Ominous Pinnacle, Needle Range?

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Ominous Pinnacle, Needle Range?

Postby Ryan Marsters » Tue Sep 24, 2013 10:26 am

Hi,

Does anybody know where Ominous Pinnacle (13,000') is located in the Needle Range of the San Juans and what the difficulty is? I saw mention of it in Kramarsic's bibliography and a few references online.

Thanks,

Ryan
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Re: Ominous Pinnacle, Needle Range?

Postby John Kirk » Fri Sep 27, 2013 9:08 am

This doesn't really make much sense, given that the lowpoint is 13440+ on the ridge:
Capture.JPG


There's also no "prominent point" between Peak 13 and Animas, unless it is far down the north side.
Animas.jpg


There's this snippet from the 1986 Rosebrough guide on a google search:
George Bell, David Michael, and John Marshall climbed the summit pinnacle on Sunlight Spire in July 1961 ... 20 During this trip, George Bell and Grant Mathews also climbed what they named "Ominous Pinnacle" which lies in the Noname ...


I have this book at home, so I'll try to remember to look at it. The Noname Basin reference narrows it down a bit, and may be consistent with the location north below the Animas/Peak 13 ridge
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Re: Ominous Pinnacle, Needle Range?

Postby John Kirk » Fri Sep 27, 2013 9:12 am

Ah, just found this:
Immediately above our camp near the beaver ponds in No Name Creek rose an impressive pinnacle at about 13,000 feet. It is on the northeast side of Animas Mountain on a ridge which rises from No Name Creek to a point midway between Animas and "Peak 13.” We called it "Ominous Pinnacle” and worked out a route nearly to the summit on a series of rainy days. The first effort was by John Marshall and me on July 4. We started up a large couloir and turned up a small couloir, which we followed with deviations on ledges and a chimney to a ridge south of the pinnacle. About 100 feet below the summit, our approach to the pinnacle was blocked by a large and steep fin on the ridge, whose defenses we probed before retreating in the rain. The skies looked ominous when Graham Matthews and I returned on July 7. We soon confronted the sloping ledges of the fin’s east face. From a good belay spot atop a large boulder we could see that the problem was to traverse 60 difficult feet to Ominous Pinnacle proper, whence a series of cracks led toward the top. On delicate holds I reached the pinnacle and continued 50 feet up cracks to a fine belay spot. In the rain, Graham crossed the ledges to join me, leaving a climbing rope through pitons which I had placed for protection for a fixed rope on the return. As the rain stopped Graham led up the cracks to a large ledge 60 feet below the top. I found a crack with a small overhang at its bottom, which led left to the south ridge and poking my head over the ridge, I saw an inspiring line of thunderstorms just west of the Animas River moving towards us. I followed the steep, exposed and exceedingly rotten ridge upwards; handfuls of it could be torn off and flung into the abyss. Shortly below the summit I was delighted to find a huge block of sound rock, a fine belay and rappel point. I belayed Graham up to this point, which we defined as our summit and used the rappel point to descend, though still eight feet lower and twenty feet away from the summit.

George I. Bell


http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12196223000/North-America-United-States-Colorado-Ascents-in-the-San-Juan-Needles


I've added the peak here with a note about the map elevation:
http://listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Climbers.php?Id=147112
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