Cheops North #2 (Shelf)

Cheops North #2 (Shelf) is a steep, committing north-side line on Mount Cheops in Glacier National Park, British Columbia. It drops from the west ridge into a shaded couloir system with a pronounced mid-line shelf feature, holding cold, faceted snow but also frequent wind loading from prevailing SW–W flow. Treat it as serious alpine terrain with overhead hazard from the upper walls and adjacent start zones.

From the Cheops west ridge skin track, continue along the ridge until the terrain begins to narrow and you can look down into the obvious north-facing slot. The entrance is subtle and often slightly blind from above; many parties shuffle carefully along the ridge on skis, then transition on a small stance just back from the cornice. Expect cornice build-up along the lip and convex rolls immediately below the drop-in, with exposure to rocks and shallow cover early season.

Treat the west-ridge ascent guidance as mandatory context. The entrance is hard to “see” until you’re right on it, and a deep snowpack is important for quality and safety. Historically, the first descent required a ~40 m rappel from the ridge into the couloir (originally off a slung boulder; later a bolted anchor was installed). Modern parties should not assume any fixed hardware is present or trustworthy; bring a full rappel kit and be prepared to build your own anchor if coverage or cornice structure makes a ski cut-in unreasonable.

The line runs in a tight, shaded couloir with rock walls and a mid-line shelf that can collect deep storm snow over a hard bed surface. Common problems include wind slab over facets, sluff entrainment that can push you toward rock walls, and storm or persistent slabs stepping down from the upper start zones. This is not a good early-season objective; wait for a deep, well-bridged snowpack and stable avalanche hazard, and cross-check the Glacier National Park avalanche forecast before committing. Exit by following the fall line into the lower Cheops north fan, then trend out with the standard north-side runouts back toward the Connaught Creek uptrack.