The Crazy Mountains—locally known as “the Crazies”—are a jagged block of peaks that rise abruptly from the dry plains of the Rocky Mountain Front. Covering about 600 square miles, this isolated range dominates the horizon from any direction. Known for brutal mid-winter snowpack and relentless wind, the Crazies are isolated and revered.

For Montana skiers and mountaineers, Crazy Peak (11,214') is a rite of passage. It's an aesthetic 5,000-foot descent with everything you'd want from a big-mountain line: route-finding, steep pitches, and exposed terrain that demands respect.

Beyond their pure physical presence, the Crazies are sacred ground to the Crow people. Vision quest sites are scattered across the range, and the mountains are seen as powerful sources of spiritual transformation. We hoped the mountain spirits would watch over us on our little spring mission.

We slept in the campground and hit the trail by headlamp at 4:00 a.m. With temps forecast to hit the 60s, we knew time wasn’t on our side. A trail closure forced us to start 1.5 miles before the trailhead, and a route-finding error in the dark added an additional two miles. What should’ve been a more direct approach turned into a 7.5-mile slog to the base of our line.

At the foot of the northwest face, we paused to assess the 2,000-foot vertical bootpack. We were already an hour behind schedule, and the sun was climbing fast. But, lucky for us, finding a bootpack from another party helped ease the vertical slog, so we pushed on.

At the top of the climb and just 300 vertical feet below the summit, we made the call to skip the final scramble for the summit. Crazy Peak’s summit ridge requires some technical moves, and with warming snow and limited time, the right choice was to ski from our high point.

Looking down the north face made both of us nervous. But the snow delivered—3 to 6 inches of fresh on a solid base. After one cautious turn, it was on. 2,000 feet of fall-line hoots and hollers to the outrun. From there, we cruised through corn, bushwhacked a bit, and made it back to the car grinning.

Spring skiing in Montana offers a little bit of everything. If you’re willing to deal with the grind you’ll earn moments of magic.

Photos & Story by: Sam Negen