Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Pyramid Peak - 14,029 feet
Date Posted	03/03/2016
Date Climbed	02/28/2016
Author	mojah
Additional Members	Monster5, dannyg23, blazintoes

Perfection on Pyramid
Will This View of the Bells Ever Get Old? 2016.02.28 West Couloir Elevation Gain: ~6,200' Mileage: ~21 miles Round Trip Time: ~14.5 hours Summit Pano 2016.02.28 0130 My alarm goes off. That time already? Shit. I snooze for another 10 minutes and the fluid tones of "Gentle Night" urge me awake yet again. As if getting an additional 10 minutes on top of 3 hours of sleep would make a difference. Ok, ok, I'm up. I leave the warm embrace of my sleeping bag and greet the cold morning air. I force down two of the sunbutter honey tortillas I had prepared the night before. I leave the third, unable to stomach any more. Gulping down some water, I shoulder my pack to meet Ryan and Danny. Homie and Dan were there too, to take a shot at the Bells Traverse. We all hike/skin the road together, shooting the shit about all things mountaineering. Amy soon passes us on her fat bike, saucer sled and pack in tow. At this point, I was feeling silly skinning up. Highly unusual, my boots were uncomfortable to the point of pain. My AT setup was much lighter than what I used last season, but Ryan and Danny had set up their own sled system with their skis/splitboard, and seemed to be doing much better. I fall behind after a quick water break, and by the time I catch up at the summer TH, my feet are in agony. I definitely have blisters at this point (later, when I take my socks off back at the car, one of my toenails would go with them). Great start! I only need to make it to the base of the couloir, where I can change into soft boots. I grin and bear it, and carry on as the rest of the group transitions. Homie and Dan motor on ahead. We all catch up at Crater Lake, taking in the beauty of the moonlit mountains around us. Leaving the established trench, I break a trail across the frozen lake, and some warm fuzzy feelings come over me. There's just something satisfying about setting a skintrack across soft, untouched snow. We run into Kevin and Dwight on the other side. Kevin was initially supposed to join us up Pyramid, but the prospect of climbing up the Bell Cord proved to be too tantalizing and he changed his plan the night before to climb with Dwight. So it would be Ryan, Danny, Amy, and me on Pyramid today. We reach the base of the couloir about 4 hours after after leaving the cars, and soon after, the first rays of light shine on the Bells behind us. I finally get out of those wretched plastic boots and get into my nice, soft, cushy, well worn Mont Blancs. First light Starting up the couloir -Monster5 Lady Gentlemen Nearing the saddle -Monster5 Conditions in the couloir were variable. Snow ran the gamut from dense hardpack to punchy trapdoor to wallowy sugar. Nothing miserable though, and we never really sunk past the knees. Before we know it, we're out of the couloir and on the ridge. Here, the Bells dominate the landscape. We take a break to refuel and soak it all in and watch Kevin, Dwight, Homie, and Dan across the valley in the Bell Cord. We figure they'd be roasting soon. The weather had been very spring-like, and the east-facing couloir was already getting battered by the sun. I felt fortunate to be in the shade, though it did get cool very quickly once we stopped moving. We make the break quick, traverse up across some scree, and soon face the maze of cliffs that separate us from the summit. Bells -Monster5 The Rubble Gully/Notch First came the Notch, and the gully that led up to it. While we were able to stay on snow for the entirety of the gully, it did thin out in spots. At the Notch itself, there's the short 4th class cliff band to gain the next ledge, where a sling was already set up for a rappel. We leave our rope here and traverse around to the next bowl. On our way down, we decide that we probably didn't need to bring a rope. Here, we see the first rays of sunlight for the first time! Top of the Notch -Monster5 Cap and Snowmass -Monster5 Finally in the sun This bowl and the next (final bowl) are arguably the scariest obstacles on this route. While the West Couloir itself is a 2000' funnel for an avalanche, even a small slide here would send you tumbling over several cliff bands. The dragon that sleeps here may be small, but it's vicious. Even if your partners manage to find and dig you out quickly, with the trauma you'd suffer, you would, well... you get the picture. This is not somewhere you want to be in less than stable conditions. We pick our line high in the snow near the cliffs, travel one at a time, and quickly. We then round the next corner and come face to face with the final guardian of Pyramid. Oblivion -Monster5 Final push to the summit With the summit in view, this final bowl is all that stands between us and a coveted winter Elk 14er. We refuel here, and stare to contemplate our fate (I'd like to think that somewhere, at that moment, Gerry Roach had a sudden and inexplicable ringing in his ears). I sit under a cliff band which could have been a great bivy site in a pinch, where a wall of snow sheltered the exposure. When we're all ready, we make our plan to cross the slope and meet at the gully known as the JP Sneak. Before we know it, we're at the top of the gully, with the summit in view. Still smiling West Elks More Bells -Monster5 Bells from the "bivy spot" JP Sneak Far to fall -Monster5 What mountains are those again? -Monster5 And just like that, we're on the summit. Bluebird sky. Not a lick of wind. I could totally do a mountainbabe photo. But I didn't. Sorry to disappoint. We lounge around, discussing our good fortune. Perfect weather and a strong crew. Final final push -Monster5 Happy summit crew! Classic Couple cool cats and random dude in orange -blazintoes Yep, the Bells are still there, just where I left them -Monster5 Not the Bells -Monster5 Well this doesn't suck We take our descent leisurely. The snow in the West Couloir had softened, but wasn't slush. Wow, I really regret not having brought my skis up to here at least. That's 2000' of awesome snow! I'd probably still be climbing if I had brought them though. No way I would have kept up with the group. Bummer. I just need to hold out for the Landry Line is all. Oh well. The soft snow made for good plunge-stepping most of the way down, switching to glissading when it firmed up enough. Ryan and I make it back to our skis first and transition for the short downhill to Crater Lake. I find a bypass through the willows, avoiding having to circumvent them to the south. The path is evident on my GPS track in the satellite image. You have to cut to the east side of Crater Lake near the conifers, finding the creek and taking that line through the willows. Oh well, that would likely have saved maybe 10 minutes. Ryan follows behind rather uh... less than gracefully. Not bad for his 4th time on skis. And the snowshoers are hot on our heels. After a slight uphill on the other side of Crater Lake, I say goodbye to my companions, cashing in on the pain I endured in the morning, riding gravity all the way back down to T-Lazy-7. I fly by Dwight and Kevin (successful on their Maroon climb), push myself through a kilometer of flat, and get out of my ski boots ASAP, where I rip a toenail off when it decided it was too attached to my sock. Amy and Ryan arrive shortly, but Danny was forced to walk after a couple miles. I feel sorry for snowboarders, I really do. I can't express enough what a fantastic day it was. With great weather and great group dynamics, we summitted safely and quickly. Barring the minor ski boot snafu, there wasn't a moment where I thought "Well this is some Grade-A bullst." Which is actually a common sentiment for me. It was a good day. Splits:** To summer TH: ~2 hrs To base of West Couloir: ~2 hrs To saddle at ~12,600': ~2.25 hrs To summit: ~2.75 hrs To base of West Couloir: ~3 hrs To summer TH: ~1.75 hrs To T-Lazy-7: ~0.75 hr 14.5 hrs total My GPS Tracks on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload): Login required to view this map... Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Perfection on Pyramid

