Snow coverage was excellent on this day as Zosia and I made the long but largely straightforward climb up the Rockbound Lake trail.  After leaving the main trail to cross Silverton Creek, we inadvertently made the same mistake as we did on our first ascent of veering too far to climber's right.  We ended up on some uncomfortably steep slopes and resorted to attaching our ski crampons to get back to more moderately-angled terrain.  We eventually stumbled onto some old snowshoe tracks and followed them most of the way up the remainder of the peak.  While Zosia seemingly danced up the open slopes, I struggled to keep up and eventually fell far behind her.  She probably reached the high point about half an hour before me, but when I finally joined her there, I was alarmed by how late in the day it was.  It had taken me a whopping 6.5 hours to ascend the peak this time compared to only 5 hours (including a lengthy course correction) back in 2020.  While the vistas on this day were tremendous, I had very little time to enjoy them as we promptly commenced our descent as soon as I reunited with Zosia on the high point.

Our descent of the upper slopes was somewhat tricky since the snow pack was still a bit shallow in places.  Even when there was sufficient coverage, the snow felt a little grabby or unpredictable, and I never really felt comfortable making my turns.  Lower down, Zosia and I basically resorted to survival skiing to navigate through the tight forest--always an adventure for us that is both fun and scary.  Only when we crossed Silverton Creek and regained the Rockbound Lake trail could we breathe a sigh of relief.  The final descent along the main trail was expectedly much more enjoyable although I still managed to wipe out a couple of times along the way.  We eventually made it back to the trailhead just as darkness was falling.

	Sonny climbs up the Rockbound Lake trail. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Sonny is thankful that there is a skin track to follow through the lower forested slopes of Helena Ridge East Peak. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	After going astray following the skin track, Zosia skis across a steep boulder field to get back on track.

Here is the final approach to the high point of Helena Ridge East Peak (far right).

 

	Sonny reaches the high point of Helena Ridge East Peak (2562 metres). Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Zosia and Sonny pose for a selfie on the high point.

The next hump to the east--Sonny dubs it "Helena Ridge East Peak Too"--is also a fine ski objective.

 

	More of the Sawback Range can be seen to the north in the background as Zosia begins her descent.
	Evidence of a cornice collapse can be seen at left as Zosia retraces her ski tracks.
	On the way down, Zosia pauses to admire the striking form of Eisenhower Peak.
	Total Distance:  17.7 kilometres Round-Trip Time:  9 hours Cumulative Elevation Gain:  1104 metres GPX Data