Trip Report: The Great Beyond by Taylor Sullivan

In early March 2024, local Canmore skier Taylor and his crew, Logan, Chris, JT, and Mikey —self-proclaimed pirates— set sail into the wild, storm-swept peaks of Rogers Pass, Canada.
Drawn to the unpredictable, recently snow-drenched mountains, Taylor and his crew ventured into the heart of the Pass that March with one goal in mind: to ski some of the steepest, most unforgiving, powder-packed lines, including the north faces of the Dawson Range and the Donkin Glacier area.
Heading out during a red brick avalanche cycle? Definitely highly unrecommended. Where risk is as constant as the weather. Even the most seasoned pros might question your sanity. But pirates don’t always follow the same rules. Some are drawn to the wild, unpredictable seas. And that’s the essence of a good pirate tale—the kind that leaves you on the edge of your seat, wondering what storms they faced and what wild wave they managed to surf along the way.
Trip Report written by TAYLOR SULLIVAN — @tsul123

It was the beginning of March, and Logan and I had got our first real taste of steep and deeps for the season. A week of slaying dragons and giants, opening up most of the big north faces in the pass for the season. North face of cougar, the North face of Swiss, the North face of copper, and the North face of Bagheera. The window ended with a storm dropping another 30-50cm for the next few days, but this little teaser of things to come had us frothing.
I started looking at the weather models and saw the end, my mind started racing with ideas, but after feeling out the north faces already, I locked into the Dawson, and I couldn’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be in a few days, but in the glacier circle cabin in front of a fire making war plans. I planned to walk into the eye of the storm and be ready at the hut when it settled out, not a day missed of splitter weather.
I needed to assemble my team. we were going big game hunting in the great beyond, and I needed a group of savages as hungry as me that I trusted for hard days and big adventures.
The Sasquatch
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The man, the myth, the legend. Chris Moneypenny, a no-brainer, my long-time ski partner, and ski tech extraordinaire. we’ve spent years growing our skills in the Rockies, and have spent some of our hardest and scariest days in the mountains together, someone I trust to make the right decisions to get us out of the trouble we inevitably will get ourselves into.
The tail guide
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JT Pelham, aspiring tail guide, and all-around mountain badass. He was my safety guy. He loves to push the limits but knows when to speak up when things don’t feel right, something the rest of us seem to lack. I trusted his opinion.
The freeride guy
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Christopher Logan, my right-hand man, and my main ski partner this season, we’ve spent nearly every day together in the Pass, and we don’t even need to speak anymore to know what the other is thinking out there.
The ringer
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Mikey Wirth, I sent out a message asking if he had any info I might be missing on the Comstock, he replied “No, but if you’re thinking about going for it, let me know, I’d be keen to join”.. I replied that we were heading in tomorrow morning and if he wanted it, he had to be there by 7 am. He said he’d start driving immediately from Washington… anyone willing to drive that far at the drop of a hat to go into the backcountry with a bunch of strangers had to want it, and if he can do the Comstock car-to-car then he’s my kind of partner.
Day 1: The March
Logan and I woke up at 630am at the Slanty Shanty in Golden. We were meeting Moneypenny and JT at the Tim Hortons at the edge of town. We arrived at 7, got our coffees and donuts, and then were off to the Disco Center [Rogers Pass Discovery Centre]. We entered the lot to heavy snow and a grey Tacoma with Colorado plates… the kid really did show up.
We were 5 deep now sitting in the Disco Center getting our permits and listening to the parks guys tell us why it’s a horrible idea to head over the Illi [Illecillewaet] on a red brick in a whiteout… while I always appreciate the advice our parks friends have to share with us, and they were 110% correct… I didn’t need to hear it, I knew what was going down today, and so did the boys.
We left the Asulkan lot around 9 with heavy bags for a week-long siege warfare on the great beyonders. It wasn’t long until we reached the toe of the Illi glacier, and with it the last of the vis we would have for the next 4 hours of deep trail breaking in the white room.
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The first views we had again were the gradual roll of the slope pulling us down into glacier circle below the witch's tower.
