Mt Wall's south face is visible from the Cheeseman ski area.

I doubt that any skier or snowboarder who has driven west over Porters Pass hasn’t had their imagination captured by Mt Wall (1874m) and its attention-grabbing south face. Mt Wall jumps out of the Craigieburn Range and, unlike most peaks in the range, it stands off the main ridge that connects most of the Craigieburn peaks. Its slopes run steeply off the summit, none more so than the south face. The upper section of the south face is littered with rock, which forms a few couloirs including a large obvious line that drops off just west of Mt Wall’s summit before opening into a large, broad snow slope. Combine this aesthetic line with easy access – it's less than 3km from Cheeseman’s Ridge T-Bar and under 2km from Broken River’s Main Tow – and you'd assume it would receive regular ski descents. Not so, at least not last winter.

I have the optimal view of Mt Wall while living at Cheeseman, a ski area near Christchurch, for the 2008 winter. When you stand on Cheeseman’s day-lodge deck, Wall’s south face dominates the view looking north. I study the face throughout the winter and am excited not only by the possibility of skiing it myself but also by the chance of seeing fellow backcountry skiers leave their mark.

It occurs to me early in the season that the majority of the beginner skiers and families on ski weeks are oblivious to this seemingly obvious line. Those who do turn up to The Cheese with the skills and know-how surprise me with their sheep-like behaviour, traipsing to the glory shots in Tarn Basin or touring onto Mt Olympus (which, for the record, is a great trip!). Mt Wall’s south face finally gets its first tracks of ’08 courtesy of an adventurous skier who tours over from Broken River.

The couloir skied by Grant Guise.

But who am I to talk? By the time mid-September rolls around, I still haven’t made a move toward Mt Wall but have skied toward Mt Olympus at least half a dozen times. Finally, while driving back from Christchurch, I decide I have to check Mt Wall out before one of those lovely Nor’westers rolls in and cleans out the snow pack. It's a late start as I jump on Cheeseman’s Main T at 5pm - good thing I have a head lamp. I ski north off Mt Cockayne then skate and side-slip my way to the base of Mt Wall’s main south couloir. The journey from my bedroom to the base of this couloir has taken less than an hour.

The snow is perfect spring corn. I put my skis on my pack and begin cramponing up. A simple one-foot-in-front-of-the-other climb brings me to the top of the couloir and then onto the snowless summit. The sun is starting to make its move so I quickly make mine, clicking into my skis. The top of the south couloir starts with a steep rollover, a pitch that it sustains for a short distance. I make a few conservative jump turns before relaxing into more fluid turns and then opening it up a little on the broad snow slope below the rocky area. I ski down as far as possible and decide to hike out from the bottom of the valley rather than up to the ridge. This is where the real adventure of creek crossing and bush bashing begins.

Was the short ski worth the long walk out? I hear you ask. Is there a reason that Mt Wall’s south face doesn’t see more action? I’ll let you decide for yourself...

For more info on Mt Wall's south face couloir and other couloirs in the Canterbury area, visit www.thecouloircollection.blogspot.com