Solo...Great weather, great conditions. I woke up early and left Shale lake at about 0400; got to the Red Saddle at about 0800. The snow/ice on the travers was in perfect condition: hard, but not too hard. Get up there early and the snow on the traverse is perfect. There was little/no snow on the pinnacle. I did not see anyone else up there. I did see some goats.
From the Red Saddle to the summit, you'll need two axes, rope (I had a 50M rope, but longer is always better), and crampons. There were rappel anchors/tats in place, there are also a few horns, but I would recommend bringing webbing in case you go off-route on the rappel. Nuts, cams and tri-cams...the rock is bad and unless you're doing one of the 5th class climbs with a partner, you won't need nuts/cams/tricams.
Harvest - Aug 2, 2017 3:31 pm Date Climbed: Jul 8, 2017
Amazing climb
This was my first climb of Jefferson and what a treat. We approached via Woodpecker Ridge Trail and the PCT to Shale Lake. There was snow starting 1 1/2 miles before Shale Lake. This made for a fast approach via most of the trail system and good off trail conditions on the snow. We were lucky to avoid most of the loose rock that late season climbs see on this route.
The climb was Red Saddle was on solid icy snow. Pickets set very well for a running belay. The Pinnacle was a mix of ice, snow and loose rock making for good conditions.
nts550 - Jul 16, 2023 1:25 pm Date Climbed: Jul 13, 2023
July climb soloSolo...Great weather, great conditions. I woke up early and left Shale lake at about 0400; got to the Red Saddle at about 0800. The snow/ice on the travers was in perfect condition: hard, but not too hard. Get up there early and the snow on the traverse is perfect. There was little/no snow on the pinnacle. I did not see anyone else up there. I did see some goats.
From the Red Saddle to the summit, you'll need two axes, rope (I had a 50M rope, but longer is always better), and crampons. There were rappel anchors/tats in place, there are also a few horns, but I would recommend bringing webbing in case you go off-route on the rappel. Nuts, cams and tri-cams...the rock is bad and unless you're doing one of the 5th class climbs with a partner, you won't need nuts/cams/tricams.
Harvest - Aug 2, 2017 3:31 pm Date Climbed: Jul 8, 2017
Amazing climbThis was my first climb of Jefferson and what a treat. We approached via Woodpecker Ridge Trail and the PCT to Shale Lake. There was snow starting 1 1/2 miles before Shale Lake. This made for a fast approach via most of the trail system and good off trail conditions on the snow. We were lucky to avoid most of the loose rock that late season climbs see on this route.
The climb was Red Saddle was on solid icy snow. Pickets set very well for a running belay. The Pinnacle was a mix of ice, snow and loose rock making for good conditions.
What a view from the summit!