Elevation Gain: 1,545m
Distance: 25.5km
Total Time: 7 hours 15 minutes
Date: March 8th, 2026
Another weekend with wind slab in the forecast and yet a perfect sunny weather window. I had been planning something with Calum and Gabe for a few days, but the prospects were looking grim. We finally whittled our plans down to Round Mountain and the Gargoyles, if only to get out and get some views. Some more exciting objectives had been proposed, but I just didn’t feel great about the snow pack and so it was.
On the bright side, this meant a leisurely start, sunshine and beautiful scenery. I had only been as far as Elfin Lake to collect Jacob, Chris and Jonathan’s items after they sadly perished in an avalanche while descending Atwell Peak in 2024. Now I’d be re-visiting under a better pretense, but I did wonder how it would feel to be back there again.
We reached the upper lot with no snow, but to our pleasant surprise the road was fully snow covered. Skins on from the beginning and we wound our way up to the ridge line and out into the gorgeous alpine. The route to the hut was filled with talk and before I really knew it we were skinning up to the Columnar-Gargolyes col. All the while we had been flirting with the idea of doing a “quick” link up into the Neve or perhaps a jaunt up Dalton Dome. When we finally reached the col though, I was personally ready to go no further. The snow crust had been abysmal and I couldn’t imagine tacking on an even longer ski run. I was having visions of multiple face plants and opted out at that point.
Gabe and Calum had more gusto but we all ultimately resigned to a quick trip up to the Gargoyles. At the top we had unimpeded views of Atwell Peak. The entire face had recently slid and it did bring back memories of the whole event that transpired in 2024. Despite that, the beauty of the area muted those feelings and I couldn’t help but appreciate what they had attempted and why.
When it came time to descend, Gabe and Calum wanted to scope out a steeper line on the north face. A face that was beyond my ski skills, but I waited with them to test it out. Gabe dropped in and found some windslab and made the call to bail. After that we returned down the regular side where I barely stitched together a few turns without falling.
Our return was marked only by a small detour up to the top of Round Mountain and then a long ski run back to the car.