Pyramid Peak

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 9/9/2024, By: fmv093042
Info: Summer conditions! No snow to cross, even in the amphitheater. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 8/30/2024, By: doeeth
Info: Was following someone else on lead towards the last 1/3 of the scrambling. We acquired a few extra class 4 moves with one brief class 5 move. Would recommend sticking closely to the standard route if possible. Could be kept mostly class 3, as we went down a much easier route. All in all a fantastic day, but if youre not comfy with some difficult moves, take your time up to and above the green wall. Also was a good reminder not to blindly follow another person up a route, as I got pretty scared for a sec. One of my favorite 14ers! Also bring all water you intend to drink, the creek was too deep in the rocks of the amphitheater for one to filter. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 8/19/2024, By: rmcpherson
Info: Extremely enjoyable climb, one of our favorite 14er climbs yet ( 53/58 ). It has everything 14er climbs offer: switchbacks up a headwall through firs, talus hopping, a scree-filled gully, and fun class 4 scrambling through the last 1000 feet of climbing. Definitely appreciated our trekking poles in the gulley, talus hopping, and over the thin snow band in the amphitheater. Amazingly, there were only 4 other people climbing on a Sunday in August, testament I assume to all the road blocks put up to accessing this peak via the Maroon Lakes Trailhead. We had a reservation but never checked in as the office is not open at 4:45 AM. Due to the dearth of climbers, we had no issues with human-caused rockfall, although a mountain goat triggered a major rockfall near the summit as we were ascending, sending several lethal basketball-sized rocks hurtling down the east face, happily not directly above us. Route finding was fairly trivial for this route as it's well-cairned with few false trails. We only referred to the 14ers.com beta once on the ascent. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 8/6/2024, By: the_hare
Info: 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! 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/28/2024, By: ColoNativeGal
Info: Summer conditions. As reported previously, there is still a snow patch that stretches up the amphitheater and you cross it twice. Simple crossings. Didn't use spikes, but be careful early in the morning for ice depending on storms & overnight temps. I had microspikes and would have preferred to go up the snow in the morning vs talus hopping, but my partner did not. Coming down the snow is soft enough on the top layer, but firm underneath that I don't think the spikes would have helped; crampons for sure would work, but not worth the weight to carry unless you want it. Had several goat guides along the way. Got off route at the beginning of the green wall, ended up too far climbers left in red loose crap. We made our way back to the green wall, found the route and pretty solid (compared to the loose crap) rock. The gpx wasn't exact and it's easy to get off route going up b/c the cairns are hard to see, just remember to stick to the green wall. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/24/2024, By: dgriff
Info: Overall the peak is clear and good to go without spikes / ax - there is one very small snow crossing (~20ft) and unfortunately the snow is quite firm so if you slid you could go pretty far but you are able to cross on a very shallow grade (< 5%) where it feels quite comfortable. Overall, the peak is excellent as long as you don't mind grueling vert. Lots of vert going up to the amphithere which is stunning but on nice trail, then on talus but a decent trail throughout, then the 1000ft climb which is unpleasant going up as it is down. The technical section is something to take serious but certainly a tier below Capitol or the Bells and shorter lived. We ended up taking some decently technical terrain on the green wall upwards but just because we couldn't find the cairns -- they were quite easy to follow on the way down which made it significantly easier. Careful with the goats - they are awesome but one definitely intentionally kicked some large rocks. All in all - go have fun if you have the weather window! 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/23/2024, By: skeater912
Info: Summer conditions. We carried microspikes and used them in the morning to enable walking up the snow that remains top-to-bottom in the amphitheater, which was more pleasant than the scree - on the descent we walked on the trail in the grass/scree on the hikers left of the snow until near the exit of the amphitheater. Party on Pyramid with quite a few climbers and a buncha goats. IMO the beta on 14ers makes the climbing on the green rock seem like a more substantial part of the climb - we climbed too high on the way in and had a more tedious traverse back onto the route than necessary, as we figured out on the way down. You should be looking to bail left out of the green rock after the initial headwall to gain the cairns high and left. Great day, cool climb. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/7/2024, By: happyallyy
Info: Theres still snow once you enter the Amphitheatre and that lasts mostly until you enter the gully to gain the ridge. Spikes and poles were sufficient, I would definitely have spikes as long as the snow is still there. The gully has one little snow patch that is easily avoidable, then from the ridge to the summit is 99% summer conditions. A few inconsequential snow patches that can be avoided or easily crossed. 8 hours RT car to car 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/8/2024, By: mcalasci
Info: Leave the micro spikes and ice axe at home. You can avoid the amphitheater snow by going on the rocks to the right or left. Very chill route 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/1/2024, By: Buckie06
Info: Some snow in the amphitheater basin as you cross over to gain the ridge. I think most of the snow on the uphill to the ridge could be avoided. Although crampon-ing up the snow felt quicker than dealing with the loose trail. Once on the ridge we crossed maybe 3-4 small snow patches to the summit. We were happy with crampons and ice axe, you might be fine with microspikes and axe depending on your skill level. We did not wear crampons for the downhill. The standard route was easy enough to follow via carins. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 6/25/2024, By: grompice