This was my only concern of the day. The rollover mid-way down this slope, I had seen it on my bugs to Rogers traverse a year earlier, turning to the boys I told them what I knew, JT stepped forward “I checked this out on Fatmaps, I don’t think it’s that bad” I laughed and told him that if he thought so he was more than welcome to go first, I watched him roll over and waited.. he didn’t ski out. I told the boys to watch me and I skied down to a 40cm crown nearly 100m wide. I yelled out for him and he screamed back to wait. I chuckled to myself, heard a few scratches, and then saw JT ski out into the large debris field below. I stepped over the crown and immediately onto 1cm of snow on top of blue ice. A terrible feeling with a 65lb bag on tired legs.
Everyone made it down to the Moraine and down into Glacier Circle without any more trouble, then Moneypenny set off in search of the hut, 3+ meters of snow hides this small cabin under a huge mushroom, but the bloodhound sniffed it out with no worries.
We set in for the night, drinking, eating, and discussing plans, the storm was slowly starting to slow outside, so we would head out at a reasonable hour in the morning to assess how the snowpack would settle and see if my crazy idea of skiing the north faces of the Dawson range from the hut would work.
Day 2: Recon
We took a leisurely start with the uninspiring weather, with plans to head for the Fox Glacier.
This hanging glacier, with its 50m high hanging serac, until recently was impassable. without some rock or ice climbing. I had a damn good feeling based on all my research (I had a faint, possibly made up memory that It might go when I looking the year prior) that this would go now, this opening hut access to the Dawson range in winter. All these guys thought I saw something on my Rogers to bugs traverse, and they just followed me blindly, but I was confident I could get up and down both sides one way or another. It was the key to unlocking everything, this week would be fucked if I was wrong.
As I banked on, Moneypenny was first out of the hut and foaming at the mouth, there might not be a faster skier than Moneypenny on the first 1.5hrs of an approach, and I knew this would rally the rest of us to get packed and out of the hut quickly. He made his way to the moraines below the glacier.
Mikey took over the trail breaking up towards the serac, and I traversed the lower slope far climbers left to get a full view of the glacier from below for the first time. I saw 3 possible ways, but by taking the gully we were aiming for and going for the most climbers right side of the serac, we would not only be the safest but also have the least complex up and downhill travel.
Moneypenny was practicing his skimo transitions for this coming weekend's race and was up attacking the short crux in no time, just as he reached the Rockier section he released a small pocket of storm slab that built up a good bit of momentum as it rushed towards the boys below. JT dug in strong and took the brunt hard, but weathered. Mikey tried to drive out of the way but was taken for a few tumbles. Another reminder that the storm wasn’t done yet and the snow wasn’t done settling.
We all managed to gain the crux, and from there it was an easy ramp that led to the Selwyn/fox col.
The wind was howling, we could somewhat see an obscured Comstock. But it was not the time to head up to Selwyn. Somehow we all agreed that we needed to go down and look at it from below.
We debated if the way up from Greg’s and Cody’s video would go, but with the poor vis, and viscous winds, we couldn’t tell for sure, so Moneypenny dropped into a terrible wind board over what we figured would be death below.
We all slowly started dropping in behind, Logan turned to me looking me dead in the eyes.. “are we really fucking doing this?” The question took me by surprise, Logan never asked something like that, and never in that tone.. the wind must be getting to him I thought. I turned to drop in only to have Moneypenny and Logan start waving us off. Didn’t seem to go. I know what sketch bags these guys are, so I believed them. We skied good, deep storm snow back down to the hut having now opened up the key to Glacier Circle cabin. I’d have to figure out how to get down from there tomorrow, with a rope or not, it was going to be splitter weather, and we didn’t have time to fuss around.
Back at the cabin we ate and searched every picture we could of the slope we were trying to get down. JT came over with a picture showing a short cliff band we might be able to make work up against the south ridge of Mt fox. We all agreed this looked like the shortest section to navigate and went to bed confident we would make this work.
Day 3: DONKINNNN!!
5 am alarm and Moneypenny’s blistering pace had us out the door and to the Selwyn/fox col in 2hrs, we fucked around trying to figure out if the normal way up went, but decided to try something we had seen in pictures higher up the ridge to mount fox.
