Local Wasatch Skier Descends Y Not Couloir Completely Naked

Last weekend, a local Wasatch skied the Y Not… completely naked. The Y Not is an impressive line in its own right. Given the mandatory cliff rappel in the middle of the line and the rougher spring conditions its currently in, skiing it naked is no small feat. A few days ago, I sat down with the skier (who wishes to remain anonymous) to ask some questions about the naked descent of the Y Not.

Q: Can you describe the Y Not line? Have you skied it before?

A: Well, it’s in The Chuting Gallery (TCG) and it’s a roadside attraction. I also hadn’t skied it before. A short walk down from Little Cottonwood Canyon road, a river crossing, and then a nice staircase up the Y Couloir and a jaunt across the ridge puts you at top of the Y Not couloir.

As described in TCG by Andrew McLean: “Y not? A 40’ cliff in the middle of a 45° slope is one good reason! This is the Y Couloir on steroids. Shorter, steeper, narrower and scarier by far. An out-of-control fall in the Y-Not would lead to a graphic death as the victim pinballed down the chute, over the cliff and was torn to bits in the rocks below. Falling is forbidden. Timing is critical. This shouldn’t even be thought about if there is any risk of avalanche hazard. If it’s too icy, the section above the cliff can take years off your life.”

Q: Why did you choose this line for the day?

A: It was going to be sunny and the snow looked stable. Seemed like a fine day out.

Q: What were the conditions in the Y Not like on the day that you skied it?

A: The conditions were good character building. The Y and the Y Not had massive slides flow down them a day or two prior and there was a lot of visible debris in the bottom. What would slide had already slid so that was reassuring, at least. We dropped in early, before significant warming. The top was quite refrozen and the spot above the rappel was quite runneled from the previous slide. Below the rappel we encountered head to torso sized avalanche debris, but by the time we got down to that it was fairly soft.

Q: At what point did you decide to ski the Y Not naked? Why?

A: Twice. The first time I decided I wanted to ski it naked was when I first heard about it. The second time was when I was on top and the sun was very warm.

Q: How did it feel to do the ski rappel completely naked?

A: The harness was pretty uncomfortable in more precise ways than it had been previously. I’m glad to have checked that box and I don’t think I need to do that again.

Q: Are you targeting any other lines to complete naked this spring?

A: Not specifically. A Butt Naked (BN) ski is more of a feeling rather than a plan so we’ll see what happens. I think I’ve skied in my birthday suit on or near my birthday every year for the last while, so we’ll see what the weather and vibe brings.

Q: What was the vibe of your buddies skiing with you?

A: It was their first time skiing with a rope. One of them told me that he had a moment where he realized I was naked. That was very entertaining to him because he was so focused on not having an out of control fall and a graphic death that he forgot I was naked. Then he looked over and saw my buttcrack hanging out.

Another one of my buddies said that he was apprehensive about the rope stuff and pinned his mood on mine. Like it tends to happen, there’s usually some level of problem solving when dealing with ropes, anchors, variable snow levels, and other technical stuff. It was not super clear what the plan was and he figured that if I started to come unglued while doing all this problem solving, then he would probably start to lose it.

Q: Would you recommend this to others?

A: Y not?