Pebble notes · Issue 12
The ridge route
Before you start
The ridge route is a full day: eight hours for most parties, ten if the scree is wet. Start at first light and plan to be off the summit by one.
Carry three litres of water. There is no reliable source above the hut.
Hut to tree line
From the hut the path climbs through larch on wide switchbacks. It is steep but well made, and the first hour goes quickly.
At the second bench the trees thin and the far ridge comes into view. Malik logged 4 °C here at six in the morning.
Above the bench the path forks. Keep left on the cairned line; the right fork ends at a stream crossing that floods after rain.
The scree
An hour of loose stone. Stay on the worn line where it exists and take short steps; the slope is easier than it looks once you are on it.
Ines kept the pace honest here: rest every fifteen minutes, before you need to.
Ridge and summit
The ridge is broad for most of its length, with one narrow step about halfway. Hands help on the step but it is not exposed.
The summit book lives in a tin box under the cairn. Sign it, take the photo, and start down before the afternoon wind.