Trip Date: May 14, 2006
Coleman Pinnacle Day Climb & Ptarmigan Ridge Ski Tour
Austin Pass
Artist Point / Kulshan Ridge
Table Mountain Pass
Ptarmigan Pass
Coleman Pinnacle (6403 ft)
Trip Report Summary
Region: Northwestern Washington Cascades
Sub-Region: Mt. Baker Massif
Area: Mt. Baker Wilderness
Starting & Ending Point: Mt. Baker Ski Area upper parking lot on Highway 542 (Elev. 4250 feet)
Way Points: Austin Pass & Artist Point / Kulshan Ridge & Table Mountain Pass & Ptarmigan Pass & Ptarmigan Ridge Bowls (ski tour)
Summit: Coleman Pinnacle (snow climb via Southeast Slope—Southwest Ridge)
Approximate Stats: 11 miles traveled; 2800 feet gained & lost; 4.1 hours out; 3.4 hours back.
Related Posts
>>> Coleman Pinnacle Ski Tour via Artist Point—Ptarmigan Ridge – April 8 , 2000
>>> East Portal Peak via Artist Point—Ptarmigan Ridge—Camp Kiser – August 2019
Full Trip Report
I enjoyed a Mother’s Day ski tour to Coleman Pinnacle with Janet and Peggy. We were blessed with warm, sunny weather and incredible views all day. Maybe it won’t be a mystery as to why I consider this a classic ski tour in the Cascades.
- Mt Shuksan and Wind Cirque
We started from the upper parking lot at Mt Baker Lodge and skied over Austin Pass to Kulshan Ridge at Artist Point, …
- Cresting Kulshan Ridge
… contoured below Table Mountain to Table Mountain Pass, and then made a long southwesterly traverse along Ptarmigan Ridge.
- Steep Traverse Below Ptarmigan Buttes
This involved contouring below some menacing cornices on Ptarmigan Buttes, ducking through Ptarmigan Pass, and cutting across a series of beautiful snow bowls on the southeastern side of the ridge.
- Skiing Thru Wind Bowl
In this kind of terrain, a person could just keep on going. However, as the visual climax of Ptarmigan Ridge, sharkfin-shaped Coleman Pinnacle makes a sweet boot-up destination. Moderate snow on the SE slope and Class 2 rock on the SW ridge led Janet and me to the great viewpoint summit.
- Jim and Mt Shuksan From Coleman Pinnacle Summit
We enjoyed perfect corn snow on the descent from the pinnacle.
- Peggy Skiing Down From Pinnacle
Ever-softening snow and lack of time kept us from getting even more turns in later. By late afternoon, nearly all of the steeper slopes were sloughing off. Most of these sloughs were pretty small, but they prompted us to take a lower (safer) route back across Table Mountain.
It would have been better to make it back to Kulshan Ridge by early afternoon. Unfortunately, icy conditions in the morning don’t favor an early start. My best recommendation for timing is to get a country-club start and then move quickly all day.
Route Map
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Photo Gallery
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