Page:Canadian Alpine Journal I, 2.djvu/233

Rh and rock slides to the foot of some perpendicular cliffs of the shoulder, seen directly above, from the Camp. The first parties reached the top of these by an interesting climb up a small chimney and then followed the arete of the final slope. This consisted of a steep snow ridge, leading straight to the summit, which, though requiring care, offered no special difficulty.

After the first two or three days the chimney to the top of the cliffs became slippery with ice owing to the melting snow freezing at night, and, to avoid this, a short detour was taken to the left and the ascent to the arete made at a point about half way between the shoulder and the summit.

The return was by a different route, the parties descending to a low part of the ridge, south of the summit, at head of a long snow-filled couloir. From this point one continuous glissade of nearly 2,000 feet carried the climbers to timber-line. A short tramp over grassy slopes to the watercourse ascended in the morning brought them quickly to the Camp.

Leaving Camp for Mt. Temple, the parties followed the trail up Paradise Valley for a short distance, and, turning to the left, climbed some steep timbered slopes reaching to the base of the southwest shoulder of the mountain. The path then lay over grassy ridges and fallen rocks to the foot of Sentinel Pass. A steep snow slope led to the summit of the pass and offered no greater difficulty than that of cutting steps if the previous night had been cold. After this the route followed was up steep shale slopes, rockslides and snow- filled couloirs till the final arete was reached. The arete, leading directly to the summit of the mountain, was precipitous and very heavily corniced on the side next Moraine Lake. The only precaution necessary was to avoid going too near the edge.

The descent was made by almost the same route, the only variation being, that when possible, glissades were taken down snow slopes instead of climbing down the rocks.

On July 4th a party in charge of the Swiss guide, Peter Kaufmann, made the ascent of Eiffel Peak, which is joined to Pinnacle Mountain by a short arete. No details of this climb can be given owing to the records having been lost, as explained below in the report of the Camp Committee.

This peak, but little over 10,000 ft., has proved a veritable surprise. Three separate parties tried to make the summit during the summer of 1907 but returned vanquished.