When we got to the top of the mountain we realized that the snow we saw was not snow, but a glacier. The top of it being way to steep to ride. So we decide to climb down to a less steep spot. This involved hiking between the rock face of the mountain and the glacier itself while dodging crevasses and holes in the glacier.
We find what looks like the only spot possible to scale down lower. This turns into quite a task. Scaling down an almost vertical sheet of ice while carrying a snowboard is not a fun job. About 10 feet down the face I lose my footing. I start sliding/tumbling down the mountain on my back. My snowboard decides to come flying down with me and finds the right side of my face. After about a 1000 ft. slide I finally come to a stop.
After getting down we rest for a while. We start walking through the valley between mountain ranges while it's getting dark fast. I can honestly say that being in a valley between two mountain ranges with 5 miles left to hike at dark is not a fun experience.
The view of the mountain from a few miles away.
On top of the first of many peaks on the way up. Check out the ice cold lake.
Getting higher
Behind the far range is Denver.
Mountains and snowboards
Closer, closer, closer. Too much hiking and not enough air.
Great view
Thats a glacier.
Hmmmm.... I must be crazy
This is one of the holes in the glacier. This one actually ended. But most of them went on forever leaving anyone who slides into them trapped.
We started hiking down from the top of the snow. See the path?
Steep and icy.
This is where I finally stopped after sliding out of control about 1000 feet
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