Terminal Cancer

Type: Backcountry or Sidecountry

Creek crossing from the road to the apron of the couloir.

The most stunning line in the Rubies, this line is just that - a line. There is no need to try to decide where you're going to ski. At 14 feet wide at the top and 30 feet wide at the bottom, there's not much room to do anything else but take it turn by turn. It's not steeper than 40, averaging 37 while in the barrel of the gun. 1800 feet of fun to the creek, is more fun than the casinos you'll find in Elko, 30 minutes to the north.

Approach from Lamoille Canyon road, which is closed three miles before the couloir. This is a popular area with snowmobilers, so it is possible to hitch a ride with one on the way in/out or bring your own if you choose to do so.

The reason for Terminal Cancer's perfectly straight appearance is in its geologic history. It formed when a vertical dike eroded away faster than the rock surrounding it.

First descents by Bard Royer and Moe Barker in 1979.