Friday, October 30, 2015

Pfeiferhorn with winters first snow, via Red Pine Lake, October 30, 2015




Winds blowing snow off of Monti Cristo.

Tanner's Gulch, Dromedary Peak (hidden by middle tree), Sunrise Peak (middle), O'Sullivans (middle left) and Broads Fork Twins (far left).

The Pfeif and its notorious access ridge. It's really not too bad. Plenty of holds and negligible exposure. Even with new snow the crossing felt safe.  

Low clouds rolling in from Utah Lake. Box Elder Peak (near) and Timpanogos in the distance (middle left).

Lone Peak  is the 'W' shaped peak in the middle (on skyline) and upper Hogum Fork (head-wall on right and shadowed cliffs. Airplane Peak is the near peak in the middle, named for a a crash on its flanks in the 1950's (?) killing 12 people, and not found until the following spring when the winter snow melted. 

Summit of the Pfeiferhorn overlooking Utah County, hidden in clouds.

Selfy on the summit. I hate selfies but had to prove I summited the Pfeif.  I read somewhere that people who take a lot of selfies are prone to be sociopaths. I love people! Sure glad no one else is here! 

Timpenogos.


Upper Maybird Gulch from the summit of the Pfeiferhorn.

Broads Fork Twins. 

The infamous NW Couloir (ski run) of the Pfeiferhorn. Down in the shadowed choke there are two bolts, an anchor to rappel a 40-foot cliff, with your skis on.

Hoar frost on the summit blocks.

The access ridge straight ahead and upper Maybird Gulch (shadowed cliffs).

Looking back at my tracks on the summit headwll.

Don't slip! A bit of exposure on the ridge. 



Timp


Red Pine Lake and Little Cottonwood Canyon.

Red Pine Lake with Sunrise Peak peeking through the clouds.

3 comments:

  1. Nice pics of both the Pfeiferhorn and Lone Peak. I have been on the Pfeiferhorn only twice, once on snow climbing the East Ridge and once in winter - I think you lead all the hard bits on the Northeast Ridge. Something about a rock hard Power Bar sticks in my mind. I have been on top of Lone Peak three times. The cirque is absolutely spectacular. It was nice to pics of it again - but I would have to walk, running Lone Peak would kill me.

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    1. Brett, always whining about old age and how slow you are, but whenever we go, I have to work my ass off just to keep up. And me leading the 5.1-ish north ridge of the Pfriferhorn in winter is laughable. You led Sasquach and I could barely clean it. Who know's? I probably left a cam or two....

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    2. This is true, there have been some outings where you were lagging a bit. You just left out the part where on those rare occasions where you were sucking wind, you were recovering from the flu, an injury, or some other such malady...

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