Conundrum Peak TR with Snowboard descent

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11-10-2004, 09:26 AM
Mountain Freak

Conundrum Peak TR with Snowboard descent

My friend Scott and I drove to Aspen Early Saturday morning to scale Conundrum via the Conundrum Couloir route and board down. We hiked in 4 miles, and set up camp at 12,800 ft. Then we went boarding on the lower Montezuma snowfield. After a cold night we climbed back up the snowfield, scaled the couloir and toped out on the summit at 14,060 ft. Then boarded down all the way back to camp.

Hiking in
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...0Conundrum.JPG

Conundrum and Our boarding route
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...ute%20down.JPG

Boarding route down and cutting hard
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...%20cutting.JPG

Our Campsite
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...20tent%7E0.JPG

Sunrise Sunday morning
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...unrise%7E0.JPG

Me climbing up the Conundrum Couloir
http://tetongravity.com/forums/attac...tid=3071&stc=1

Scott following me up in the couloir
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...%20couloir.JPG

Me on Conundrum's Summit at 14,060 ft with the Maroon Bells, Snowmass, Capitol and Pyramid in the background
http://tetongravity.com/forums/attac...tid=3072&stc=1

Me about to board down the top of the couloir. The top was so steep we had to self arrest down the first 50 feet of the near vertical wall
http://tetongravity.com/forums/attac...tid=3070&stc=1

Scott boarding down the couloir (see the huge cornice and vertical wall at the top)
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...%20couloir.JPG

And a bunch more boarding pics
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...ow%20field.JPG
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...w%20field1.JPG
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...up%20close.JPG
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...0in%20back.JPG

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...20ourlines.JPG
Castle Peak from inside the couloir
http://tetongravity.com/forums/attac...tid=3073&stc=1

So what is worth more, the gear in the jeep or the jeep
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...Our%20gear.JPG
11-10-2004, 09:29 AM
Trackhead

Looks pretty sweet, but can you use the link for the larger photos?

Like this.........
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...rumCouloir.JPG
11-10-2004, 09:34 AM
Mountainman

Good trip. I haven't been up any peaks lately and am getting ansy.
11-10-2004, 09:38 AM
Trackhead

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mountainman

Good trip. I haven't been up any peaks lately and am getting ansy.

Yeah, me too. It's been less than a weak and I've got the shakes and full on withdrawal symptoms.

M-man: We have got to nail some shizz in the tetons this year.
11-10-2004, 10:02 AM
Mountain Freak

Thanks, I fixed the pics... Sorry I do not have superior posting skills.
11-10-2004, 10:08 AM
FigureEleven

Very nice. The snow in the couloir looked pretty decent!
11-10-2004, 10:08 AM
iskibc

Nice pics. Love the sunrise shot. Castle looks skiable from the summit right now. Were there many people skiing around zuma basin? How is the access road in there right now?
11-10-2004, 10:13 AM
Mountain Freak

We were only able to go a little ways up the road. Castle is definately skiable, we saw 2 guys skin up and tele down, but they are getting pounded with snow now and for the next few days.
11-10-2004, 10:14 AM
Karl Stall

Awesome. That was my playground for years, and still is for a lot of my buddies (i.e. skideeppow). We always skied Conundrum Couloir in the spring - it definitely fills in a lot more by then.

What do you mean self arrest for the first fifty feet? Did you lie on your stomach and slide down with two ice axes? interesting.

Thanks for sharing the TR.
11-10-2004, 10:22 AM
Mountain Freak

Yeah, I had my board on trying to bite in the snow and layed down on my axes... it was interesting to say the least.
11-10-2004, 10:23 AM
Karl Stall

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mountain Freak

Castle is definately skiable, we saw 2 guys skin up and tele down

...from the true summit, or the upper snowfield? Looks pretty boney still from the true summit.
11-10-2004, 10:28 AM
Mountain Freak

Quote:

...from the true summit, or the upper snowfield? Looks pretty boney still from the true summit.

From the snowfield. They took the skis off when they reached the top of the ridge.
11-10-2004, 10:38 AM
Baconzoo

WTF?

Dude, you're killing me with those stance angles.
http://tetongravity.com/forums/attac...tid=3070&stc=1

Have you ever tried 30* 15* ? Just say NO to toe drag on steeps.
11-10-2004, 10:42 AM
Mountain Freak

Point taken.
11-10-2004, 10:56 AM
Trackhead

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mountain Freak

Thanks, I fixed the pics... Sorry I do not have superior posting skills.

Thanks, much better for the presbyopic eyes. :cool:

Some sweet peaks around there. Drooling.
11-10-2004, 11:12 AM
bcrider

Hells YEAH!

Nice TR mountain freak!

Very inspiring. What type of boots are you using and can you comment how their descent performance is compared to a traditional boot/binding set up? They look pretty short, any issues with the highbacks? How well does the sole of the boot sit on the baseplate? I’ve been thinking of trying a similar set-up for the added climbing benefits the boots provide. Any insight is greatly appreciated.
11-10-2004, 11:20 AM
Mountain Freak

Quote:

What type of boots are you using and can you comment how their descent performance is compared to a traditional boot/binding set up?

The boots are Koflach Arctic Expes. I bought them last year for some of our winter climbing trips (they are rated to -70). I thought that I'd try them on a board and they actually work really well. I didn't want to carry extra boots, and the sole sits pretty well on the base plate. It isn't perfect, but it gets the job done, and I haven't noticed any sliding within the bindings.

The benefit of being able to climb in a mountaineering boot and fitting them to the snowboard more than out weighs the unperfect fit.
And I really need to get a splitboard. Where did you get your at (is it a Voile?).
11-10-2004, 11:33 AM
vinzclortho

w00t!

678910
11-10-2004, 11:35 AM
bcrider

So no issues with the short cuff and the highback digging in? Do you have the same power and control as with a normal set up?

I use a Burton split.

I like the interface system even though it isn’t as light and durable as Voile. The board itself is great. It has a nice shape and compromise between sidecut and effective edge to be a very versatile board. From powder to hardpack.

What size board are you looking for?
11-10-2004, 11:52 AM
Spamhelmet

Bang!

Nice TR!
11-10-2004, 12:23 PM
Mountain Freak

Quote:

It has a nice shape and compromise between sidecut and effective edge to be a very versatile board. From powder to hardpack.

Does it have the clip in boots or bindings? I'm not sure exactly the size yet... I still have to look around to figure that out.
11-10-2004, 01:47 PM
Pura Vida

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mountain Freak

Yeah, I had my board on trying to bite in the snow and layed down on my axes... it was interesting to say the least.

defitnely sounds interesting.. made me pucker a bit just reading it :)
11-10-2004, 02:50 PM
cmor

Nice, I did the same route a month or two ago :

http://tetongravity.com/forums/showt...ight=conundrum

Real quick but fun.
11-10-2004, 03:18 PM
Mountain Freak

Your report was a big reason that we chose Conundrum. Thanks man.
11-10-2004, 07:25 PM
LIP

Ahhhh, my old stomping grounds, except the other side of the Elks. Only question in that area is how sick do you want to get. To this day, only one person has skied the east face of Pyramid and only one has skied anything from the top of Capital. Still just hundreds of first descents left on the dozens and dozens of 13'ers in that area. I heart CO!!
11-11-2004, 03:06 PM
HyRUPz

Dude - you rule! Nice TR!

KS, MoutainFreaked worked with me at the other shop I just left - he's totally legit, posts on 14er website regularly . . .

Way to get it MF - Conundrum is steep at the top - good job.

:cool:
11-11-2004, 05:29 PM
powstash

Sweet. Very sweet. Very, very sweet.