West Shoulder

The West Shoulder of Northway Bowl offers a shorter version of the main bowl. Head here when the bowl gets tracked out. Just past Narrow Chute, West Shoulder offers a slightly more westerly aspect than the main bowl, and later in the season this can mean that the snow gets more affected by the sun. The trickiest part of this run is getting to it. Enter Gate 2 and traverse the ridge to skiers left. Watch for cornices and wind lips as you navigate the tight and close trees on the ridge. Take your time here. The cornices can be sensitive and breaking one off could mean a long drop to the bowl. Once past Narrow Chute, the shoulder steepens a little. Cornices can still be a problem here. The easiest route in might be to enter on the skiers left buttress guarding Narrow Chute and traverse below the cornices. Once past this hazard, the slope opens fairly wide. Advanced skiers and riders can try their skills here. A rocky rib pokes up on the skiers left during low snow conditions. Follow the open slope all the way to Northway Run, which will enter on your left. Join Northway all the way to the bottom of the chair, where you can hop on for another lap. Note that once through the gates to Northway, cliffs and other hazards are not marked. This is avalanche prone terrain. Carry the proper equipment and ski/ride with a partner.