Watson's Crags - Center Chute (sub-optimal conditions)

18/09/19. Main Range, New South Wales.
Overcommitment and poor judgement on one of Australia's classic steep lines.
Full video of the trip is here:
• Australian Steep Skiin...

[@jenniferEMhill]

I really appreciate you posting this with your thoughts along the way! Probably a little humbling, but it's great to see the thought process and disaster avoidance (as a bit of a back country novice) when so many people would only post up their victories. I especially appreciated the part where you "thought about" what your bailing options might be (crampons, hacking a platform), but how they weren't really good options at that point. Glad you made it down safe and sound!

[@ronti2492]

gawd.....with the sound turned up, I watched your video with sweaty palms and soles of feet....I've slipped in similar terrain on East ridge of Mt Feathertop and the only thing that stopped me from a serious injury - or worse- was hitting a fortuitously soft patch of snow. I remember panting like a race horse and just feeling the firm softness ( hope that is not too paradoxical) of the snow below. You cannot always self arrest, that is for sure, and it is a horrible feeling as you pick up speed on a near frictionless slope as the ice axe head also griiiinds its way downhill with you.....doing nothing.... Oh boy.

[@frozenragu]

That shady gully is extremely sub optimal. Bulletproof. Having to slip slide down with ice axe is never ideal

[@austencia]

At the 2:00 mark or at least at 5:14 - why didn't you just pull into the sun and throw on the crampons and get out of there?

[@sharynhughes1061]

WoooW! Brave Man. Glad safe for you! 😀👌

[@souleymanediarra5565]

Respect, although it seemed as if that steep, narrow, and icy crux put you back to factory settings for a while there.

[@timblizzard4226]

I think fear will do that to you, that looked treacherous

[@timblizzard4226]

I'm one minute in and im nervous

[@marksargent2908]

Yeah, ah, yeah nah, um er, nah frk that!!!

[@frozenragu]

Tasmanians, loose units

[@iluvfatchicks2]

Next time, walk down as it would have been quicker for you