Info: Started at 5:10 AM from the Maroon Creek TH. Was able to get very close to the summit of Pyramid, but had to turn around at about 13,750. There is a variety of snow fields on the trail. The first set is at the beginning, where you are hiking up to the entrance of the amphitheater section. In the steep trees this definitely slowed me down. In the amphitheater itself there is a large snow section up until you turn to arrive at the start of the ascent to the summit ridge. Going up the ridge, there is snow in the couloirs and this made climbing up with microspikes a bare minimum. I was also very prudent in bringing my ice axe, as I was able to use it for a direct ascent, the snow was slippery here and not solid. Once arriving onto the ridge before the summit, there is a large cornice to cross. I would say an ice axe is absolutely essential here or you will slide a very unpleasant way back down into the amphitheater. After this section was the actual class 4 climbing. A bit past this was a very large snow section that covered the route, there was no way through that did not involve climbing onto the snow itself, along with the exposure on this part. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 6/15/2024, By: daway8
Info: Trail is mostly dry up to the turnoff for Pyramid. Lots of traffic to Crater Lake but no one seems to be heading to Pyramid right now - only saw occasional faint hints of one old set of tracks. Past the turnoff there were multiple sections with very steep snowfields blocking the trail. Used snowshoes for a while but then switched to boots/spikes/axe (should have left snowshoes at home). The snowfields were steep enough to make for awkward side hilling in places. Amphitheatre starts off dry but soon hit major snowfields. However it was all extremely well consolidated and easily bootable (though I hiked up in the dark and returned early morning following a completely clear night with a low of 34 so your milage may vary). The 1,000ft slope from the Amphitheatre to the ridge is drying out fast but there are a few couloirs that are almost continuous all the way up. Approached with caution since the topo showed some sections were upwards of 50 degrees but the snow was extremely firm except right next to the rocks so opted to take a couloir up. Crampons and ice axe were mandatory - there was just enough give in the snow for the crampons to bite in without sinking at all - they barely left tracks in the snow. Was feeling very optimistic about the summit after such solid snow conditions (I was intentionally wanting to try the peak while it still had some snow on it) but upon getting the ridge just above 13k saw a very large cornice filling the saddle below the final 1k climb to the summit. The middle part had previously broken out and left lots of debris in the steep snowfield beneath. Crossing over the partially collapsed cornice was not a viable option so the only way to get to the summit would have been to drop below the enormous chunks still hanging on and hope they didn't break loose as I crossed a very steep snowfield perhaps 20 feet wide. I was about to try my luck with that when I heard a loud crashing sound. Large piles of rock and snow were tumbling off the cliffs just east of Pyramid's summit. I was hoping the snow would stay firm enough to summit early in the morning before it warmed up enough for slides to start happening but this thunderous collapse happened at 7:30am! The route to the summit looked to be about half rock, half snow - just the right combo to have the potential for more collapses like I had just witnessed. Also didn't want to stick around and see how fast the sun could butcher the perfect snow I had just climbed to gain the ridge so ended up bailing just above 13k. On the descent the couloirs and the Amphitheatre both stayed totally solid - got some good glissades in the Amphitheatre. But below the Amphitheatre the snow had already turned to total garbage and those intermittent steep snowfields were a royal pain to deal with - sometimes bootable, sometimes mush, sometimes large voids lurking just below the surface. Not a fun descent for that section. And I confirmed they do indeed make 10 parking passes available 3 days before - that how I grabbed a midnight to midnight parking pass for a Saturday without having previously signed up. 

Route: West Gully
Posted On: 1/2/2024, By: illusion7il
Info: Took advantage of the green light on Pyramid yesterday. Every time I have traveled in the green the snow was always bulletproof and supportive near and above treeline, but the time was different as the snow is more powdery/sugary and not very supportive. Maroon Creek road is nicely groomed. I put in the trench from Maroon Lake to the base of the west gully. I didn't see any signs of even an old track. My track though the willows is not meant to be followed, unless you are looking for the full tour of the them. The first 100 feet in the west gully is full of avy debris. For the next maybe 200 feet the snow is supportive and great for crampons, until I started sinking down to my thighs with every step so I moved left and climbed the rib with a mix of snow and unpleasant loose rock. Every time I would step in the snow I would just sink to the bottom, so I tried to put together as many rock sections as could. There was a light dusting of snow from the day prior which made the crux head wall a little sketchy. With stable conditions I just cut right across the bowl on steep snow that would swallow me up at times to reach the JP sneak. For me the crux was the JP sneak as it was full of unsupported sugar and snow, so I basically had to clean it out on my way up to find the holds. Maybe I missed it, but I never heard anyone ever mention the best line up to the ridge line. After trying several spots, I felt like I made some tuff exposed moves on a blocky arete like feature which finally got me up there. From the moment I reached the final bowl to the summit took me 1.5 hours which is only a couple hundred feet in gain. I hit the summit under a light snow shower at 3pm when all of the sudden there was a large burst of thunder. Upper mountain temps were mild and comfortable with no wind while everything below was cold. Inversion is a real thing. I'm impressed! This was a very complex and complicated route that will test all of your abilities. With just 1 more peak to go (Maroon) this route pack a punch and wins for most complex winter route. 20 hours 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 10/17/2023, By: JakeBortClimb
Info: multiple feet of snow up and out of the amphitheater. Doubt it will melt out. Turned around at 13,000. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 9/24/2023, By: WillRobnett
Info: Traction stayed in the pack. Alpenglow heats up 13k ridge which is nice. A few small spots where snow exists in the climbing route above 13k and didn't seem to be an issue for the half dozen climbers yesterday. North face is hanging on to recent dustings which made for good Fall Colors and great climbing with my buddy Cool Hand Luke. Clear skies ahead this week, go for it!