This can easily be done in half a day from South Lake TH. I started up the slabby cliffs on the N/NW ridge of Picture Puzzle from the southern end of Ruwau Lake. My experience and impressions were very much like Diesel's, with the exception that I couldn't figure out where the so-called "north coluoir" was...or if it was even a real route. Also, Secor's description of the west face seems quite off, and I would suggest not even reading it. It will probably mess you up. Picture Puzzle is aptly named: it is a fairly confusing labyrinth of aretes, chutes, and gendarmes (on the west face, in particular)--and at least two significant false summits. It is easy to get lost. Diesel is right that the true summit is at the southern tip of the ridge-line. If you start from Ruwau Lake and go vertical too quickly, or if you start from the west but climb too far north, you will end up in steep class 4--on or near a false summit. But honestly I think it is not too hard to find the true summit so long as you jettison the route descriptions and follow your own instincts, keeping in mind that you need always to angle towards the south end of the summit ridge-line. From the west, just keep climbing up-and-right (south) and you'll find it eventually.
Coming back from Mount Goode and being still 9AM, I decided to not let the day go to waste. Unfortunately the research I did on Picture Puzzle said that the North couloir is the best way to go to the top. That is not true. It must be the easiest, going from Ruwau Lake, but that entitles to wrap around the mountain, going from notch to notch, until getting to the West couloir that goes up to the summit. Finding the real summit is tricky. Without the GPS on my phone, I would've climbed all of the false summits before the real one. The real summit is all the way to the South, not really visible from anywhere else but from the West side. I came down the West couloir wich would make a direct, sometimes class 3, way of going up. The trouble is that if one doesn't know where the West couloir is exactly located, it is tricky to spot. I needlessly wrapped around the mountain from Saddlerock Lake going North, than East, than South for 2.5 miles just to make the summit. The West couloir is only .5 mile up/down. But I bagged this peak. Not many parties going up there I noticed: one in 2014, one in 2015 and three (including me) in 2016.
Deb - Aug 18, 2011 2:32 pm Date Climbed: Aug 12, 2011
West Chute or Something Like That
2 hrs sleep, 13K' elevation gain in a day....made for a "not-so-fun" ascent until the last headwall next to the "sitting man." Great views from summit; hated the descent.
Dave Daly - Aug 15, 2011 4:47 pm Date Climbed: Aug 12, 2011
West Chute Adventure
Partnered with B-Nick and Deb for some peakbagging on Picture Puzzle and Agassiz. Located a chute on the most center section of the west face to be somewhat pleasurable. The entry into the chute is fun 3rd/4th. After 150', the fun ends. And as Blair mentioned, the middle section is a loose scree/talus slog. If one followed the main chute as it closes in with the summit, it would be more of that thankless slogging. But we found a spot, before the chute bends right then back left behind the last turret/buttress, where a large wall that faces true west, to raise the fun-factor. Stellar "Norman Clyde 4th Class" climbing...solid to its appex (approx 160'). As we climbed, we aimed toward a "right pointing gendarme" and a gendarme on the right skyline. On the other side of this wall is a somewhat loose 3rd class downclimb to a notch and over to the summmit slope (3rd class). We descended in the main chute after downclimbing from the summit. 2 1/2 stars out of 5. Had there been more of that amazing 4th class, this would have easily been a 4 star route!
Blair - Aug 14, 2011 11:42 pm Date Climbed: Aug 12, 2011
West Chute
Climbed this w Deb and Dave, found it similar in spots to cloudrippers w chute we did last year. There was a big section in the middle that was crap class 2 but mostly class 3-4 on decent rock, with some 5th class here and there, more up high on a headwall under the summit. 2 or 3 stars
dshoshone - Aug 2, 2011 12:26 pm Date Climbed: Aug 1, 2011
N. Ridge
Nice climb, especially the last 100 ft. approaching the summit
seano - Aug 19, 2009 7:41 pm Date Climbed: Aug 19, 2009
North slope
From Ruwau lake. A boulder slog until you reach the ridge, but nice views and interesting gendarmes once you get there.
Noondueler - Nov 6, 2008 2:09 pm Date Climbed: Aug 4, 2007
North slope
from Rawau Lake. Descended the west chute, not recomended. Took 3 hours with lotsa loose rock and a 500 ft scree field at the bottom, argh!
With Rick Kent in June 07. Easy scrambling up the north slope. Fun scrambling as you near the top. Found a register near a notch by the northernmost pinnacles. From there, traversed east around the false summit pinnacles and south to the notch north of the summit. Then scrambled easily to the top.
Rick continued south from there, but I had to get back to Bishop. I dropped back down to the notch north of the summit, then headed down and west. Class 2-3 scrambling down the west face chute took me all the way to easy ground a couple hundred yards from the Bishop Pass Trail.
Donno - Sep 5, 2021 7:18 am Date Climbed: Aug 25, 2021
West Chute w/ RicoScrambled up W Chute from Margaret Lk with Rico. 5.5hr r/t. The notch N of the summit is a very nice spot.
