmosphere and who isn't afraid of a crazy hike!

Advice: This is definitely the easiest way down from the East Wall, starting with a narrow chute that fans out into a pretty manageable width. I wouldn't be too concerned about turning radius unless you take the main entrance, more on that below.

Getting to the drop-in is BRUTAL. The hike is about half a mile, starting with some pretty steep uphill bootpack followed by a pretty hazardous downhill ski portion and then another hike. The hike honestly felt harder than the trail itself. Definitely come prepared with at least some extra water!

The uphill portions aren't particularly treacherous but it really takes the wind out of you - the downhill stretch is probably going to be nerve-racking the first time and requires some caution! Hitting some rocks there is practically guaranteed, just plan your turns and be prepared for a lot of narrow traversing. There are several blind corners along the way but they all go to flatter spots where you can stop. The places to put your skis back on are quite sketchy but there are generally some places along the ridge that have enough room to tap the snow off your boots.

Once you're at the top, there are two entrances. The primary drop-in is all the way up to the rock wall, though it's quite narrow and had pretty dicey conditions the day I went up. It's a lot easier and probably just more enjoyable to take the second entrance, which is back down below the last steep bootpack. It's not clearly marked like the top one, but if you make the blind turn to the right at 4:31 you're rewarded with a wider and much more manageable gap. I'd definitely recommend the easier entrance unless snow is really good up top.

There is definitely a huge psychological barrier you have to overcome before attempting this, but honestly the skiing itself is only a little harder than some of the mainstream runs off Pali like Main Street, Face, and Turbo. Obviously not as hard as the Steep Gullies, those are for another time.

Overall Difficulty: 9/10
Relative Difficulty (Double Diamond [EX]): 5/10
Accessibility Rating: 1/10 (No lift service and requires a ridiculous hike)
Open Trail Index: 1/10 (Opens last, closes often due to weather and lack of snow on the hike)
Enjoyment Rating: 10/10