Castle/Pinnacle, Standard/East Ridge

Activity Notes

This is a climb of two Tatoosh peaks,.. We'll most likely approach via the winter route from the Pinnacle trailhead and up to the saddle between Castle and Pinnacle. We'll traverse over to Castle and summit and head then back to Pinnacle for a multipitch ascent of the East Ridge. Descent is via the Pinnacle Standard route and then back down the winter approach. Some glissading is possible here.

The approach should be snow covered and is really only steep at the last few hundred feet. We'll take crampons and ice axes to assist. The rock portions are low to mid 5th class and climbable in mountaineering boots. We'll rap off Castle and either fixed-line downclimb or partial rap/scramble off Pinnacle. Should we be slow on the approach (we won't), we will prioritize the East Ridge of Pinnacle as our main objective.

If you're a BCEP grad who has some rock experience and feel like you crushed it at Horsethief rock weekend, this may be a reasonable option. It is a step up from more basic rock climbs like Unicorn so keep that in mind.

I will look into camp sites at Cougar Rock the night before.

Once skills and experience are accounted for, I make every effort to balance my climbs with team members of different genders and backgrounds. I'm committed to creating safe and fulfilling experiences for everyone in the mountains.