Uto Couloir

The Uto couloir is the serious north-side exit used on the Sir Donald → Macdonald ski traverse. From the Sir Donald–Uto east-ridge col you drop straight into a tight, hourglass couloir that starts in the mid‑40° range and can steepen to about 50° through the upper funnel before pinching to a rock‑walled choke only a couple of metres wide. Above, cornices and wind loading are common; below, the line fans onto a broad avalanche apron that runs out onto the Eagle Glacier, so sluff and any triggered slab have full‑path consequence.

Snowpack tends to hide rock in the choke and sidewalls, and parties often belay a ski cut from rock horns at the top to manage isolated wind slabs before committing. Sluff management is critical: jump‑turn the upper funnel in small batches, then side‑step or carefully sideslip the choke to keep debris moving away from your feet. Once through the pinch, you can open it up on the lower fan but need to stay alert for old debris and runnels before you spill onto the low‑angle glacier.

An alternative to the couloir is to stay on the Uto Glacier and wrap around the lower east ridge on more open, lower‑consequence terrain, trading the aesthetic fall‑line shot for fewer choke points and less overhead hazard. All of this sits inside Glacier National Park’s Winter Restricted Areas, so you must check the Rogers Pass winter permit system and daily WRA status before committing to the traverse or dropping into the line.