Skywalker Couloir on South Arapahoe was my second couloir in total. An aggressive goal considering the steep and committing line that is Skywalker and only having climbed Cristo Couloir prior. 

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In 2016 I met two of my closest friends at a social happy hour I hosted for the Colorado Mountain Club. Our group of four clicked instantly and decided to go climb some stuff together!

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In the fall of 2016 I had a pretty gnarly accident in the mountains resulting in 3 surgeries and 8+ months of PT. Not to mention an extended period without being able to go to the mountains and being limited by what activities I could do. I was city-ridden with little elevation and no grip sports until the doctors cleared me. During that time I hosted several social events while volunteering for the club. 

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All of our group was relatively new to snow climbing, but we landed on this Colorado Classic easily. Skywalker couloir on South Arapaho is a steep, iconic line with an intimidating slope angle of 70 degrees depending on conditions.

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We trekked up from the 4th of July trailhead in the dark and got to the base of the couloir early. All smiles, we harnessed up and put the crampons on to start the climb. Louis in front, me second in line and Ricardo and James following closely behind. 

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We navigated around the bergschrund that was opening part way up the route then decided to take the Princess Leia direct exit. It was steep and spicy but did not disappoint. Louis scampered off to the summit as I hung back to snap a couple photos of Ricardo and James topping out. 

A beautiful bluebird day rewarded us with awesome summit views and a leisurely descent including yoga on rock poses. Our friendship and bond was solidified this day and safe to say we were all hooked on snow after that.

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Super grateful for these humans and being lucky to meet them as spontaneously as we did!