Will This View of the Bells Ever Get Old?

2016.02.28
West Couloir
Elevation Gain: ~6,200'
Mileage: ~21 miles
Round Trip Time: ~14.5 hours

2016.02.28 0130
My alarm goes off. That time already? Shit. I snooze for another 10 minutes and the fluid tones of "Gentle Night" urge me awake yet again. As if getting an additional 10 minutes on top of 3 hours of sleep would make a difference. Ok, ok, I'm up. I leave the warm embrace of my sleeping bag and greet the cold morning air. I force down two of the sunbutter honey tortillas I had prepared the night before. I leave the third, unable to stomach any more. Gulping down some water, I shoulder my pack to meet Ryan and Danny. Homie and Dan were there too, to take a shot at the Bells Traverse.

We all hike/skin the road together, shooting the shit about all things mountaineering. Amy soon passes us on her fat bike, saucer sled and pack in tow. At this point, I was feeling silly skinning up. Highly unusual, my boots were uncomfortable to the point of pain. My AT setup was much lighter than what I used last season, but Ryan and Danny had set up their own sled system with their skis/splitboard, and seemed to be doing much better. I fall behind after a quick water break, and by the time I catch up at the summer TH, my feet are in agony. I definitely have blisters at this point (later, when I take my socks off back at the car, one of my toenails would go with them). Great start! I only need to make it to the base of the couloir, where I can change into soft boots. I grin and bear it, and carry on as the rest of the group transitions. Homie and Dan motor on ahead.

