[Mir]

Hey, iskibc wrote all this, but I guess he hasn't reregistered yet, so I decided to put it up. I feel the loss of of all the prior TRs pretty strongly and hope to make some small contribution to building the knowledgebase back up.

Many thanks to LemonBoy for pointing me in the direction of this great mountain. Hoping for many more days up here.

TR: Tiptop Peak 12,052’ 12.19.04
Cadillac Gully
Mir, iskibc, milli, Tyson



There’s an old mining town just a hop-skip-and-a-jump over from Breckenridge, and a stone’s throw away from Keystone, where the snow is plentiful and the dogs outnumber the people. The high mountain town of Montezuma has a population of 42 (humans), one stop sign, one dirt road, and many backcountry skiing possibilities. The town is alive and operating, yet I am always reminded of a ghost town when I visit. In my several visits to the town, I have yet to come across a human being, which makes me come to believe it is a town of 42 ski bums and they are all out skiing or snowmobiling. No starbucks, no glitzy ski shops, no overpriced eateries or clothing shops like its neighbors, just several homes and a couple broken down mining shacks.

There have been a few “new” homes built within the past 10 years or so, but most of the town has been left untouched for many years. It’s like a step back in time when you pull into town and notice some of the original structures from the late 1800s still standing. On this day, the only sound heard throughout the town was the muffled scream of a few snowmobiles heading up and over a high pass. If you are trapped in the tourist laden towns of Keystone or Breckenridge, look no further than Montezuma. However, remember to be nice to the dogs as they are the true governing body of this old “almost of a ghost town”.

There’s nothing better than discovering new spots with great snow and great friends. It was a last minute decision to head up to the hills for some turns this morning. The snow pack has been super sensitive the past couple of weeks due to high winds, heavy snow, and varying temperatures. I’ve been itching to get away from the crowds and try something new. With no intentions of heading out today I got a convincing call from Mir saying she really wanted to check out some of the terrain around Montezuma. The scales were tipped as the wife got called into work and the Christmas special reruns were slowly eating away at my sanity. I was in. We were on the trail by 1:00 PM with the sun falling to the west and cobalt blue sky all around. A beautiful day indeed. A light breeze out of the west and bright sunshine made for a great skin up the peak.


Brett dropped us off a little ways up the mining road to Tiptop after leaving my truck at the bottom of the Peru Creek drainage. We skinned 1,500 vertical feet up the old mining road, past several mining shacks, and onward to the summit of Tiptop peak.

Mir skinning:



Along the way we were graced with beautiful vistas of the surrounding peaks above Montezuma:





as well as the Gore Range to the North:



The whistling of the wind through the trees was the only sound heard as we skinned up the access road. I think it was at this point that I realized why I have been so grumpy over the past couple weeks. The backcountry is therapy for the mind and soul. There’s nothing better for the mind and body than a tour in the backcountry with friends. Even if the day ended before we got to ski I would have been more than happy. I felt refreshed and energized. I wanted to climb another 1,500 feet and just keep taking in the energy surrounding us. It was electric.

14ers, Grays and Torreys Peaks to the east:



As we got higher we got a good glimpse of some other lines in the near distance, however it is quite apparent the wind has taken its toll on some of the higher peaks over the past week.

The traverse over to the run:



We reached the wind hammered summit after an hour of skinning.
We sat near a pile of rocks and let some of the day waste away in front of us. It was just too nice out to hurry on down the mountain. We had a pretty decent view of our line as we looked to the north. Cadillac gully is a large 30-year old slide path that runs for about 2,100 vertical feet. A majority of the path has been filled in by re-growth over the years, which makes for some fun tree skiing.

After the first 50 yards or so the slope mellows out quite a bit and the path breaks up into a bunch of smaller gullies. We decided to drop in to the thick trees skier’s right of the slide path. The first 1,000 feet or so were in shin to knee deep aged pow. Not bad for a week of high pressure:

Mir staying afloat:









We stayed in the trees until we got to the lower section of the slope and then made turns down the gully.

Mir nearing the end:



iski and dogs:



At the bottom we intersected the access road back to the Peru Creek trailhead and skated back to the truck. We reached the truck just as the sun was setting to the west and called it a day. Another great day with some great turns thrown in.

[Tri-Ungulate]

Thanks Mir, and iskibc - now I know why you didn't come out to visit me in SLC this past weekend!
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[CTR]

Cadillac has slid a couple of times in the last decade....it is not that big a face and can be a bit deceiving, so be carefull...

[tele mark]

Nice TR SheRa! Anytown where the dogs outnumber people has to be a good starting point for a tour.

Time for me to get a TR together myself, just have to make sure it's a "Kreb's approved" location free report

[funhog]

Nice turn shots.

good thing you brought the dogs so you could fit right in.
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It's all about fun....

[Gorms]

Nice TR...I gotta get out more.

[TeleInTheHead]

Nice pics... weather looks pretty nice, gorgeous sky's. way to go!!!
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Everyday is an adventure...

[Mir]

[shredgar]

Thanks for the TR. A buddy used to live there. It's where some of my first ski tours happened & got me hooked on the sport. Are Inn Montezuma or Sts John open?
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[Mir]

[Mir]

[Tri-Ungulate]

[shredgar]

Inn Montezuma was a cool B&B in town run by Rob Ilves that served soup, bread & hot cider by the fire. It was in the big building on the E towards the S end of town. Happy memories of wobbly turns in leather boots & skinny skis.

The guy then moved his operation 2km up the Sts John road to the old mine. It was intended as a bc hut operation. I left the area & wonder if it's still going. A google search by name shows he's involved in the Montezuma's Revenge mtn bike race.
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[hutguy]

Both the Saints Johns Inn and the Inn Montezuma are long gone. There are several cabins at the Saints Johns town site that are occupied as private homes. As far as I know, nothing is going on with the Inn Montezuma. A few people have tried to run it as a commercial enterprise, but none of them have lasted more than a few years. I'm pretty sure there are no business's operating in Montezuma right now.

Not sure what has become of Rob Ives. He put on the first mountain bike race I ever competed in in 1985. You had to climb up to Glacier ridge then scramble with/carry your bike down some scree field. Kind of typical of the events that Rob put on up there.

Although Rob started Montezuma’s revenge, he hasn't been involved withthe race for quite some time now. He also put on a ski race called the Mail run that was kind of a precursor to the Grand Traverse and all the Randonee Rallies. Interesting guy; definitely a throw back to an earlier era.
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Creeds and doctrines are like a raft to get you to the other shore and then to relinquish. Neither cling to the raft or reject it when drowning. Even better, become a strong swimmer.

Shakyamuni Buddha. The diamond sutra

[Big Tim]

Mir does nhave some amazing TRs
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I've got my Vans on but they look like sneakers....