The only thing keeping this line from being rated “moderate” instead of “difficult” is that about 3/4 of the way down, the face abruptly ends at a series of widely-spaced trees and short cliff bands. Generally these cliffs fill in and are skiable, but at times the snow conditions can necessitate careful line selection to thread through this slightly more technical zone, especially if you haven’t skied it before. Also, at this point in the basin the aspect begins to shift more southerly, meaning that some of these lines can become both sun- and wind-affected, producing less reliable snow conditions than the more northerly-facing bowl.

At the end of the day, Orcs is yet another double black diamond line in Mirkwood Basin whose difficulty seems slightly overrated. It’s a fantastic line to ski, especially if all the other powder hounds are busy dropping Mirkwood Bowl, but ultra-technical it is not.