Download Agreement, Release, and Acknowledgement of Risk:
You (the person requesting this file download) fully understand mountain climbing ("Activity") involves risks and dangers of serious bodily injury, including permanent disability, paralysis, and death ("Risks") and you fully accept and assume all such risks and all responsibility for losses, costs, and damages you incur as a result of your participation in this Activity.
You acknowledge that information in the file you have chosen to download may not be accurate and may contain errors. You agree to assume all risks when using this information and agree to release and discharge 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and the author(s) of such information (collectively, the "Released Parties").
You hereby discharge the Released Parties from all damages, actions, claims and liabilities of any nature, specifically including, but not limited to, damages, actions, claims and liabilities arising from or related to the negligence of the Released Parties. You further agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and each of the other Released Parties from and against any loss, damage, liability and expense, including costs and attorney fees, incurred by 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. or any of the other Released Parties as a result of you using information provided on the 14ers.com or 14ers Inc. websites.
You have read this agreement, fully understand its terms and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect.
By clicking "OK" you agree to these terms. If you DO NOT agree, click "Cancel"...
So I just wrote this long report and it got erased b/c I had to sign in again??????
We left Denver at 6:45 Tuesday night to go up to Castle Creek Road, arrived there at 10:00 and we were in the tent by 10:45. I, of course, didn't sleep until about 1am cause I stay awake listening to the sounds of the night. Alarm went off at 5am, we got up at 6am. We drove our Bronco up the 4 wheel drive road to 11,900ft and arrived there at 7:20. We walked the rest of the road to get the mileage on our feet and to save the Bronco, but the road was actually just fine, the worst parts were at the bottom after crossing the creek the 1st time. At the end of the road at 12,800ft, you arrive at a large parking lot. We striped some clothing because it was so warm and then headed through into some snowfields and short boulderfields. After we trekked through all of that, the slope steepens and I elected to put my snow shoes on to get better traction. My husband and girlfriend just kicked steps with their hiking boots and did fine. We got to the top of the first snow field and thought we would be at the Castle/Conundrum saddle, but in fact there was a whole other snow field that was much steeper. This was the NW ridge route snow climb that I had been dreading. We decided since it was steep and Nicola didn't have crampons or snowshoes we went the NE ridge route. That was dissappointing since we realized we would not get to summit Conundrum Peak due to time. Either way the 2+ climb up the NE ridge was so much fun, just a tiny bit technical, but I never felt scared. Just watch the loose rock and check your feet and hand holds. We arrived at the summit around 11:00pm and enjoyed conversation with a couple of 14ers.com folks as well as a guy who just recently had his foot fused.
On the way down I faced in on some of the climbing sections just to be safe, you could face out no problem, but I am overly cautious. We arrived back at the top of the snow slope at 1:15 and proceeded to glissade the rest of the way down. WOW- was that fun. We used our ice axes for the first time and totally enjoyed it.
We got back to the car at 2:00, Aspen 2:45, and Denver by 5:45. We had a great day and hope that next year we can go earlier in the day and pick up Conundrum, maybe even make a ski decent - we'll see? 8)
The summit was beautiful with views of Snowmass, Capitol, Pyramid, and the Maroon Bells. Just gorgeous!
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
...like a fun but wet glissade! That area is beautiful!
Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.
Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.
