Yesterday we got up to Castle Peak, a fourteener
with a large permanent snowfield known as Montezuma Glacier. The
summit ski descent route is out, so we didn’t do a summit climb and
instead did some backcountry skiing on the snowfield (II
D5 R2) and practiced our ice axe self-arrest technique. I used the new Naxo
NX21 heavy duty randonnee bindings — they tested out fine. We didn’t
do much vertical, but had fun and made our July goal for "turns all
year." FYI, the 4×4 approach road to Montezuma is open to within
about 1/4 mile of the summer parking, and looks like it will open
the rest of the way in a few days after more snowmelt. The road is
rough (the way we like it), 4-wheel-drive and good clearance are
mandatory.
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Louie on Montezuma Glacier, Castle Peak summit to left.
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| The backcountry snow surface on Montezuma varied from somewhat runneled and cupped to quite smooth. We’re in the middle of a heat wave, "slurppie" is the best single word description of conditions. Was it worth it? Yep. But then, as Louie says, "a bad day of skiing is better than the best day at school." |
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
