The road from Cataract Gulch TH is well packed. Two streams crossing the road are open. From 10700 (where you turn off to Boulder Gulch) to 11200 is the "death zone", i.e. Bushwacking and postholing. In the a.m. it is mostly supportable and in the p.m. It is not. From there it is continuous snow coverage to 13000. Flotation is a must. Above that to the ridge snow coverage is intermittent. You can only ski from the summit in an east/north east direction and that is not for the faint of heart. We left our skis at 13000 and skied down from there. Because of multiple melt/freeze cycles there is every kind of crust and condition imaginable but it beats walking.
It was a glorious day.
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