6-25-10, Circumnavigation of Pinnacle Peak
6/25/10
2678
2
Got a bright and early alpine start of 11AM and made my way up to Pinnacle Saddle from Reflection Lakes. After enjoying lunch, the sun and the outrageous views from the notch, I dropped the south side and was pleasantly surprised to find skiable snow. I then headed back up to the saddle between Plummer and Pinnacle. From there I headed to the west face of Pinnacle and hiked up just below the shear wall. Again, the snow, while unconsolidated, skied really well. At the bottom I considered heading up Plummer's north face, but my wife's voice reminded me that I needed to get home. From the bottom of the west face it was a fairly straight "skinless" shot back to Reflection Lakes.
http://picasaweb.google.com/118025853069449417238/PinnaclePeakCircumnavigation#
http://picasaweb.google.com/118025853069449417238/PinnaclePeakCircumnavigation#
Glad to hear you had a pleasant tour around Pinnacle. On the 24th when I climbed Castle, I was originally planning to orbit Pinnacle and ski the same route you skied. I found the south slope snow quite unconsolidated on the 24th and decided to traverse to Foss and descend down Sunbeam Creek. Jill was waiting for me at Reflection Lakes and I knew that she knew the better choice on the 24th was the traverse. :)
Yes, my 11 AM start made the south side quite suspect, so I cautiously made a high traverse heading directly west toward the Pinnacle-Plummer Saddle. Along the way I triggered a few small pin wheels and hissers. When I reached the shoulder of Pinnacle, I headed down a fairly conservative line on skiers right with nothing but small sluffs. Again, I was very surprised at how smooth and fast it skied given the time of day and it's unconsolidated nature.
As an aside, the coverage on the south side was shocking. It looked more mid winter than early summer. Plummer's north side also looked to be in prime shape, steep and smooth. It made me think twice about my circumnavigation plans, but I couldn't stomach the idea of driving out of the park one more time leaving Pinnacle's west face unskied. Checking one of the list really does provide it's own unique form of satisfaction.
As an aside, the coverage on the south side was shocking. It looked more mid winter than early summer. Plummer's north side also looked to be in prime shape, steep and smooth. It made me think twice about my circumnavigation plans, but I couldn't stomach the idea of driving out of the park one more time leaving Pinnacle's west face unskied. Checking one of the list really does provide it's own unique form of satisfaction.
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