The SE aspect of Mt Afton harbours some of the finest couloirs at Rogers Pass. Notably, the Afton SE couloir, specifically its west variation (skier’s right line), is wider and less consequential than the other options cascading down the peak to the East. It’s a perfect introduction to couloir skiing in Glacier National Park, requiring a straightforward ascent of the Afton NW ridge. Early in the season when the snowpack is shallower, an exposed scramble will get you to the couloir’s entrance. Later in the season, you can ski into its mouth. The route ascends the forested flanks of Mt Abbott through the Loop Brook Valley. After optionally bagging Mt Afton, the couloir leads you into the Rampart Bowl below the Dome Glacier. A stunning descent through alpine terrain and a series of eroded gullies puts you at the bottom of the Asulkan Valley. For an added fun factor, you can finish off the route with a ski down Mushroom People, a massive pillow field north of the standard line and below the hair-raising Mt Abbott East Face.

Related: Afton Southeast Couloir, Rogers Pass: High Exposure (East Variation)

Report from December 1st, 2020

Generally speaking, I’m not a big fan of ski touring in large groups but this day was different. The crew, comprised of Rigel, Steph, Freddy, Phil, Kaitlin, and I, assembled at the Loop Brook parking lot, ready for a fun day of introductory ski-mountaineering. For some, this was their first couloir. Phil and I picked the Afton SE Couloir as it seemed like a good appetizer for the newcomers to the sport.

After a thorough gear check, we slithered along Loop Brook, engaging early up the west flank of Mt Abbott. With the season being young, the snowpack was quite shallow. We battled surface crusts and faceted snow through the steep forest, laying down technical kick-turns and using trees for belay. There’s no sugarcoating it, the forested ascent is heinous. I broke my skin tip twice by stumbling on deadfall and buried rocks. You have to stay focused and punch through the treeline.

As we emerged from the trees, we could peer across the Loop Brook Valley. Mt Green and Ross Peak were standing proud. I took the opportunity to scope out the Ross SE Couloir, an objective I completed a few days later after it had shed during a storm cycle. We took a solid break, replenishing our energy while we basked in the early-season sun. We then continued along the wind-scoured ridge leading up to Mt Afton.

Once the snow got too hard to travel on skis, we strapped our skis to our packs and started bootpacking up the Afton NW Ridge. The shallow faceted snow would let go at every step, punching through the thick wind crust to the depth of the boulders underneath. Progress was tiring and slow but we eventually made it up the ridge. Freddy took a wild tumble down a few boulders after he lost his footing, a stark reminder to check your holds when climbing even the simplest ridge. Due to short daylight hours, some of us avoided the summit. It’s such a quick detour that I decided to complete the ascent and bag Mt Afton. This also gave me a premium view of the Afton SE Couloir and an opportunity to scope out the snow conditions.

The couloir had been battered by high southerly winds. The snow surface was visibly wind-affected, which is pretty common when ski mountaineering. I figured the wind slabs were more than 72 hours old and wouldn’t pose much of an issue. To make things worse, solar input over the last few clear days had changed the snow. This was expected, being a SE aspect. As usual, I would first assess the conditions before committing to the descent.

The sun was setting behind the Bonney Massif. At this time of the year, daylight is scarce. While I descended from the summit to join the group, the crew readied up for the short scramble into the couloir. Phil, Freddy and I led the way, looking for the easiest way through the narrow band of rocks spanning skier’s right from the couloir’s entrance. We helped the first-time couloir skiers through the scramble, assisting them as they mounted their skis. I truly wanted to avoid a ski rocket down the hard snow.

Ready for the descent, Phil launched down the line after a powerful ski cut. The skiing was challenging, to say the least. The top section was heavily wind-affected. Phil was cutting small chunks of unreactive wind slabs as he descended the couloir. I was snapping photos. The lower portion offered excellent powder skiing since the mountains across the valley provided shelter from the low-lying sun. With the hour drawing late, the Asulkan Valley was shrouded in darkness.

Once the party had skied the couloir, one at a time, we continued down the Rampart Bowl toward the valley bottom. The powder skiing here was excellent: sheltered from the wind, with no solar input and some interesting features off which to jump. This was a literal playground! We trended skier’s left towards an isolated band of trees and followed them down to the Asulkan Brook.

From there, we glided downstream along the Asulkan Trail back to the Illecilleweat parking lot. Since we had driving up with two cars, we carpooled back to the Loop Brook parking lot in the dark. I highly recommend doing so, otherwise you’re stuck walking a few kilometres along the Trans-Canada Highway with semi-trucks blasting their horns at you!

Route Info

7-8 h	1500m	14 km	1130-2543 m