The Patriarch, Glacier Peak

Glacier Peak is home to a trove of classic ski lines. // [o] @noahhowell

 

Elevation: 12343’ 3762m

Aspect: North

Vertical: 2500’

Coordinates: 45°14’96”N 109°84’93”W

First descent: Erickson, Partridge, Saari, Koch 2000

“Named after the great Alex Lowe, the Patriarch is a classic ‘extreme’ descent requiring solid technical skills.” (FCSDofNA)

Live in the moment and make the most of every single hour that you’re alive. Like it says on the sign outside the drop zone in front of the school: No Idling.
— Conrad Aker

Deep in the Montana wilderness lies a legendary line, skied first by some legendary ski mountaineers. The line, The Patriarch, sits deep in a rocky cleft on the cliff strewn North face of Glacier Peak. Chock full of exposure, steeps and overhead hazards, Cody is joined by two of the world's best ski mountaineers, Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison, to navigate the technical dangerous line. On an unusually cold late spring day, they're met with sub-zero temps, rocky rappels and butt-puckering steeps en route to a successful ascent and descent of a line that rarely gets skied.