Moneypenny slipped down first and called for the no rap, “1-foot drop” We all made the “Moneypenny 1 footer” which was more like 10ft and only got bigger with each skier that went. We took one glance back at the cliff bands and wondered how we would get back up.. That was a problem for later this afternoon I thought, and we were off party skiing and yipping down towards the glacier below.
We came to a small couloir that we decided to use to gain a shortcut onto the Donkin glacier. Mikey stepped up to take the booter, he turned to me and asked if I wanted to meet the juggernaut. I was confused and he took off, breaking trail with a relentless pace, most would wilt even trying to follow this, and when I got to the top behind him, I was thoroughly impressed… the juggernaut eh?.. he was the real deal.
A few lefts, a few rights, another little drop and we were situated high on the Donkin glacier. The face was in the sun and cooking hot, I pushed across towards the last safe spot below a large cliff and yelled back to JT to break off and dig a quick pit, I figured he would come back with less-than-ideal results and I would judge whether to continue based on how scared he was. But when he rejoined us he had a smile and said it’s stacked up perfectly… I was the one surprised now.
I pushed a fast pace out across, traversing the entire lower face to gain the north ridge, Mikey took us a strong block up the ridge, and I cut us a trench up to the summit.
DONKINNNN!! We all screamed as we hit the summit and threw out first bumps and high fives.
Zero wind, zero clouds, and zero sunscreen. We stood at the top of the line, I turned to the guys with GoPros and told them to go first as this would be pure glory skiing, The face was absolutely blower, and Logan dropped in first creating the largest rooster tails I’ve ever seen, Moneypenny and I thought he may have started an avalanche at first. We all followed suit right down to the lower moraines in the best conditions you could dream of, we collected ourselves and started making the slog back up towards the fox ridge under an oppressive sun.
All cooked and tired at the top, Mikey and I watched as we put on a gong show with multiple people trying multiple lines up to the ridge, none of which were going. Until Logan made a very unlikely slab traverse and set up a belay above for the rest of us.
Skiing back down the Fox Glacier again having the greater satisfaction of an amazing run on Donkin, and unlocking the way to and from that valley.
Day 4: Wolverine Status
Another early alarm, and we had to bid farewell to Moneypenny in the morning. He had to work and race Steep Dreams, a local skimo race this weekend. He would be enjoying his own solo vision quest today across the Illi, and we wished him good luck.
Our day on the other hand had us breaking trail up the Selwyn ledges, a 500m boot pack beside the hanging glacier of the Deville, which put us up on top of the Deville without any problems. From there we had trail breaking to bishop pass, and I took a quick side quest to sniff something else out.
When I regrouped with the boys they had decided on trying for Augustine, none of the lines in the bishop range were particularly fat or even in condition at all. But we could maybe pick our way up to the top of this one.
We climbed roped through a crevassed moat along a few hundred meters of the glacier tongue. I led, and somewhere behind Logan found a hole I had gingerly spanned over, and his snowboard caught him while JT watched him struggle out on the other end of the rope.
From the top of this, we skinned up, navigating a few crevasses before experimenting with a few options that all turned out to be solid ice. Finally, I called on Mikey to follow me to try and push through the heavily crevasses icefall of the Augustine north face. I went for the first and through the only break that might go, held my breath and thought light thoughts before soon finding myself safely on the other side.
We were under the face proper and JT led out onto it. Breaking trail nearly to the top before breaking a vert plate. Logan took over the deep trenching to the top from there. Since JT now only had 1 vert plate he was sinking nearly shoulder deep behind us in the facet bogs, quite the trenching indeed.
The face was blower and STEEP, from our very small area to transition, JT took the first go and cut hard left to less rocky terrain to find the goods.
We regrouped then party lapped through the hole in the icefall and down the lower face onto the tongue in great snow before straight-lining over the glacier ice and out like rockets onto the bishop glacier! Wolverine status indeed Uncle Dougie!
We were all super stoked but tired from the hard trail-breaking, transitioning, and overall complexity of the route.
We hustled back down to the Selwyn ledges, the snow was horrendous and the line exposed, I made a few horrible scrapes and turns, and slowly the boys followed behind, last Logan made what I imagine to be the first split ski descent of them in poor ski conditions. Maybe the most impressive feat I’ve seen of someone split skiing.
Day 5: The day a boy became a man.