We all catch up at Crater Lake, taking in the beauty of the moonlit mountains around us. Leaving the established trench, I break a trail across the frozen lake, and some warm fuzzy feelings come over me. There's just something satisfying about setting a skintrack across soft, untouched snow. We run into Kevin and Dwight on the other side. Kevin was initially supposed to join us up Pyramid, but the prospect of climbing up the Bell Cord proved to be too tantalizing and he changed his plan the night before to climb with Dwight. So it would be Ryan, Danny, Amy, and me on Pyramid today.

We reach the base of the couloir about 4 hours after after leaving the cars, and soon after, the first rays of light shine on the Bells behind us. I finally get out of those wretched plastic boots and get into my nice, soft, cushy, well worn Mont Blancs.

Conditions in the couloir were variable. Snow ran the gamut from dense hardpack to punchy trapdoor to wallowy sugar. Nothing miserable though, and we never really sunk past the knees. Before we know it, we're out of the couloir and on the ridge. Here, the Bells dominate the landscape. We take a break to refuel and soak it all in and watch Kevin, Dwight, Homie, and Dan across the valley in the Bell Cord. We figure they'd be roasting soon. The weather had been very spring-like, and the east-facing couloir was already getting battered by the sun. I felt fortunate to be in the shade, though it did get cool very quickly once we stopped moving. We make the break quick, traverse up across some scree, and soon face the maze of cliffs that separate us from the summit.

First came the Notch, and the gully that led up to it. While we were able to stay on snow for the entirety of the gully, it did thin out in spots. At the Notch itself, there's the short 4th class cliff band to gain the next ledge, where a sling was already set up for a rappel. We leave our rope here and traverse around to the next bowl. On our way down, we decide that we probably didn't need to bring a rope. Here, we see the first rays of sunlight for the first time!

This bowl and the next (final bowl) are arguably the scariest obstacles on this route. While the West Couloir itself is a 2000' funnel for an avalanche, even a small slide here would send you tumbling over several cliff bands. The dragon that sleeps here may be small, but it's vicious. Even if your partners manage to find and dig you out quickly, with the trauma you'd suffer, you would, well... you get the picture. This is not somewhere you want to be in less than stable conditions. We pick our line high in the snow near the cliffs, travel one at a time, and quickly. We then round the next corner and come face to face with the final guardian of Pyramid.

With the summit in view, this final bowl is all that stands between us and a coveted winter Elk 14er. We refuel here, and stare to contemplate our fate (I'd like to think that somewhere, at that moment, Gerry Roach had a sudden and inexplicable ringing in his ears). I sit under a cliff band which could have been a great bivy site in a pinch, where a wall of snow sheltered the exposure. When we're all ready, we make our plan to cross the slope and meet at the gully known as the JP Sneak. Before we know it, we're at the top of the gully, with the summit in view.

What mountains are those again? -Monster5

And just like that, we're on the summit. Bluebird sky. Not a lick of wind. I could totally do a mountainbabe photo. But I didn't. Sorry to disappoint. We lounge around, discussing our good fortune. Perfect weather and a strong crew.

Couple cool cats and random dude in orange -blazintoes

Yep, the Bells are still there, just where I left them -Monster5

We take our descent leisurely. The snow in the West Couloir had softened, but wasn't slush. Wow, I really regret not having brought my skis up to here at least. That's 2000' of awesome snow! I'd probably still be climbing if I had brought them though. No way I would have kept up with the group. Bummer. I just need to hold out for the Landry Line is all. Oh well. The soft snow made for good plunge-stepping most of the way down, switching to glissading when it firmed up enough. Ryan and I make it back to our skis first and transition for the short downhill to Crater Lake. I find a bypass through the willows, avoiding having to circumvent them to the south. The path is evident on my GPS track in the satellite image. You have to cut to the east side of Crater Lake near the conifers, finding the creek and taking that line through the willows. Oh well, that would likely have saved maybe 10 minutes. Ryan follows behind rather uh... less than gracefully. Not bad for his 4th time on skis. And the snowshoers are hot on our heels. After a slight uphill on the other side of Crater Lake, I say goodbye to my companions, cashing in on the pain I endured in the morning, riding gravity all the way back down to T-Lazy-7. I fly by Dwight and Kevin (successful on their Maroon climb), push myself through a kilometer of flat, and get out of my ski boots ASAP, where I rip a toenail off when it decided it was too attached to my sock. Amy and Ryan arrive shortly, but Danny was forced to walk after a couple miles. I feel sorry for snowboarders, I really do.

