Whitetail Peak (North & South Couloir) and Castle Mountain (East Gully)

Beartooth Range, MT

Dates: May 26-28, 2021

Strava Links: https://www.strava.com/activities/5373010755; https://www.strava.com/activities/5373067432;

Trip Report:

Even after an action-packed spring season, there was still one objective that I wanted to knock out before ski mountaineering comes to a close. The objective was the North Couloir on Whitetail Mountain in the Beartooths. After a lackluster attempt last July, I really wanted redemption. I went back and forth and whether to do it as an overnighter or try to day trip it. When Max let me know he was down for free for a few days with a perfect weather window, I knew camping was the move.

On Wednesday, we got a relaxed start out of Bozeman and met at the trailhead around noon. The forecast called for 5 inches of snow in the mountains on Wednesday so the plan was to use the day to pack in and set up camp. It was pouring rain while driving through Red Lodge and I was hopeful it meant snow on Whitetail. The weather cleared up once we got to the trailhead which was a nice treat before going through gear one last time before shoving off. We were greeted to about 3 miles of dry trail before the patches of snow started. The late start meant the isothermal snow had no strength and sometimes you’d punch through to your thigh while skinning. It definitely kept things interesting. After countless transitions between skis on and skis off due to patches of dry trail, we were eventually at the base of Sundance Pass. It was snowing pretty heavily at this point. We were considering camping a little further up the drainage at Silt Lakes but decided to set up camp at Shadow Lake after we found a nice flat spot near a melted out section in the creek with easy access to running water. I was halfway considering trying to ski something that evening, but it was late by the time we got camp set up and visibility was poor up high, so I decided to rest up to make the most of the perfect weather predicted for the next day. 

We had ambitious plans for Thursday so an early start was in order. The plan was to climb the North Couloir of Whitetail, ski the South Couloir, climb the South Couloir, and then ski the North Couloir. The Whitetail Double. After a 3:00 AM wake up and a customary Mountain Mocha, we were skinning a little after 4:00 AM. We were able to skin a decent way up the apron of the North Couloir before switching to booting. Days are long this time of year and the sun started rising at 5:00 AM. As predicted, it was a clear morning without a cloud in sight and we were treated to a spectacular sunrise. The bootpack up the North Couloir was straightforward and we topped out around 8:15 AM. I wasn’t sure if the South Couloir would be in due to the aspect, but after checking it out from the top, the coverage looked great minus the top 200 feet. We continued up to the summit of Whitetail and ate a snack while enjoying the calm, perfect weather. To our surprise, Whitetail looked skiable from the summit and we were able to link careful turns from the summit into the South Couloir. It’s always a treat when you can ski from the true summit of big mountains, especially a Montana 12er. 

After picking our way through the rocky top section of the South Couloir, we were treated to perfect, cold powder all the way to the valley floor. It was early and the South Couloir hadn’t seen a drop of sunlight. The South Couloir is less steep than the North Couloir, but is still a striking line that’s over 2500 feet long. We quickly transitioned and started back up the South Couloir. The North Couloir sees a surprising amount of sun first thing in the morning, so I was feeling the pressure to get back up the South Couloir in a timely manner. We topped out around 11:15 AM and traded crampons for skis in preparation to descend the North Couloir. Max had skied the North Couloir before, but it would be my first time down one of Montana’s most classic lines.

The top section of the North Couloir is seriously steep but eases up to a comfortable level after a few turns. Both of us had skied The Patriarch on Glacier Peak previously this season which permanently skews one’s definition of steep so even the top section of Whitetail felt comfortable especially with the perfect conditions. There was some minor wet slide activity in the middle portion coming off the adjourning rock walls, but the top section still held cold powder. The entirety of the North Couloir skied awesome, and we were able to ski all the way back to camp. 

After a quick lunch, I rallied and headed out solo to check out the East Gully of Castle Peak. I didn’t leave camp until after 12:00 PM so I was unsure if it was still in skiable condition due to the intense morning sunlight. The base of the gully laid 2.5 miles from camp and I made it to the base after an hour and a half of skinning up the drainage. This was the first time I had been to the head of the West Fork Creek drainage and it was super pretty back there. The East Gully didn’t have any signs of wet slides so I continued my ascent. After 1500 feet of bootpacking, I was on top of the Castle Mountain Plateau and skinned a half a mile to the gradual summit of Castle Mountain, the third highest peak in Montana. I was able to ski from the summit and successfully descend the East Gully. The East Gully is consistently steep but doesn’t have an sections nearly as steep as the top section of the North Couloir of Whitetail Peak. Conditions were decent in the East Gully, but not near as good as on Whitetail. The snow was a lot more wind effected and developed a thin crust but thankfully, it didn’t prove to be too problematic on the ski down. I was able to ski most of the way out before I transitioned to skins off skinning and made it back to camp before 5:00 PM with plenty of time to relax at camp and enjoy a tasty freeze dried meal. 

I woke up with the sunrise on Friday morning and packed up camp. I had originally considered trying to ski something on Medicine Mountain, but the lines looked out so I’ll save them for a later season. The previous night was cloudy and it didn’t freeze hard so I was happy I made the most of the previous day and skied the three lines I intended to. This will most likely be my last “serious” ski trip of the spring 2021 season and it was a perfect way to wrap up a very productive season. 

Until the day I die, I will argue that the North Couloir on Whitetail Peak should be one of the 50 Classics. Its that’s awesome of a line.