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V2N6

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WWJD? What would Jesus do if He were in Peru strapped into a pair of squirrely skis staring down the 3000 foot, SO egree Southeast Face of Artesonraju? Would He side-slip the top 60 degree section or would He just point it on down to the glacier below, knowing full well that it was not His time to go. What would He wear? Would it be a feather light one-piece? Or would His garb from Nazareth do the trick? Does altitude affect Jesus? Would He even be breathing hard as He summited at 20,000 feet after being on the move for an exhausting six hours? Would He eat GU? What about water? What would Jesus do? As far as I know, Jesus never did any skiing. But if He did, He probably would have picked the southeast face of Artesonraju, one of the most majestic peaks on the planet. In 1998, an expedition called the Andes Steep Descent set out to explore this peak on skis and snowboards. Artesonraju was first skied in 1979 by French grandmaster Patrick Val lencant, a feat that was billed as "skiing the impossible." But it had never been snowboarded-and there are plenty of reasons why not. The mountains of the Cordillera Blanca are an easy day trip from the town' of Huaraz, but the range is serious. Many of the peaks are over 19,000 feet. Kicking steps up the southeast face of Artesonraju is like climbing up the stairs in the Empire State Building hauling a pack full of bricks with a plastic bag over your head. Skiing the peak would be like hopping all the way back down, one leg at a time. Altitude brings plenty of physiological problems. High altitude pulmonary and cerebral edemas have killed many novice and veteran climbers and have ended many expeditions. Technically, the southeast face of Artesonraju is one of the most difficult descents in the world. Toward the top of the peak, slope angles top out at 60 degrees. On a 45-degree slope you can reach out and touch the snow with your hand. On a 60- degree slope you can brush it with your elbow. To turn on a slope this steep requires the utmost precision. Jump in the air, turn 180 degrees and slam an edge into the snow. Simple, yes, but one bobble and you're in for the ride of your life. To put it mildly, the boarding was going to be a bit sporty. 46

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