I can't express enough what a fantastic day it was. With great weather and great group dynamics, we summitted safely and quickly. Barring the minor ski boot snafu, there wasn't a moment where I thought "Well this is some Grade-A bulls**t." Which is actually a common sentiment for me. It was a good day.

Splits:
To summer TH: ~2 hrs
To base of West Couloir: ~2 hrs
To saddle at ~12,600': ~2.25 hrs
To summit: ~2.75 hrs
To base of West Couloir: ~3 hrs
To summer TH: ~1.75 hrs
To T-Lazy-7: ~0.75 hr
14.5 hrs total

My GPS Tracks on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload):

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

d_baker	two thumbs up 3/3/2016 4:40am Great photos to go with your report! Congrats to all of you! I'm glad the Bells are where you left them!
dsunwall	Excellent 3/3/2016 7:33am It was rather unique to have 3 groups in the same area that knew each other. The Bells and Pyramid from Lazy7 are best done as day hikes I must admit. My 3 hours in the snack shack would have been better spent in my car. Ski's would have been nice for the return down that road, no doubt about it. Maybe my next round of winter 14ers I will ski them. Or maybe I should say spring 14ers. Anyway nice report and good work on the Pyramid.
saxlover	sha bam bam 3/3/2016 8:12am Yea man!!! nice work
nsaladin	Awesome 3/3/2016 9:00am Amazing work Jomah and Crew!
jasayrevt	Congratulations! 3/3/2016 9:34am Wow, most excellent work in the hills. This is quite a remarkable feat in endurance. Be super jazzed up about the accomplishment! Way to inspire, stay safe on a challenging peak, and reach that summit!!!
Monster5	Cool 3/3/2016 9:40am Man, that ski from W gully to TH was pretty darn tough. Luckily, I only crashed twice. So worth it. Haven't a clue how you kept up with us and Mottinger more than kept up with us on the road skinning. It's a heck of a lot more effort than it looks. This was, by far, my favorite winter climb. Pretty much no slogging a la the Cord or S-mass, no wind like much of the rest, near perfect temps, solid and fast crew, steep and exposed scrambling and snow. Good stuff.
blazintoes	WTF 3/3/2016 10:34am am I doing here really never crossed my mind. Can't believe I kept up with you whippersnappers. I've never laughed so hard on a summit and I don't even remember what the hell Danny said to make that happen. The Bells were buzzing and I have a feeling this will happen again this weekend but without the token female. Gentleman may you have stellar conditions and strong swift legs. Jomah and I drank extra beers for you two. Next time...
dannyg23	Shoop 3/3/2016 11:19am Took me an extra hour on the ol' snowboard, but don't feel sorry for me - I have deeply entrenched stereotypes, fostered in the 90's precluding me from ever skiing - so you see I don't have much choice in the matter. Hard to argue with what's been stated already: awesome weather, crew, route, and views. The photo nobody got, of the moonlight bells seen on our way across Crater Lake will stay with me for life. Bonus points for having another in the party that could recite Salt-N-Pepa Lyrics from memory.
mojah	Woo! 3/4/2016 12:03pm Thanks all! Dwight - It was great meeting you out there. Great work on Maroon! Daytrips are certainly the way to go Ryan - Skiing a snowshoe trench on a narrow trail is no easy feat. The part between the meat of the line and the car is often the worst part of ski mountaineering. Amy - So much for just one beer, right? Danny - That view of the valley in moonlight is probably gonna be with me for a while. Gonna have to go back with a real camera sometime.
Glass_half_full	Bell Yeah! 3/5/2016 6:13am Can't take my eyes away from your photos.... what and awesome day on Pyramid! This will go down as one of the best trip reports eva!
Jay521	Wow! 3/6/2016 9:36pm What fantastic photos! I just love this report!
jbchalk	Nice work, team! 3/8/2016 9:04am What an awesomely smooth climb the Pyramid with some phenomenal pics to boot!Nice to see you let the slow-poke buddy Ryan tag along :) Congrats to all of you!
Axeman	In my dreams... 3/8/2016 6:27pm Sick trip!

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Will This View of the Bells Ever Get Old?

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