The North Ridge of the Pfeif is one of those striking lines beckoning like a carne
asada burrito from Molcasalsa. It has perpetually begged my attention. Even when just passing en route to bigger
plans I’m often nearly distracted into a nearly ignorant ascent. Nearly ten years ago, in a
heat induced summer frenzy, I climbed this rubble route, but strangely
(or conveniently) remember few details.
So, after years of being nearly distracted on multiple Hogum and Maybird adventures, I
decided I’d better go check it out in more optimal conditions. Mid May, wiith the
threat of springtime meltage,
I had hoped that climbing it with spring
snow conditions the loose rock would still be frozen in place and we’d
encounter some invigorating steep snow climbing with a dash of fine rock. But as we neared the base of the North
Couloir rocks were already being deployed from the upper reaches- despite our
relatively early start. Perhaps
foolishly undaunted, we ditched the skins, and booted upward into the
havoc. We skipped the first jagged
section of the ridge since I remembered it (kinda)
sucked and instead climbed the fantastic North Couloir (steep!). The Couloir was straightforward and beautiful
with some interesting rubble-bouldering near the top- highly recommended.
A regroup at a small snowy shoulder left
us eying the rat’s nest “crux” above.
Super loose and slightly overhanging in parts, It
looked like death to Americans like me.
Luckily a fine short rock pitch on a bullet slab got me a little more
excited for the next lead. But here the
rock deteriorated significantly. An unfriendly
boulder that promised to sink the belay forced me off the direct ridgeline and
onto the loose rubble east face that was periodically deploying the granite
napalm we’d seen on the approach. An old
rusty piton offered some courage and I nimbled my way
upward trying to keep the skis on my back from knocking future headaches above
loose. A gripping, loose, and
potentially debilitating 60 feet of rope later put me back on the ridge, back
on bullet rock, and pumped out of my mind.
Definitely my first time being pumped on a 5.3. I built a beefy belay with my meager
remaining pro and
So… if I can offer any advice on this
route… I’d absolutely
recommend the North Couloir variation.
Lower rock pitches on the standard route are cool, but I enjoyed the
steep snow climbing immensely. Also,
leave the damn skis at the bottom.
Mountaineering with skis on your back sucks- I’ve always known
this, but clearly didn’t remember the upper route being tricky (and it probably
wouldn’t be without skis). Don’t let
hopes of Maybird headwall corn seduce you. Finally, a small Wasatch rack was perfect- a
set of stoppers, a handful of smaller cams (BD #1 and smaller), and a bunch of
slings and extra biners. There always seemed to be a perfect ¾ “ crack whevever I needed it.
© All Content 2009 Arie Leeflang
Collection