Horseshoe Gully

An excellent ski mountaineering line on Webster, Horseshoe is like an easier version of Shoestring. Start from Webster Cliff Trail and skin past the base of Shoestring Gully. Follow blazes for a few more minutes to the inobvious base of the drainage. From here, skin up through dense woods to gain the runout of the gully. A boulder field that is thankfully shorter than Shoestring and Landslide leads to the base of the first ice bulge. This can be skirted to climbers left, climb a long section of snow to another ice bulge, before reaching the base of a narrow rock slot. This is the only mandatory ice bulge, and presents the crux at WI2. Climb a few funky bulges into the steep upper gully, which ends at a prominent rock buttress, the drainage above is choked out with bushes. Drop in and enjoy steep turns to above 20 feet above the ice choke, traverse skiers right to a good spruce tree. As of 2025 there is a blue dyneema sling with a locking carabiner on it for a rap anchor. A 20m rappel gets you over the rock band, you may need to downclimb some low angle ice to reach the snow again. From here, enjoy excellent chute skiing in a beautiful setting, skirting the next few ice bulges easily to skiers right. Exit the boulder filled runout and skin back to the car.

Length

0.6 mi

Elevation gain

19 ft

Elevation loss

-1,170 ft

Average slope angle

22º

Max slope angle

46º

Aspect

NNEESESSWWNW

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