Last summer I was on a backpacking trip east of Vallecito Reservoir with David Bruce. Near the end of our trip I noticed this big waterfall about 9-10 miles from the trailhead. As it turns out, Eric Dixon had noticed it as well when he was in the area rock climbing. So we teamed up and started making plans. After asking around it appeared that the waterfall had never been climbed, which only added to the appeal.
We decided to ski in on Saturday and climb the route and ski out Sunday. I didn't have much time, so Eric skied in during the day before me to find a good route and set up camp. I started in the light and skied the last 3 hours, of the 4 hour approach in the dark. Luckily all I had to do was follow his tracks which led to the tent. Sunday morning arrived and we were both having a hard time motivating in the cold so we built a small fire to warm up. It did the trick, with warmth came stoke.
The route was super fun, with two 300' flows separated by a 5 minute walk. Eric took the lead on the first flow, linking it with a little simul climbing and an 80 meter rope. We soloed the first 100' of the second flow to a bench on the right. I led the last 200' to the top. We didn't see any evidence of previous ascents but snow can easily obscure rappel slings on trees. Whether it was a first ascent or not it was a great adventure. Thanks for the great trip Eric!
