Alpine-esque terrain down a stunning open bowl

Statistics

2 - 3

hrs

539

m

539

m

30

max°

Difficulty

FATMAP difficulty grade

Difficult

Description

This is an exceptional short ski tour, and you can do a lot worse than spending one of your days at the Ymir Lodge lapping it.

Unless you're the first group into the lodge for the season or arrive immediately after a big snowfall, there should be a skin track already set from the previous team to the summit of the peak.

If there isn't, climb gradually westwards from the lodge to reach the peak's west ridge.

Follow this (sticking just to the right of the crest so as to avoid the large cornices to the north) all the way to the summit. Like many of the peaks around the Ymir lodge, there is some discrepancy between the official name shown on maps, and the name given to this peak on the lodge's own printed map.

The map in the lodge refers to this as South Seeman Peak, but our map (and most others online) refer to it as South Qua Peak. Regardless of its name (!) ski north-east down an exposed ridge which leads from the summit into a huge open bowl known locally as Camelot Bowl.

The bowl can be skied just about anywhere, and gradually funnels you rightwards as you descend.

The bowl has a real alpine feel to it, and if you skin up it and take a few laps, you'll uncover a treasure trove of smile-inducing terrain.

When you've had enough fun for one day, ski right to the foot of the bowl and then gradually traverse/ascend back to the col behind the Ymir Lodge, from where it's a short trip down to the hut.