Pyramid peak compared to the Maroon Bells

[AlexeyD]

I actually wore my microspikes to descend from 13K to 12K on Pyramid, and recommend that strategy - it probably wore them down a bit, but the reduction in stress was worth it!

This is interesting - I've heard this recommendation more than once already, must be something to it. Good to know!

[oldschoolczar]

I actually wore my microspikes to descend from 13K to 12K on Pyramid, and recommend that strategy - it probably wore them down a bit, but the reduction in stress was worth it!

This is interesting - I've heard this recommendation more than once already, must be something to it. Good to know!

Would poles help on descent? I'd just stash them at the top of the gully at 13k.

[charro callado]

I don't know if the difference in difficulty really matters that much. If you can do one, you should be able to do all three.

agreed.

[TallGrass]

Difficulty: Pyramid > North Maroon > Maroon
Exertion: Maroon > North Maroon > Pyramid
Exposure: Pyramid > North Maroon > Maroon
Looseness: North Maroon > Maroon > Pyramid

Route Finding: Maroon > Pyramid > North Maroon

I've only done the latter two. NM was straight forward though it helps to note where you pop out of the chimney to find it easier on descent. Cairns can be harder to find on the way up P's final bit, but easy to link going down. Read that M has many off-standard cairns that can eat time. If concerned about losing time retracing, take some surveyors tape and a permanent marker to date, initial, and number, then pick them up on your way back by the numbers. The 1k hill between the amphitheater and ridge on P wasn't that bad for me, but I used poles and paid more attention to where I stepped. I don't stash anything due to marmotgnawphobia.

On a related note about the Bells...
"snow and hail storm made the rocky route slippery and dangerous, officials said. The group called for help Wednesday around 4:28 p.m. They said they had climbed the regular route of South Maroon Peak. ... The climbers were spotted from the helicopter about 30 yards off route, at about 13,000 feet."
http://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/thr ... n-in-aspen

[tucker07]

Thanks for all the information. Regarding stashing poles I would agree that this should be avoided. Marmot ate my rubber handles on Harvard earlier this summer.

[GeezerClimber]

HikerGuy nailed it. Check here for how 300+ climbers rank them: http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/usrpeaksrall.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Trekking poles are very helpful for the descent into the amphitheater. The chimney on N. Maroon is the most difficult single move on the 3 but it is not that hard and it's not very exposed at that point. I rate Pyramid class 3 but there is a lot of it and it's more exposed overall than the other 2. Pyramid was the 1st of the 3 I climbed and (like most people) is one of my faves. On any of the three, beware of climbers or goats directly overhead.

Dave

[Roald]

Difficulty: Pyramid > North Maroon > Maroon
Exertion: Maroon > North Maroon > Pyramid
Exposure: Pyramid > North Maroon > Maroon
Looseness: North Maroon > Maroon > Pyramid

Right on Troy, agree with all of your rankings. Pyramid was definitely the most difficult of the 3, but South Maroon seemed like a long day even from a camp at Crater Lake.

[bigredmachine]

I had this same conversation with my partner as we were coming down from NM two weeks ago. He thought Pyramid was more difficult I thought NM was more difficult (I have not done South Maroon yet). For me, your in uncontrollable danger much longer on NM than on Pyramid. On Pyramid it wasn't until 13,000 feet that I felt the intensity increase, on NM it was once I passed the rock glacier. The class 4 chimney on NM was definitely more difficult than any of the class 4 on pyramid (honestly I really don't recall any class 4 on Pyramid), but like others have stated it was not really exposed (although a fall from it would still be a bad day at the office). On NM I really felt the most dangerous part was the upper section of the second gully. In this section the climbing difficulty increases and a significant misstep, bad handhold or fall could be catastrophic. Once out of this gully, the climbing difficulty does increase, but I think your overall safety increases (at least you have more control).

This is my biggest take and I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet...TAKE YOUR TIME. We went much slower than normal on both NM and Pyramid and as a result we didn't drop any rocks (at least not any that went more than a couple of feet). In general, the climbers that were moving quickly seemed to be the ones dropping the missiles. Especially on the decent, it is the climbers racing down the mountain that typically cause the significant rockfall. Don't be "that guy", and be aware of "that guy".

[Yalegirl09]

I actually wore my microspikes to descend from 13K to 12K on Pyramid, and recommend that strategy - it probably wore them down a bit, but the reduction in stress was worth it!

This is interesting - I've heard this recommendation more than once already, must be something to it. Good to know!

Would poles help on descent? I'd just stash them at the top of the gully at 13k.

+1 for poles on the descent. I was SO grateful to have them. I climbed a couloir on Pyramid in June and descended without poles. When I summited in July the poles were what took that descent from "this is the definition of hell" to simply kinda miserable. That slope SUCKS no matter how you do it.

[DeTour]

I've done that gully twice, without spikes the first time, with them the second. They definitely helped on both the ascent and descent. I used poles on the descent both times, wouldn't think of descending a slope like that without poles regardless of what's on my feet.

I think the choice of route is worth mentioning, as there are multiple options in the lower parts of the gully. At one spot in particular, I believe about a third of the way up, one option skirts a rock band to the far left of the gully. It looked inviting - you might think there would be handholds to grab along those rocks to assist - but I didn't find that to be the case. The sand/mud/scree path slopes away from the rock band and is dangerously steep. I generally don't think of class 2 terrain having dangerous exposure, even potentially deadly, but that's what I believe to be the case in that area. If your feet slipped out from beneath you, it was hard to say when you'd stop sliding/tumbling, or if that stop might come by slamming into boulders or going over a cliff. So yeah, traction on my feet was much appreciated in that area, and I avoided it on the descent.

BTW I would also say that gully is steep enough that a helmet is advisable for potential rockfall - also unusual on class 2 terrain. I've been on lots of class 3 terrain that I felt was easier and safer than some parts of that gully.

[Yalegirl09]

I've done that gully twice, without spikes the first time, with them the second. They definitely helped on both the ascent and descent. I used poles on the descent both times, wouldn't think of descending a slope like that without poles regardless of what's on my feet.

I think the choice of route is worth mentioning, as there are multiple options in the lower parts of the gully. At one spot in particular, I believe about a third of the way up, one option skirts a rock band to the far left of the gully. It looked inviting - you might think there would be handholds to grab along those rocks to assist - but I didn't find that to be the case. The sand/mud/scree path slopes away from the rock band and is dangerously steep. I generally don't think of class 2 terrain having dangerous exposure, even potentially deadly, but that's what I believe to be the case in that area. If your feet slipped out from beneath you, it was hard to say when you'd stop sliding/tumbling, or if that stop might come by slamming into boulders or going over a cliff. So yeah, traction on my feet was much appreciated in that area, and I avoided it on the descent.

BTW I would also say that gully is steep enough that a helmet is advisable for potential rockfall - also unusual on class 2 terrain. I've been on lots of class 3 terrain that I felt was easier and safer than some parts of that gully.

+1

[Tory Wells]

I think they're pretty much the same mountain. Same rock, similar challenges, similar amount of effort to get up them. They are all fun and tedious at the same time.

I would disagree with the suggestion to wear microspikes in anything other than snow. It might have work for the poster, but I could also see someone losing all purchase on a rock and totally falling on their ass because spikes are not made to stick to rocks. Rubbery shoes are. And while there is a lot of loose gravel (and not a lot of rocks) on the ascent to the col above the amphitheater, I had absolutely no problem descending that in shoes.