Lobotomy

This steep, rocky face is rarely skiable. Sitting between two formidable couloirs on the north side of the King, Lobotomy is aptly named. A fall here would not be pretty. With Pinball on skiers left and Brain Damage on skiers right, Lobotomy is found on the rocky buttress separating these two notorious chutes. From the top of the King looking north, Lobotomy lies straight ahead. But if you didn't know it was there, you'd never see it. That's because it's practically a cliff. Thanks to the often wet PNW weather, this face usually gets enough snow to plaster over the shark-fin rocks and offer a steep ramp towards Shank Chutes. This run is most often ridden during freeride competitions staged on the north side of the King. Enter Brain Damage on skiers left. Put in one quick turn and look left for the opening past the summit cliffs. This upper section usually does not get covered. It's the triangular face below that you're aiming for. On big years, when this upper section fills, you can start higher up. Watch out for those pesky sharp rocks on this section. You can continue left above the ridge that forms north towards Shank Chutes and end up in Pinball Chute. Alternately, you can stay right of that just-forming ridge and follow Shank Chutes or the rocky buttress further north.