Cheops North #4 (STS Couloir)

Cheops North #4, better known as the STS Couloir, drops the north face of Cheops Mountain above Connaught Creek in Glacier National Park. It is a serious, north-facing ski-mountaineering line in the Rogers Pass winter permit area, accessed via the standard Connaught Creek skin track toward Balu Pass and then up the Cheops west ridge to the corniced entrance high on the north face.

The line is a tight, steep couloir in the upper section, often requiring a short rappel or careful cornice management to enter when the ridge is heavily overhung. Below the crux top, it opens into a wider, still-sustained couloir that runs all the way down into the Cheops North avalanche path above the Connaught drainage. Overhead exposure is continuous from large alpine start zones, and the path is a known major avalanche track with a tragic history, so parties typically wait for a well-bridged, stable snowpack and low hazard before committing.

Approach from the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre parking by following the Connaught Creek/Balu Pass uptrack, staying high on the north side of the valley to cross the Cheops slidepaths, then climbing to Balu Pass and up the Cheops west ridge to the STS entrance. Expect corniced ridge travel, potential wind slabs and a rocky, bony upper couloir in thinner years; if the ridge looks ugly from afar, it is usually worse up close. The run exits back into the Connaught drainage, where you rejoin the Balu Pass track for the glide back to the lot.

This couloir is commonly skied only in periods of strong stability with good coverage, and is often combined with other Cheops north-face lines by fast, experienced parties. It lies inside Parks Canada’s Rogers Pass Winter Permit System; you must hold a valid national park pass, a winter permit, and confirm the daily area opening status before heading out. See Parks Canada’s Rogers Pass avalanche and winter permit information at Parks Canada – Glacier National Park winter avalanche safety.