North Face of West Trinity Peak

The North Face of West Trinity Peak is sort of like Wham Ridge's less-attractive, older sister. The arching face is more blocky and ledgy, and has more loose rock than the neighboring north face of Vestal Peak. But it still makes for a fun morning romp.

A band of overhung cliffs blocks the base of the face, but easy paths through can be found up the lefthand side. There is no single clear line once you are on the face; we aimed toward the center, following the line of least resistance. As you gain elevation, the angle gradually steepens and you are pushed toward the left side of the face by more cliffbands. Blocky scrambling at the top takes you to the summit.

The route is described by Rosebrough (1986).

The north side of the mountain is a free-for-all. Pick any line you like.

Descend the Class 2 west ridge if you want to get back to camp, or better yet, continue east toward Middle Trinity Peak and do the

Trinities Traverse.

We carried a light alpine rack and rope, but only broke it out to get through the cliff bands at the base (and better route finding probably could have avoided that). The rest of the face was a reasonably straightforward free solo in approach shoes. Watch out for loose blocks, though, and you probably wouldn't want to solo under another party.