To the great beyonders, we were up early again and crushed the Selwyn ledge in 1.5hr from the hut, I knew the day we had ahead of us and I put down my head and went into 2nd gear, Mikey was clipping my heels and we put in a good pace to the base of Kirkpatrick, waiting for the boys to catch up below the face, we pushed up the north ridge, I nosed my tips over the cornice and dropped in making a handful of turns in the amazing snow back down the wheeler/KP col, the boys followed and all of us a little disappointed in ourselves for not making more turns and enjoying such perfect snow on a lovely little face.
We then transitioned and started for wheeler, quick time to the high ridge and on top of the east face.
Omg! We all looked over the edge. An amazing face in an amazing position, JT was up first and dropped in like no one before, big daddy GS turns on a steep remote face, incredible to see. And we all just tried to not make twice as many turns as he did
We made a long contour that had us nearly back at the bishop glacier before we had to transition again, Mikey and JT both suggested we go for the full Selwyn line, it was only 1:30, and I was never one to say no.
JT broke out ahead and put the trail to below a shorter boot pack to gain the south face, I put it in with what little energy I had left and we swapped skinning till the final 300m boot pack, we were all bonking or damn near on the verge of it by now. as we put our skis on our back JT pulled out a bag and handed us each a treat, then turned and started breaking trail, he expecting someone to catch up and take over but none of us could, he had transcended his mortal body and become something more, we could all only try and keep up at this point, the boy had become a man today.
We made the col and I started dry heaving, I had made the critical error of filling my water up with too much snow early on and it had frozen, I played myself good. The boys were debating about something near the most logical drop-in point, looking down at the heavily crevasses north face of Selwyn, we quickly discussed the line, and Logan popped out first, skidding across glacier ice and popping over a small schrund. We were on the face proper now, I was still dry heaving at this point while skiing down, we dipped ducked and dodged just about everything you could expect on a face like that and rode nearly 2000m of good snow back to just below the hut, wolverine shit. What an incredible day of moving through the mountains with strong and capable partners.
Back in the hut, I looked around, we were all stoked, and on a high, we had done enough. We had skied every line on the list that was “in” and supplies were running thin for some, I may have told them we would only be here for 4 days… I packed for 7. JT having come up to me the night before saying he wouldn’t have enough food for another day, magically pulled 2kg of salami out of his bag, when I offered him some of my garbage for dinner. Logan started rolling, and Mikey started writing tales of the average Joes into the hut journal… It was time for the award ceremony… Now I always bring a Terry's chocolate orange or two on my overnight trips, and it’s usually a little reward for myself that I’ll share with my partners, but strangely enough I was beaten at the two things no one ever beats me in, so I had to pass them along to those more deserving.
“Alright boys..” I started as we all sat around the table talking and eating, I lifted the oranges. “Now normally I bring these as a reward to myself since no one else ever deserves them,” I say with a shit-eating grin on my face, and the boys start ribbing me. “But somehow, two of you managed to beat me at my own game.. so the first award goes to the most trail broken… Mikey!” I throw an orange over to him, thank him for his hard work, and the boys give him a high five. “And the second award… the one no one EVER beats me at.. goes to the man who was in the most avalanches…” All the boys laugh “JT!” I pass him the orange and throw my arm around his shoulder thanking him for the work this week. We all shared the chocolate oranges and talked shit till everyone slowly faded off to bed.
I lay on the bench beside the table in my bag, grateful for the week we’ve had, and for the amazing crew, to believe enough in me to charge head first into the eye of the storm with nothing more than an idea means as much if not more than the accomplishments we had on the trip.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”
Day 6: The Getaway
No alarms were set today, we all woke at our own pace, made breakfast and packed up. Not a cloud in the sky and an oppressive sun to keep us warm. We made easy work getting out of the glacier circle onto the Illi, regrouping near the top. We all ripped our shirts off and enjoyed the spoils of war. A nice relaxing walk back across to civilization.
We all stopped to admire Donkin in the distance and grabbed a snack just before we were able to rip skins and ski down off the Illi via the pearly rock exit. The way down was corn and we all hooted and hollered to the car.
A couple of soggy dogs rolling into the parking lot, we threw our pack into the trunks and headed back to Golden. Mission accomplished.