Hyalite Canyon
Trip Report
August 2025
By Nick Sramek
Last winter was one for the books! A deep snowpack paired with generally stable avalanche conditions opened up endless opportunities for off-the-beaten-path ski mountaineering objectives, beginning in late February. On a good snow year, Hyalite Canyon is hard to beat: it hosts everything from hanging couloirs to steep pillowy glades.
All season, I had been eyeing a unique feature in Hyalite Peak basin between Hyalite Peak and Fridley Peak. Resembling a coinslot, it had everything: a thin “Pinner-esque” upper couloir and a cathedral-like lower couloir, cleaving through the bowels of the conglomerate walls that Hyalite is known for. The catch was that these two couloirs were separated by a 150-foot overhanging cliff in the center. A lot of things needed to line up to ski this—I needed good coverage on NW aspects, low winds, and acceptable snow quality for steep exposed skiing. A storm followed by a few days of calm high pressure had me ready to chomp at the bit.
Adrien Regelbrugge and I set out on an early Wednesday morning to make the slog up to Hyalite Peak basin. Adrien was amidst an incredible run of steep skiing in Hyalite, skiing the infamous Hellmouth Couloir off Alex Lowe Peak, Tomb Raider and the North Couloir off Mummy Mountain, and an exploratory line on the north face of Flanders Mountain, all within the span of 2 weeks. We were armed with more than the average ski mountaineering kit. We had 2 60m ropes, pitons, and a hammer, knowing we’d need to get creative with anchor-building for this ski line.
We made quick progress up Hyalite Creek, eventually topping out on Hyalite Peak. We’d had front row seats to the Coinslot all through Hyalite Peak basin, and the image of the line was burned in my mind. We skied/scrambled down the E ridge of Hyalite Peak, eventually dropping into Horseshoe basin and regaining the backside of the ridge near where we thought the entrance to the Coinslot would be. We found the entrance without too much issue, and racked up our rappel gear for easy access once we hit the precipice.
The upper couloir was less steep than expected, but still heads-up skiing. I took it down as far as I could before finding a convenient cave to begin building our rappel anchor. Adrien quickly followed, and we immediately got to work pounding pitons into a crack system on a large boulder. 3 pitons backed up by a slung block was satisfactory. Adrien slowly backed up to the cliff edge, and saw the rope ends were touching. It would be a nearly full-length 50m rappel!
Rappelling over the cliff edge was exhilarating, as most of the rappel was free-hanging due to the overhanging nature of the cliff. The lower couloir was the real gem of this line—very reminiscent of Abiathar Peak’s north couloir in Yellowstone National Park, albeit smaller. The walls above us were so overhanging it felt as if we were inside the mountain. We hooted and hollered our way down steep chalk in the lower couloir, and eventually found ourselves back on flat ground in Hyalite basin.
Despite the long slog to get to the Coinslot, this was one of the most memorable ski adventures of the year for me. There’s something incredibly special about exploring unknown terrain in the local ranges, not knowing what to expect around the next corner. You never know when the conditions will align, so keep scouting your dream routes and give them a go when everything lines up!
Epilogue:
This summer, while completing a direct ridge traverse from Sleeping Giant to Hyalite Peak, I brought my hammer and scrambled down the Coinslot to recover my anchor. It’s always fun to explore past ski lines in the summer and see how different they look without snow! That being said, don’t expect to find a rap anchor on this line in the future. Bring a few pitons, a hammer, lots of cord, two 60m ropes, and you’re set. Building your own creative anchors is all part of the fun in ski mountaineering!
If you're psyched on these blogs, let us know! We're always happy to take submissions from local athletes, writers, and photographers who are stoked on building our local outdoor community. Reach out to Nick Sramek at marketing@uphillpursuits.com with any questions, comments, or submissions. Ski ya later!
