Depart: Asulkan Parking lot, Rogers Pass at 7 p.m.

Ascent: 31,910'

Descent: 30,690'

Length: 130 KM

Total runs: 19

Total Time: 80 hours

Total ski time: 64 hours

Total break time: 16 hours of which about 10 hours were spent sleeping.

Pack weight at start including food / water: 24 LB

Two pushes:

1.) Rogers Pass to McMurdo Hut in 28 hours

2.) International Hut to Bugaboos in 32 hours

All cruxes done at night:

1.) Deville Chimney

2.) Malachite Spire

3.) Syphax Mountain

4) East Cirque

5.) Bugaboo / Snowpatch Col

We're laughing in the image above because we know that we are about to hurl ourselves into a place were none of us had tread before. I don't want to sound too dramatic about it, especially since I have had time to reflect on what it all means to me. People have driven themselves to far greater extremes (Vostock Station, E. Shackleton, etc.)



For us anyway, it was a pretty big deal. The backpack on my back in the photo above weighs 24 LB. That is with all of the gear that I was going to bring including most of which, was food and water. This had to get us to the International Basin Hut which is about halfway.



We live in a mathematical universe so naturally, we had our own mathematical equation for the trip: gear + style = zero room for error.



A couple of friends were on the traverse a couple weeks before us. One of them got in a nasty avalanche and the team ended up flying out. They offered up their cache to us and we graciously accepted. Having that cache helped us go even lighter. Thanks Gregg and Karin. This was the only cache we used for the trip.



"Wait a second...isn't this the Bugaboos to Rogers Pass Traverse? What's with the 'backwards' direction?"



Through the years as the style has progressed, so has our preparation, training, travel tactics, etc. There's a lot more to it but the direction of travel choice is for a couple reasons. Hobbling along from north to south means that the majority of time will be spent on north (shady / cool) aspects. This has some advantages. Since most of your time will be spent in cooler temperatures, this means less dehydration, heat exhaustion, stroke, etc. As an added bonus, you drink less. Getting beat down by the sun is big time hurtsville.



Another reason we chose to go north to south is the amount of time spent in the fickle snowpack of the solar aspects. There are lots of issues that can arise to stop skier's in their tracks during a traverse but this is one of the usual suspects. Going from south to north means that the majority of time is spent ascending solar aspects. North to south travel however is overall, a safer method of doing these traverses with speed.



Let me make something hopefully clear here: This is not meant at all to promote skiing the Bugs to Rogers 'backwards'. That's ludicrous! Obviously, the skiing is way better going south to north. And most people, i am certain, don't ever want to be in such a rush anyway. This story is referring only to traversing it at speed.