89 m away
Apollo Couloir

The Apollo Couloir is the shorter, mellower sister chute to the Zeus Couloir on the magnificent northwest face of Mount Olympus.
Extreme Ski Touring
- Distance
- 1.4 km
- Ascent
- 0 m
- Descent
- 693 m
Medusa's Face is the most gawked over and coveted, but rarely skied lines in the Wasatch Mountains.
Ski Touring Extreme
To access Medusa's Face, approach from Wasatch Blvd., turn E onto Oakview Dr. (4275 South). This road is immediately N of a pedestrian overpass that crosses Wasatch Blvd. Follow Oakview Dr. uphill and make a right turn on Jupiter Dr. (3735 East). Follow Jupiter Drive S and and turn left on Adonis Drive (4505 South). Drive a short distance to Thousand Oaks Drive (4500 South) and turn right. Continue up Thousand Oaks Drive, going past a sharp left turn, to a cul-de-sac above two water tanks, and park. From the parking, start up the trail towards the approach gully following some switchbacks. At the bottom edge of the gully, the trail will eventually disappear and become a 2nd class approach through the lower part of the gully which will have some third class sections. Continue up the gully as the face looms above you. When you get to the base, head to the left and you'll boot up the Zeus Chute. As you get to the top, head along the ridge to the west until you're standing on top of the face.
If Medusa's Face were half as good as it looked it would be an incredible once in a lifetime run, but unfortunately it's never a very good run even when it looks great. If you've been in the Salt Lake Valley in winter then you've probably found yourself staring at the impressive 2,000 foot Medusa's Face. This rock slab face gets enough snow to cover it, but with it's N aspect the sun never has a chance to consolidate the snow and it remains a rotten coating that just isn't deep enough to hide all the rocks it's laying on. Also, the face is so steep that it constantly sheds most of the good snow that was there. The face is at a lower elevation so it can heat up and loses lots more snow during warming periods. This all comes together to make getting skiable conditions on this face a tall order. If you find yourself on top though and insist on skiing down, you'll find better conditions up top as the benches collect and hold snow much better than the steeper slabs down below. Be prepared to hit rock at least every other turn and then head to the left at the bottom and cut into the chute that parallels the face so you don't get stuck out on the rock face. The lower chute can be quite fun and a nice finish to a nerve wracking scratch fest down the face. Follow back down your tracks through the thick brush till you get to your car.
Extreme
Extreme skiing terrain above 45 degrees. These routes are reserved for experienced experts.
89 m away
The Apollo Couloir is the shorter, mellower sister chute to the Zeus Couloir on the magnificent northwest face of Mount Olympus.
Extreme Ski Touring
551 m away
This is the steepest and longest of the Memorials with excellent pitch and beautiful rock lined walls.
Severe Ski Touring
633 m away
Memorial #3 is one of the classic steep lines on the backside of Mount Olympus with large dramatic rock lined walls.
Difficult Ski Touring
701 m away
Tolcat Canyon is the large and prominent chute that splits the N and S summits of Mount Olympus.
Difficult Ski Touring
842 m away
Memorial #1 is a very long and clean chute that runs off the ridge of the S summit of Mount Olympus.
Difficult Ski Touring
2.7 km away
Major Tom is a steep and sporty couloir in a remote corner of the Wasatch that can have a few rappels to navigate!
Extreme Ski Touring
7.8 km away
Stairs Gulch is 4,000 feet long, serious with a combination of a steep, technical chute and a flat, more mellow finish.
Difficult Ski Touring