Have been told that this time of year yields itself to avalanches...can anyone local confirm? We are planning a trip there next weekend (Columbus Day)
Melissa
Avalanches on Conundrum/Castle?
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Re: Avalanches on Conundrum/Castle?
The snow on Castle is usually quite consolidated this time of year, and can even be somewhat icy, requiring crampons and ice axes. Best chance of avoiding avalanches is to leave very early while the snow is still set. This also helps avoid rockfall. You can climb Castle without going on the northern snow face, but the rock is loose and not as enjoyable. We have not had much snow recently, so you should be good to go. Castle was my favorite 14er glissade!
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SkiNowWorkLater
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Re: Avalanches on Conundrum/Castle?
It depends. If we get a lot of snow in the mountains in the next 2 weeks then yes, there can be avalanche potential heading up the Castle Creek valley as well as well as in Montezuma Basin. Parts of the basin hold snow year-round, and it can take a while for any new snow to start bonding to the layer that's been baking under the sun all summer. That being said, going up there with new snow can be perfectly safe too. I have friends up there skiing right now and we usually do trips up there all through October and November to get some early-season turns since the access is so easy. You just have to know what you're doing and be prepared to turn back if you don't like what you see up there.
