| Peak: | Pyramid Peak |
| Route: | Northeast Ridge |
| Range: | Elk |
| Posted By: | the_hare |
| Date of Info: | 8/4/2024 |
| Date Posted: | 8/6/2024 |
| Condition Update |
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What a fun route with incredible views!! Note that there are two entrances to the Pyramid turn-off, one closer to Crater Lake and one closer to the Maroon Lake TH, both marked with large cairns. Poles were very helpful for ascending the steep dirt path up to the amphitheater ridge, stashed them at the saddle and used them and microspikes for the trip down. Cairns were plentiful enough for us during the climb up until the last part of the upper ridge where it was just find the most feasible and apparently traveled scramble up. I didnt find any of the problems too crazy at all as one comfortable with bouldering & climbing. Sketchiest part was the green wall, had several grapefruit-sized rocks whiz within feet of us dislodged by careless climbers above. I really do think it is feasible to avoid sending any consequential rocks down at all without sacrificing much time; theres plenty of solid rock to carefully step on and mantle up on, and the most loose rock is very obviously sitting on top of solid rock. It was not difficult to avoid touching these larger loose rocksthis should be made an absolute priority when others are below. Havent seen this mentioned as much but the hike out of the amphitheatre was the second sketchiest part of the whole day. On the way up we navigated to the start of the steep trail to the saddle pretty effortlessly. On the way back, however, the boulderfield seemed much less stable and even the dirt trail west of the rocks was loose and gravelly. Everyone in our party fell multiple times on this terrain. This area seems like the highest risk for injury of the whole route since so many boulders are deceptively unstable and harder to test than potentially loose rocks in class 3 terrain, youre usually off-balance with your body weight moving downhill, its towards the end of a big climb, and it just seems to go on forever. Not sure what a better alternative to these damn rocks would be. Otherwise, this was really a premier climbIm a bit limited in my experience but I havent hiked another 14er with this fun and engaging of an ascent with this great of views!           
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