Smooth Criminal Couliour: Journal entry Sept. 14th 2007

Today was amazing!! We woke to the sun for the first time in three days. Today is the first day in which I'm able to see all of the surrounding peaks in the valley. Also tonight will be the first night that I will be sleeping in a dry sleeping bag. We spend most of the morning pulling out all of our sleeping bags and wet gear hanging them in trees around camp. After breakfast which consisted of instant oatmeal and jam, David, Petit, and I quickly packed our day packs, and put skins on our skis, and began to head up the valley in search of something to ski. After 10 minutes we found it. A 3000 foot plus couliour on the left side of the valley hidden in the shade. Both Dave and I saw it and without a word started toward the base of it. After an hour or so of technical skinning we arrived at the base of this monster. It looked alot bigger up close, and there were patches of glacieric ice showing. As Dave, Petit and I packed our skis and snowboard on our backs we started the long post hole climb up. David took the lead and was sweating and swearing post holing up to his chest, I knew it was going to be a long afternoon. After an hour we had only gone about a thousand feet up, and still had two thousand to go. With about a thousand feet ahead, I took over the post holing and let me tell you I knew why Dave was swearing, it was so hard going about two steps up for every one step down. Upon reaching the top I was amazed to see to the sky line a hundred valleys just like ours. Patagonia is a place that dwarfs a skier. After a quick pee, Clif gel shot and some chocolate it was time to ski. Once I had my skis on I was sweating bullets, I couldn't even see the bottom, it rolled over 53 degrees. Later Dave said I could tell something was up, "you were all quite, and breathing hard". It was like I had a hundred butterflys in my stomach and they wanted to be freed. As soon as I rolled into my first turn feeling the edge of the ski bite the snow and turn into the slope the butterflys were free. As the hill fell away underneath me and I incresed my speed I could see out of the corner of my eye my snow sluff chasing me down. Ten or twenty turns more I was at the bottom looking back up, over the radio David asked, "how's the snow and check out the three Condors over head keeping eye over us." We decided to name it "A Smooth Criminal" after a Michael Jackson song, because of a long running joke about Michael from the down weather days. It was so amazing after three day stuck in camp to open up the expedition with a first descent 3000 foot 53 degree couliour with Condors watching us do our dance with the mountains of Patagonia.
Later that evening, while sittting back in camp with the surrounding peaks in alpine glow sipping some well earned Irish whiskey, the cook stove worked on boiling water to make up some pasta, I could only think I'm living the Dream!! I hope the high pressure stays for awhile.