"I found the chute entrance pretty quickly, but the cornices up here make it tricky. I dropped in and the snow felt good. A ghost track in the chute from before yesterday's snowstorm comforted me. As I entered the chute proper, I smashed a right turn on the far left of the chute and ripped out a small sluff. Honestly, it spooked me and I needed to be conservative as I was solito."
"I made the conservative decision, avoiding the sluff by riding up the right wall of the chute, hoping to slow down a bit to size up the sluff and make my next decision. Riding up the right wall triggered more sluff, so I stayed on the wall for another turn, which triggered more sluff, ha! After pausing to let my sluff pass, I hopped back in the chute and finished the wild ride down onto the apron and safety."
"While I didn't nail this chute the first time, I will be back with a better plan and hopefully a buddy. As I turned back to inspect my line, I saw that size 1 to 1.5 avalanches had naturally come down the 2 chutes skier's right of the chute I skied. No wonder my chute felt so reactive... I was a bit spooked after that and knew I needed to take it down a notch or two."
A solo skier entered the Kicking Horse, BC backcountry without a fixed plan and opted to work chutes. The skier chose a tight chute to limit exposure and found the entrance quickly despite tricky cornices. Initial snow felt good and a ghost track provided reassurance. A hard right turn ripped a small sluff, prompting conservative choices to avoid further hazard while alone. Riding the chute wall repeatedly triggered additional sluff before the skier paused, re-entered, and finished safely onto the apron. Observed natural size 1–1.5 avalanches on adjacent chutes and active wind loading increased risk, prompting retreat and plans to return with a better plan and a partner.
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