Snowfield peak summit scramble

[JoshK]

Anybody know what the sumit scramble on Snowfield Peak looks like in winter conditions? I was surprised to find the summit of Snowking mountain being a bit too exposed and tricky then I was up for soloing the other day without any tool, etc. due to the heavy corniced snow pack. That scramble is a simple walkup in the summer.

 

Any beta to assist bringing the proper gear would help.

 

thanks,

-josh

[John_Scurlock]

there are some clues to it here - http://www.pbase.com/nolock/mountains&page=24 - farther down the page. I don't think I have anything that is super detailed on the summit structure itself but I'll look. Check your pms. JS

[JoshK]

John, thanks for the reply.

 

FWIW, I ended up scrambling up Snowfield peak yesterday. The 3rd class summer scramble was definitely made interesting by plenty of steep ice/snow in places, esp. a couple of exposed bits. Handicapped by ski boots it was a slow, careful scramble but I made it to the top. What a view!!!!

 

Overall, however, it is only the last 2 hundred feet of vert that are tricky and it's rock for the most part. A few weeks and it should be in summer scrambling conditions. If you go up soon, just use care. ANother recommendation would be to ascend straight up the norht face. After inspection from the summit, i wish I had done this.

[klenke]

Yeah, that final arete and notch on the west finish is kind of awkward, probably more so in snowy conditions.

[dmarch]

Thanks for the info.

How were the snow conditions overall and where is the snowline at right now?

Any additional info or pics would be great if you got 'em.

[klenke]

Some info can be gleaned here: Snowfield Peak.

And a trip report for my Snowfield climb can be found here.

 

By the way, don't be fooled by the error between the actual topography and what the map says but shouldn't say but hasn't been changed even 43 years after the USGS has been notified of the error:

[JoshK]

General Info:

 

The approach trail is dry past the lake and up to roughly 3400ft where I began to lose it in snow. I was able to keep the general track until reaching a bench like area at around 4k where the snowpack became solid and quickly very deep. The "approach" forest is a climb in it's own right currently. That thing is STEEP. It is the steepest forest in the North Cascades i've climbed through. Running water over moss, wet logs and snow made for some really pain in the ass sections. Despite this, travel was reasonably fast and I made the crest of the ridge before the crossing beneath Pyramid Peak in good time. The snow was veyr soft but reasonable on skis and the skiing wasn't bad at all.

 

I ended up making camp at ONE PM my approach day cause the snow had gotten so soft that I didn't want to trek across the flat Neve glacier in the heat and slush. Instead I slept and read all day and climbed Colonial in the evening. Great choice!!! The next day I had perfect skiing and skiing conditions across to Snowfield and back then all the way back down to the hellish forest.

 

If you like ski tours of this sort (moderate skiing only , but good fitness useful) i would HIGHLY recommend it right now. It's a work out but not nearly as terrible as the book makes it seem.

 

The views are stunning. I'll post some pics when I get them downloaded and converted.

 

I highly recommend the bonus scramble over to Colonial Peak. You get a new set of views and a pretty cool summit for fairly little extra work. If I had to do the trip again, i would do it exactly the same way: approach + evening colonial day 1, snowfield and out day 2. It can definitely be done in a very reasonable day as well, just look out for crossing the steeper slopes going down late in the afternoon. Even tho it looks like most major stuff has released i wouldn't discount the threat of something unseen releasing from high above given all the nasty cornicing I saw everywhere.

 

-josh

 

P.S. Paul, did you climb Pyramid Peak when you were up there? Is it truly a very easy snow slog from that side as it appeared from a distance?

[klenke]

I did not climb Pyramid while there. We barely got back to camp on E. Ridge of Pyramid before dark (this was December 1 so very little daylight). But here is what it looked like on return for us. True enough - a snow slog.

 

L to R: Paul Bunyans Stump, Pinnacle Peak, and Pyramid Peak:

[dmarch]

Thanks!!