A longer, more rewarding descent on this south-facing aspect.

Statistics

85

m

162

m

24

max°

Difficulty

FATMAP difficulty grade

Moderate

Description

For a longer descent in the Southbound zone, hike all the way to the top of Mirkwood Basin, and descend the ridge to skier’s right.

Continue to bear right, and drop into the wide-open south face.

While this aspect does get wind-scoured at times, it usually fills in reasonably well, providing the opportunity for wide-open turns. As you enter the trees lower down, you may note that compared to the standard [Southbound](https://fatmap.com/routeid/785440/Southbound) line, the trees here are a bit tighter, requiring more precise turning to navigate successfully.

That said, most adept skiers should be right at home here, since Southbound is the only single black diamond-rated line accessible from the Mirkwood hike.

While the double black diamond ratings on a few of the lines in Mirkwood Basin are debatable, Southbound is certifiably easy with a mere 26° max pitch. As you can imagine, Southbound’s south-facing aspect can become very sun-affected on warm days, meaning that finding good pow here requires perfect timing.

If, on the other hand, you enjoy skiing spring conditions, Southbound offers slushy spring skiing sooner than any other aspect on the mountain.

If your choices are between skiing crust or pushing some mashed potatoes around, Southbound begins to look awfully attractive. If this additional vertical drop still isn’t enough, before you reach the piste you can choose to traverse hard to skier’s right to access the lower section of [Lodgeview: Longer](https://fatmap.com/routeid/785485/Lodgeview:_Longer).

Or, jump out onto the piste, and then turn left in a few hundred yards for Geno’s Meadows.