CWessels - Jul 15, 2018 12:47 pm Date Climbed: Jul 11, 2018
Northwest ridge to west face traverseThis can easily be done in half a day from South Lake TH. I started up the slabby cliffs on the N/NW ridge of Picture Puzzle from the southern end of Ruwau Lake. My experience and impressions were very much like Diesel's, with the exception that I couldn't figure out where the so-called "north coluoir" was...or if it was even a real route. Also, Secor's description of the west face seems quite off, and I would suggest not even reading it. It will probably mess you up. Picture Puzzle is aptly named: it is a fairly confusing labyrinth of aretes, chutes, and gendarmes (on the west face, in particular)--and at least two significant false summits. It is easy to get lost. Diesel is right that the true summit is at the southern tip of the ridge-line. If you start from Ruwau Lake and go vertical too quickly, or if you start from the west but climb too far north, you will end up in steep class 4--on or near a false summit. But honestly I think it is not too hard to find the true summit so long as you jettison the route descriptions and follow your own instincts, keeping in mind that you need always to angle towards the south end of the summit ridge-line. From the west, just keep climbing up-and-right (south) and you'll find it eventually.
Diesel - Jul 22, 2016 12:44 pm Date Climbed: Jul 19, 2016
Wrapping the mountain from East to North to SouthComing back from Mount Goode and being still 9AM, I decided to not let the day go to waste. Unfortunately the research I did on Picture Puzzle said that the North couloir is the best way to go to the top. That is not true. It must be the easiest, going from Ruwau Lake, but that entitles to wrap around the mountain, going from notch to notch, until getting to the West couloir that goes up to the summit. Finding the real summit is tricky. Without the GPS on my phone, I would've climbed all of the false summits before the real one. The real summit is all the way to the South, not really visible from anywhere else but from the West side. I came down the West couloir wich would make a direct, sometimes class 3, way of going up. The trouble is that if one doesn't know where the West couloir is exactly located, it is tricky to spot. I needlessly wrapped around the mountain from Saddlerock Lake going North, than East, than South for 2.5 miles just to make the summit. The West couloir is only .5 mile up/down. But I bagged this peak. Not many parties going up there I noticed: one in 2014, one in 2015 and three (including me) in 2016.
Deb - Aug 18, 2011 2:32 pm Date Climbed: Aug 12, 2011
West Chute or Something Like That2 hrs sleep, 13K' elevation gain in a day....made for a "not-so-fun" ascent until the last headwall next to the "sitting man." Great views from summit; hated the descent.
Dave Daly - Aug 15, 2011 4:47 pm Date Climbed: Aug 12, 2011
West Chute AdventurePartnered with B-Nick and Deb for some peakbagging on Picture Puzzle and Agassiz. Located a chute on the most center section of the west face to be somewhat pleasurable. The entry into the chute is fun 3rd/4th. After 150', the fun ends. And as Blair mentioned, the middle section is a loose scree/talus slog. If one followed the main chute as it closes in with the summit, it would be more of that thankless slogging. But we found a spot, before the chute bends right then back left behind the last turret/buttress, where a large wall that faces true west, to raise the fun-factor. Stellar "Norman Clyde 4th Class" climbing...solid to its appex (approx 160'). As we climbed, we aimed toward a "right pointing gendarme" and a gendarme on the right skyline. On the other side of this wall is a somewhat loose 3rd class downclimb to a notch and over to the summmit slope (3rd class). We descended in the main chute after downclimbing from the summit. 2 1/2 stars out of 5. Had there been more of that amazing 4th class, this would have easily been a 4 star route!
Blair - Aug 14, 2011 11:42 pm Date Climbed: Aug 12, 2011
West ChuteClimbed this w Deb and Dave, found it similar in spots to cloudrippers w chute we did last year. There was a big section in the middle that was crap class 2 but mostly class 3-4 on decent rock, with some 5th class here and there, more up high on a headwall under the summit. 2 or 3 stars
dshoshone - Aug 2, 2011 12:26 pm Date Climbed: Aug 1, 2011
N. RidgeNice climb, especially the last 100 ft. approaching the summit
seano - Aug 19, 2009 7:41 pm Date Climbed: Aug 19, 2009
North slopeFrom Ruwau lake. A boulder slog until you reach the ridge, but nice views and interesting gendarmes once you get there.
Noondueler - Nov 6, 2008 2:09 pm Date Climbed: Aug 4, 2007
North slopefrom Rawau Lake. Descended the west chute, not recomended. Took 3 hours with lotsa loose rock and a 500 ft scree field at the bottom, argh!
bechtt - Sep 21, 2007 5:51 pm Date Climbed: Sep 6, 2007
Sierra Challenge Day 5 +30 daysSecond peak of four today that included Chocolate, Picture Puzzle, Gendarme (+ 3 of 4 gendarmes), and Aperture. Descended via Jigsaw Pass.
cp0915 - Sep 20, 2007 10:06 am
up - North Slope; down - West Face ChuteWith Rick Kent in June 07. Easy scrambling up the north slope. Fun scrambling as you near the top. Found a register near a notch by the northernmost pinnacles. From there, traversed east around the false summit pinnacles and south to the notch north of the summit. Then scrambled easily to the top.
Rick continued south from there, but I had to get back to Bishop. I dropped back down to the notch north of the summit, then headed down and west. Class 2-3 scrambling down the west face chute took me all the way to easy ground a couple hundred yards from the Bishop Pass Trail.