Diamond Peak

[billclimbs]

Has anyone been out to diamond peak lately. We were looking to climb in the next 2 weeks. Snow/ice? Thanks

[KirkW]

We drove to the Pioneer Gulch TH (4700ft) today easily with a high clearance vehicle. Front wheel drive car would have gotten us very close to that. Snow line at around 5500 everywhere except the road. Snow stayed firm but manageable all day in most places but generally it was thin everywhere. I wouldn't recommend taking your nice skis to Diamond right now. I didn't even bother looking at the bottom of mine yet but I'm quite sure much Ptex was sacrificed to Ullr today.

 

Good skinning/walking conditions as it all stayed mostly frozen but the skiing was heads up all the way down. More like late spring conditions on a day that doesn't quite produce corn, but without the suncups and brown snow

 

There is snow down lower...but not much. Buried treasure lurking everywhere

 

 

The bowl looked like it might be decent up high but exiting through the boulder field at the bottom was more adventure than we had signed up for today.

 

 

 

The summit ridge was mostly frozen solid. A couple of the small gendarmes on the ridge were a little more interesting than normal to climb around or over. Crampons would have been nice.

 

 

KEEP YOUR FUCKING SNOWBIKES OUT OF OUR WILDERNESS!!!!!!

We crossed these tracks several times all the way from snow line up onto the SE spur.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 31, 2013 by KirkW

[KirkW]

Bump for added pics

[stoudema]

Thanks for the pics Kirk. I agree the bowl looks ok for turns, but getting there might be a chore!

[billclimbs]

Thanks..that what I wanted to know...Happy New Year

[dorianlee]

Anyone know how close you can get at the moment?

[KirkW]

Skied Diamond on Friday. Road is wide open to P Gulch TH and I'd assume will be open to Corigan TH soon if not already. Snow line was at about 5700 and retreating fast.

 

 

 

 

Lots of sluffs from earlier in the week but we observed no instability in the snow pack despite our late arrival time on the summit.

 

We skied some creamy corn for the first 1200ft or so.

 

 

Fat man making parallel turns on tele gear...

 

 

(Telemarking is stupid and I need to start climbing again )

 

It turned to soup near the bottom of the bowl and improved only slightly when we made it back to the much welcome shade of the trees. Made for an interesting exit. Go earlier or move faster

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caverpilot]

Thanks for the update Kirk! Any skeeters yet?? (That's always the worst part when I go in June and July!) Thanks!!

Edited April 14, 2014 by caverpilot

[KirkW]

Thanks for the update Kirk! Any skeeters yet?? (That's always the worst part when I go in June and July!) Thanks!!

 

We didn't encounter a single mosquito

[Paul Max]

Summitted via the South Ridge from Marie Lake on Sunday morning. The snowshoe approach in was on slippery wet snow, but no snowshoes would mean postholing to knees and hips. We got the subaru to about 1.5 miles from the Marie Lake TH (trail #3632 I believe). The snow got pretty hard at night... left camp at 3am and made the summit at 6am for sunrise. Some postholing below the treeline, but on the ridge the snow was windblown and hard. Summit ridge had howling winds (50 or 60 mph?)but manageable. We saw some ski tracks near the summit... maybe from Kirk as they were a few days old.

 

No skeeters yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kaiw]

Anyone get a decent look at the Thielsen summit pinnacle? Curious how much snow/ice/rime there is.

[Paul Max]

Anyone get a decent look at the Thielsen summit pinnacle? Curious how much snow/ice/rime there is.

 

For what it's worth (from the same trip above, 4/13)

 

I'm interested in Thielsen for this weekend, but I'm afraid this week's snow will make the pinnacle a bit too snowy.