Shark’s Gate Tour

The start of the descent by the shark’s fin. Photo by Eve Kovacs.

This is the north side of the Shark’s Gate (La Clytte is the peak on the right; I think the left is part of Lens Peak). Note the giant fin at the pass. Aside from a few turns at the top, this terrain was not very steep, but the cold powder yielded exquisite skiing.

Getting back was a trick, involving several transitions as we rounded ridges to return to the Portal’s valley. Here Larry goes up first, followed by Andy, to hack a way through a cornice above a steep slope. We ended up very low in the Portal valley, but still 2500 feet above the bottom at Lyell Creek. In other words, it is 5000 feet from the Portal down to Lyell Creek. The climb back was pleasant, and this was a superb tour taking us a good distance from the Lodge.