Lone Pine

Lone Pine is a long, steep, tight couloir dropping off the south side of Mount Tupper in Glacier National Park, Rogers Pass. The line runs clean and direct to the Trans‑Canada Highway corridor, with a sustained fall‑line feel and walls that stay close enough to keep you honest most of the way down.

Most parties gain the ridge/col system above via standard Tupper south‑side touring routes, then pick from several entrances depending on how the cornices and upper start zone have formed. Expect short exposed steps and corniced sections along the ridge that can be the real crux in firm or thin conditions. Once committed, the gut of the couloir is usually the safest and smoothest way to thread through old debris, runnels, and glide cracks lower down.

This is a solar aspect line, so timing is everything: plan for a solid overnight freeze and aim to be off the steep upper walls before the sun really starts to work the rock bands and sidewalls. The lower fan and runout share the same glide‑crack problem as the rest of the Tupper south‑face paths—don’t loiter under the big south walls, and keep moving through the apron rather than stopping in the obvious runout zones.

You are fully inside Glacier National Park and the Rogers Pass winter permit system. Check the daily Winter Permit Area map, avalanche forecast, and any special closures before you go, and be ready to adjust or bail if artillery control work or closures cut off your exit. Full glacier/avalanche kit, solid steep‑ski skills, and a tight group travel plan are mandatory here. For current access and permit details see Parks Canada – Glacier National Park.