Pettingell Pk

[enjoi_14ers]

Hey we are planning to do Pettingell tomorrow (sorry short notice). Any one have condition report(s) (i.e. snow) from the moutain, or range in general. I know that it is close to Grays and Torreys, but want something closer that someone may have climbed. TIA!!!!

[SolarAlex]

i was there on saturday...the east ridge was basically dry, one section of snow forced us to climb 20ish feet off the ridge to go down and around but otherwise dry. On the descent there was still a snowfield on what I assume is the 'standard' route, so an axe may be helpful for glissading. we didnt bring snow gear and had a little bit of trouble coming down the slope, when it should have been a fun glissade that was over in 3 minutes.

there was a little bit of dirty snow in the woods but its super compacted.

im gonna write a TR tonight maybe, if you want pictures PM me and i can email you some.

[Aug_Dog]

Did by chance get a good look at The Citadel and in particular the upper portios, like the gulley?

[dude9478]

I was up on Grizzly Peak on the 15th. The gully on the citadel was full of snow then. Might have changed by now though.

[rleclair]

I was with a group that ascended a very firm and snowy Snoopy Couloir between the twin summits of Citadel Peak. Great conditions for a couloir climb. The traverse to Pettingell was mostly snow free and easily avoidable. Some snow on the west slopes of Pettingell but nothing bad. The descent was a fun glissade back to the lake. You should be fine.

[Urban Snowshoer]

Hey we are planning to do Pettingell tomorrow (sorry short notice). Any one have condition report(s) (i.e. snow) from the moutain, or range in general. I know that it is close to Grays and Torreys, but want something closer that someone may have climbed. TIA!!!!

I was up on Pettingell last Friday and the snow is definitely melting. There were isolated patches en route to Herman Lake, and only a couple of snowfields left above the lake.

You could avoid most of the snow if you wanted to. If snow is what your seeking, you're still going to have a fair amount of dry patches to cross. I would also say that there was not enough to snow to make a ski descent worth it last Friday--you'd spend more time (and vertical) carrying your skis than actually skiing.

[James Dziezynski]

Here's a trip report... from yesterday (June 30th, 2013)

http://www.mountainouswords.com/mountai ... ip-report/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[MechE]

Nice Trip Report. Thanks for sharing. I am thinking of attempting this peak along the same route in late July. Any advice?

[James Dziezynski]

Sure!

Of course, start early. When gaining the ridge, you have a few options. In my trip report, you can see the shoulder we climbed. It was fun, easy class 3 though loose in a few places. You may want to hit the more gradual slopes that begin east (right, when looking uphill) of this route and gain the ridgeline earlier. You could even get on the ridge about 1.5 - 2 miles into the trail and enjoy a nice walk before getting down to business!

The actual ridge is really nice, there's always safe, non-scary ramps and alternatives to staying on the ridge top. For the first half, most of these detours are on the south (left) side. Once you are higher up and starting to close in on the fin, there are actual some nice detours on the right (north) side. Some other trips reports say this isn't possible but as you get higher up, it turns out there is some good, nearly flat terrain on the north side. The fin itself isn't nearly as bad as it looks from the lake. Easy class 3 workaround to the south or hit it right on for tougher 3+ scrambling. It's cool how most blind corners you encounter end up on nice, solid sections of walkable ridge.

The toughest part was bypassing some of the notches in the middle (I think there are 4 or 5 of these little notches) but even they are not tough. This is a really fun route, just be aware some of the rock (especially the bigger boulders) can be loose. If you have any other questions or want GPS tracks, etc shoot me a message or email, I'd be glad to send them over.

[MechE]

Thanks! I will make sure to let you know how it goes.

[Jay521]

FWIW - I did a TR on the east ridge route a couple years ago that might be of some help.

Pettingel East Ridge