The Ghost Mountain

So today I felt like going for a little ski trip. Red Lodge was closed, for the most part, due to high winds, so I wasn't going to drive there for nothing. I also wanted to check out some ice climbs on the North Fork, and see how this new snow was affecting the climbs. So came the idea to hike the old Sleeping Giant ski area. This area hasn't been operating in about five years, so it's only accessible by those willing to hike.
















Hiking the trees. From here it turns into about a 35 thru 45 degree slope... with five feet of snow. At least.











The snow pit. This block failed at ground level after moderate stress. Kinda spooky, especially since I was by myself.














The chair to no where.


















No action shots, but some tracks.


























A busy day at Sleeping Giant












If it wouldn't have been so late in the day, I would have been more inclined to make another lap. I was thinking about going back up there and running laps, but I'm not sure that I want to break that trail again. It took an hour and a half to gain five hundred feet. The wind was BLOWING. When I came back down, where my bootpack was exposed, it was already blown shut. it was a good way to spend the afternoon!