Pincher Ridge

Pincher Ridge III – June 17, 2006

Mountain height:   2431 m
Elevation gain:      880 m
Ascent time:         5:25
Descent time:       2:00

Scrambling and a little climbing with Mark.

After a typically restless night of sleep at the Crandell Campground, following our Cloudy Ridge ascent, we got an early start to make attempt number 3 at Pincher Ridge. Attempt number 1, in February of the same year, turned into a minor epic, in the form of a headlamp descent in blizzard conditions and attempt number 2, later in May, had simply failed because we severely underestimated the steepness and seriousness of the mountain’s east ridge. This time, we planned to attack the summit from the south east slopes.

One of the best decisions of the day came right near the beginning, where we opted to traverse alongside the rock outcrops below the east ridge. Both previous attempts had taken us around the rock, once on the right side and then on the left, so going right up the middle seemed logical. We were delighted to arrive at the most colourful and striking rock colours and layers we had ever seen. Backed by a perfectly blue sky, this scenery alone was worth the trip. After an extended stay at the rockband, we continued up to the east ridge and then over to start of the scrambling section.

Previously, we had attempted to avoid the vertical rockbands by circumventing them on the northeast side of the mountain – this time we went to the southeast. Again, the mountain was home to innumerable scenes of fascinating rock and colours, including a beautifully pronounced example of rock folding. Though we had planned on traversing a long distance across the southeast side, before heading up, the lure of the ridge was too much and when a weakness appeared, we scrambled up a water worn gully and then up a steeper gully to gain the ridge. The scrambling here was steep and a little exposed, but the rock was solid, with plenty of good holds.

That was the second good decision of the day. The ridge was definitely the best place to be in terms of great scenery, great views, and fun scrambling. We continued up the ridge, at times tackling rockbands head-on and at other times, circumventing them on either side of the ridge. We were both very surprised at how much progress we were making up the ridge that we previously believed to be too steep. That is, until we pulled up to within 40 vertical metres of the summit. Here, the final rockband was definitely too steep to scramble up and the right side of the ridge ended in drop-offs. We had no choice but to go left onto the northeast side – specifically what we were trying to avoid.

This is where the fun was replaced by a healthy dose of nervous exhilaration and a little trepidation. We ascended increasingly steep slopes via a series of grassy ledges, growing concerned that we might have to set up some rappel stations if we couldn’t reach the ridge from this side. Eventually, we made our way to within striking distance of the summit ridge, but it was guarded by a small vertical rockband with a narrow ledge below it. This terrain was considerably more exposed and any slip would have been very serious. We, therefore, pulled all the climbing gear out and I started up. After placing a couple of cams for protection I was just about to try and haul myself up the rockband, when Mark noticed another route further along the ledge. This route had a couple of exposed steps but was considerably easier than the one I was planning on taking. The ridge was only a few more steps beyond and we both breathed a sigh of relief when all four feet were firmly planted on the wide ridge. The summit was only minutes away - a most enjoyable and “thrilling” ascent.

After a relaxing summit stay, enjoying the gorgeous panorama, we descended via Linda Breton’s southwest route. The colours were yet again magnificent and scree surfing down the gently-angled slopes was a godsend, after the challenging ascent. A short stint of bush-bashing, followed by an easy 4 km walk back to the car ended a terrific day out.