Mt. Democrat, North Face

Type: Backcountry or Sidecountry

There are a few options from the top of Democrat to head down the North Face. There's a direct face from the summit and a chute to the skier's left that requires a little billy-goating to get into. Both of these options lead to the large, open face on the north side of Democrat. It's probably about 38 degrees and perfect for big, fast turns. At the bottom, the face separates into different chutes that dodge cliff bands. Keeping left is an easy option to avoid these cliffs; the further right you go, the narrower and steeper the chutes are. Once at the bottom, there's a trail back down Platte Gulch to Montgomery Reservoir.

Lou Dawson gave this a difficulty rating of D9 ( loudawson.com/rating-ski-de…)