“Busy Saturday in the Wasatch backcountry, but we weren’t too worried anybody would be on this particular line.” -Noah Howell
The Pfiefferhorn in Little Cottonwood Canyon may be the most recognizable peak in the Wasatch Mountains of Salt Lake. From Snowbird, the view of this pyramid of rock earned it the moniker, “The Little Matterhorn.” Because of its local fame, any hiker or backcountry skier worth their salt has climbed to the top and as a result, all climbable lines and ski descents have been made. Or have they?
Two skiers, Noah Howell and his friend Courtney, completed what may be a actual, new, first descent on the Pfiefferhorn. “Plinko!” (as the name implies) is a serious-consequence line accomplished by linking several hanging snowfields together with ski mountaineering rappels on the mountain’s north face, much like a game of Plinko on “The Price is Right.”
Through a combination of skiing, side-stepping, rappelling, and kick turning, Noah and Courtney made the gutsy descent on March 20th. Along they way, they saw no sign of a previous descent of the line, although with generations of ski mountaineers living beneath the shadow of the Wasatch, there still is some question as to whether Plinko! has never been skied before.
Either way, it’s very exciting to see new ski mountaineering lines being explored in the Wasatch.
For more, you can read Noah’s entire trip report with photos at his website, www.noahhowell.com.