Some people are just wired differently.
“It’s one of the most impressive valleys I have ever seen, with big walls on both sides, a paradise for rock climbing in summer and ice climbing in winter…” says skier, trail runner, and all-round adventurer Kilian Jornet of the majestic Rauma Valley in Norway.
So does he decide to climb it? No he decides to ski it, of course. With a friend, David Lindgren, who is clearly as bonkers as Jornet.
They may both be experienced alpinists, but even for them, skiing a climbing slope is a crazy challenge. And one recorded in a new short film just released on YouTube, which shows them tackling 1,500m 5.6 alpine route with 60° of steepness last year. (5.6 is actually at the top end of what climbers consider and ‘easy’ route, but climbers have a different definition of ‘easy’ considering the The East Ridge on Wolf ’s Head in the Cirque of the Towers, Wyoming is a 5.6).
“Breitind east face is such a long and complex decent, where conditions can be so different from top to bottom and technical skills together with mountaineering skills play an equal role,” says Jornet. “[It] is easy to place it among my most demanding and rewarding descents I’ve ever done.”
The actual video, Steep Skiing, directed by Sebastian Mamaj, is just under 25 minutes long and all the really nail-biting stuff is all at the end (with much tentative edging along beforehand). But if you have the time, enjoy the whole thing, as Jornet is interesting to listen to, there’s lot of beautiful shots of the snowy mountain and it’s worth saving the proper steep skiing for the grand finale.
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