The trailhead near Castle Junction was already quite busy when Zosia and I started skiing up the well-packed Rockbound Lake trail.  Despite frigid morning temperatures, we warmed up fairly quickly on the trail which steadily gains more than five hundred metres of elevation over the first five kilometres.  About half a kilometre past the second major switchback along the trail, we turned off onto an obvious ski/snowshoe track which ultimately leads to the top of Helena Ridge East Peak.  From the turnoff, we descended briefly to cross a creek before resuming our ascent.  Although it is feasible to begin climbing eastward from the creek crossing if aiming for East Peak Too, we opted to take advantage of the broken track to gain elevation more easily.  After climbing about two hundred and fifty metres above the creek, we abandoned the ski/snowshoe track and broke our own trail on a descending traverse to the east.  My GPS track from our previous trip proved to be helpful in locating the aforementioned boulder field and avoiding some cliffs guarding the south flank of Helena Ridge East Peak.  Tirelessly breaking trail for the rest of the ascent, Zosia expertly led us up the boulder field to open slopes below the col separating Helena Ridge East Peak from East Peak Too.  We dropped down a short dip here before working our way up the gentle southwest slopes of East Peak Too.  The actual high point is at the far end of a long plateau, and we were able to ski almost all the way there before having to boot-pack the last thirty horizontal metres.  The views from the top of East Peak Too did not disappoint on this day, and while it would have been nice to linger there, the lateness of the day and an uncomfortably cool breeze prompted us to commence our descent once we tagged the high point.

Aside from a few short sections where some wind crusts had developed, snow conditions were generally better than expected on this day.  Having said that, I struggled quite a bit with my skiing while descending East Peak Too, and I had a few frustrating wipeouts mostly due to fatigue.  Zosia fared better than me, and I had a tough time keeping up with her as we muddled our way down to the bottom of the boulder field.  Entering the forest below, we veered to skier's right while descending between trees and eventually intersected the ski/snowshoe track not far from the creek crossing.  Upon regaining the Rockbound Lake trail, we enjoyed a delightfully satisfying descent back to the trailhead although I still managed one more embarrassing wipeout only a short distance before the parking lot.

	Zosia begins skiing from the trailhead with the temperature hovering at -27° Celsius.
	One of the first clear views along the route to Helena Ridge East Peak features Eisenhower Peak.
	After a descending traverse through forest, Sonny arrives at a snow-covered boulder field which is the start of the approach to Helena Ridge East Peak Too. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Sonny breaks trail through the boulder field. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Zosia skis past some cliffs guarding the southern flank of Helena Ridge East Peak.
	Larch trees are scattered throughout the boulder field.
	Helena Ridge East Peak Too (right) finally comes into sight, but the actual high point is not visible here.
	Zosia gains the gentle southwest slopes of Helena Ridge East Peak Too.
	The actual high point is naturally at the far end of this long plateau.
	Zosia and Sonny stand on the high point of Helena Ridge East Peak Too (2479 metres).

The view to the west is dominated by the rest of Helena Ridge including the East Peak in the foreground.

 

To the northeast are mostly unnamed peaks of the Sawback Range, but the prominent one at far left is unofficially known as Noetic Peak.

Unofficially-named Mystic Peak (left) and officially-named Mount Ishbel (right) garner the most attention to the southeast.

 

	The top of Mount Assiniboine (centre) barely pokes above the intervening mountains in this view to the south.
	Zosia skis down the southwest slopes of Helena Ridge East Peak Too.
	Zosia works her way back down the snow-covered boulder field.
	Zosia flies down Rockbound Lake trail on her way back to the trailhead.
	Total Distance:  18.1 kilometres Round-Trip Time:  8 hours 12 minutes Net Elevation Gain:  1045 metres GPX Data