Bailing on Pinnacle - 11/13/25
Nov 13, 2025
By Spencer Ralston
With reports that Pinnacle Gully (WI3, steep snow, 500 feet) had been climbed yesterday, Tyler and I decided to see for ourselves. It had snowed enough last night that we were able to skin straight from the parking lot. The Huntington Ravine Trail and fire road were in true early-season form—thin cover, a few open water bars, and plenty of sketchy skinning—but we managed to reach the base of Huntington Ravine with our skis on the entire way.
We broke trail toward Pinnacle, with conditions going from boot-top powder into chest-deep wallowing at the base. I’d done this kind of suffering in Pinnacle before—no need to repeat it today. The snowpack felt uneasy, showing signs of instability but offering no big reactions to our quick tests. In the approach to Odell’s, we found lots of graupel and took the hint to head down so I could be on time for work at the shop.
