Pfeifferhorn conditions?

[regehr]

Anyone been up there lately? Heading there tomorrow with a kid who doesn't have steep snow skills and am curious what to expect.

 

[Ugly]

Sorry, not really... but it is something.
I was up in the Albion basin Saturday and there were still plenty of patches of snow and muddy mess... after a week of hot weather like this bunches more of snow will be melting off. When I flew back into town on Wednesday afternoon what I could see looked similar, there was still snow on the ridges and peaks.

I could tell you more Saturday though... haha, since if all goes well I will be on the ridge looking down into White Pine Saturday morning.

 

[regehr]

Sorry, not really... but it is something.
I was up in the Albion basin Saturday and there were still plenty of patches of snow and muddy mess... after a week of hot weather like this bunches more of snow will be melting off. When I flew back into town on Wednesday afternoon what I could see looked similar, there was still snow on the ridges and peaks.

I could tell you more Saturday though... haha, since if all goes well I will be on the ridge looking down into White Pine Saturday morning.

Thanks! Sounds about like what I was expecting, we'll head up there and no biggie if we can't hit the summit.

 

[regehr]

Just randomly, around this time of year in 2001 some buddies took me up the Pfeifferhorn. I didn't have a lot of ice axe experience, just a few self-arrest practice sessions, and hadn't climbed any of the big local peaks. At the top of the headwall getting out of Red Pine there was about a 10' vertical snow step, very imposing! Then up on the ridge we were in a whiteout and it was drizzling. On the plus side we walked right over the scrambly bits, but on the other hand those steep snow slopes disappearing into the cloud created a very high pucker factor.

 

[Ugly]

Just randomly, around this time of year in 2001 some buddies took me up the Pfeifferhorn. I didn't have a lot of ice axe experience, just a few self-arrest practice sessions, and hadn't climbed any of the big local peaks. At the top of the headwall getting out of Red Pine there was about a 10' vertical snow step, very imposing! Then up on the ridge we were in a whiteout and it was drizzling. On the plus side we walked right over the scrambly bits, but on the other hand those steep snow slopes disappearing into the cloud created a very high pucker factor.

Might as well have been in Nepal. I can understand the pucker factor. I do like being up in the clouds tho.

At least this weekend, clouds, sleet and rain are the least of our worries... I am most afraid of being a wrinkled sun-dried and burnt tomato.

 

[regehr]

Update: there's still a decent amount of snow on the trail up to Red Pine Lake, starting around the turnoff to Maybird. It looked possible to get out of Red Pine w/o too much steep snow, but not sure. Of course all will be snow free soon given the heat. My kid wasn't feeling good and my knees were twingy so we didn't go much above the lake, oh well.

 

[Ugly]

White Pine looks like this... The snow is going very fast and the upper reaches in the sun are clear.

You can see the Pfieff and White Baldy here on Saturday:

 

[regehr]

You can see the Pfieff and White Baldy here on Saturday:

Nice! I usually climb Red Baldy every spring but missed it this year. Love the early light, did you start in the dark or were you camped somewhere in White Pine?

 

[Ugly]

Nice! I usually climb Red Baldy every spring but missed it this year. Love the early light, did you start in the dark or were you camped somewhere in White Pine?

Well, we ended up on the summit just southwest of Red Baldy... we stayed the night up above Silver Glance and went up in twilight. -ie from the AF canyon side.