[MCR] SW Ridge of Pinnacle Mtn, Rockies, June 20

[Public Mountain Conditions Report]

I guided the SW ridge of Pinnacle mountain with one guest today. Spring is
only just coming to Larch valley and there is still a good amount of snow
on the trail.



Today we had a mix of sun and cloud, a low of 4 and a high of 16 and no
wind. Light snow showers in the morning at higher elevation. Across from
Larch  valley, the ten peaks are very snowy and it looks like full on
winter there. Radiation triggered avalanches rumbled all day long from that
side.


Ascent to the Pinnacle - Eiffel col was all snow and supportive thanks to a
weak overnight freeze. We used crampons and ice axe.

This route climbs several gully features that with a freeze currently
provides fun mixed climbing. Crampons and a mountaineering axe recommended.


On the chimney crux pitch, there is not much left of the old hemp rope and
this pitch must be climbed. I would say it's 5.5- 5.6, a little harder than
any moves on Eisenhower tower for comparison. On the next section is a
notch with a traverse that was icy and required a few chopped steps. Not
much snow on the summit.



Beta:  I used a 50 M rope, brought a small rack of cams, couple of nuts and
slings. I had pitons but did not use them. From the col, the start gully
was the 3rd one over, a rib on the left that separates two gullies has a
visible rappel for a landmark. You should see several pin stations en
route.  Seven 25-meter raps got us back down.



The slopes below the col had softened considerably on the way down and we
did not need crampons. We were able to easily trigger the upper 5-10 cm of
isothermal snow that would run all the way on any steeper snow slopes.
These slides start as sloughs and quickly gain volume and speed becoming
dangerous in features that funnel them.


Overall, an ascent of Pinnacle is a very enjoyable and historically
interesting outing that is currently in spicier than usual conditions .


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