LYLE PEAK 2673m 8770′
Lyle Peak is a double summit located southeast of Mount Brennan at 940-459. The northwest summit is higher, surveyed. It is prominent from the highway near Bear Lake.
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Map: 82K/3 Rosebery.
Drive:
NORTHWEST SUMMIT 2673m
1. Southwest Approach as for Mt. Brennan (Consult approaches given above.) but stay on the east side of Lyle Creek. Hike up the switch-backs of the old road and climb the easy southwest ridge. (The Rossiter Creek FSR puts one on the east side.) (III,3).
FRA by James T. Fyles, 8/1944.
Use the Rossiter Creek road (see approaches above). One can descend to Lyle Creek and approach as below.
If one approaches from the Mount Brennan trail (Lyle Creek, Lyle Lakes), turn east-southeast from the main lake and gain the remnant pocket glacier (ice axe, crampons) between Lyle and the lower summit (2480m) to the west. (The party climbed Un. 2480m first, and descended to the col via the east ridge and a couloir, rotten, Class 4.) From the col, gain the southwest ridge (solid blocks, Class 3). Ice, Glacier (II,4,s).
FRA Kim Kratky, Hamish Mutch, 28/9/1991.
Descent was by the pocket glacier. (PC: KK)
The other, slightly lower, summit is 0.7 km to the southeast.
SOUTHEAST SUMMIT 2635m (GPS)
1. Southwest Ridge, Drive the Rossiter FSR, just before the Rossiter Creek bridge (from Kaslo). Avoid the Rossiter East FSR at km 2.4 and spurs right at km 7.4 and 8.5.
After a cut block (stopped by snow), walk up a road (925-437; 1520m, 5000 feet; numerous switchbacks reaching alpland). Near the road’s end, head up and right between two ridge systems, make a traverse along the side of a ridge and reach a snowy basin at 941-454.
Go to the right and climb the steep-looking southwest ridge (or SW buttress), a very pleasant Class 3 on solid rock with ramps, ledges and slabs. Finish on a kind of fin, right of a discontinuous snow couloir. (III,3,s).
FRA Paul Allen, Kim Kratky, 5/6/2009. The party traversed; no record was left in the cairn.
2. Northwest Side, Southwest Tricky climbing down, all on rotten rock, to Obelisk Col (pinnacle; 0.5 hours. Turn greater difficulties on the left.) and down the southwest-facing couloir (snow), then rejoining the upward tracks. 5/6/2009.
Lyle Peak Map reference: Roseberry 82K/3 by Kim Kratky
Lyle Peak or Peaks is (are) quite prominent from Highway 31A, especially as one nears the Bear Lake area, heading E. from New Denver. Lyle Peak itself is at 940-459. There is also a sub-summit to the NW (939-460) that from Lyle Lakes appears higher; it definitely is lower than Lyle Peak. Please note also the u/n 8750′ summit at 945-455 and .7 km. SE of Lyle Peak, which is a little lower and which I could not persuade Hamie to visit during our 1991 ascent of Lyle.
On September 28, 1991, Hamish Mutch and I made a day trip to Lyle Peak, approaching via the Lyle Creek road.
We drove to about 4600′ and started hiking on the old road at 0800 hrs. Higher up, we cut through the road’s switchbacks until it turned into a good trail. We reached the lakes at 6600′ in about 1 hr. 15 min. of easy going. The lakes are tinted milky green, and there is a reasonably spectacular waterfall cascading into the upper one. We headed ESE from the main lake to scale an 8150′ peaklet at 935-459 and due W. of Lyle Peak. From the top of this, we discovered a nasty-looking ridge descending to the E. toward our objective. We went down the ridge and an adjacent couloir (rotten class 4) to a glacial remnant on the col between u/n 8150′ and Lyle. From there, we gained the SW ridge of Lyle and followed it to the summit over solid blocks (class 3). 4.5 hrs. up from the car. I don’t remember if we found a cairn–probably did.
We descended via the SW ridge to the above-mentioned col and then down the bare ice of a pocket glacier at about 936-461 (does not show on map). This was a nerve-wracking descent for a ways as we had no ice axes. Below the glacier, we descended 1000′ of steep scree to the lakes, from which I went back to the truck. Hamie camped at the lakes to wait for the next day’s KMC trip to Brennan. Summit to truck: 2.5 hrs. Lower lake to truck: 40 min. I’m sure this peak has been climbed; I think you told me once that Dave Adams had climbed it.
LYLE PEAK 2673 m. (II,4,s/i/g) Kim Kratky, Hamish Mutch, Sept. 28, 1991. 4.5 hrs. up; 8 hrs. round-trip
Kim Kratky
Lyle Peak (SE Summit) 2635m 8,645’ Map:82K/3 Rosebery by Kim Kratky
The two Lyle Peaks are located in the southern Goat Range, between the headwaters of Lyle Creek and Rossiter Creek, about 3 km. southeast of Mt. Brennan. After climbing the higher, northwest summit with Hamish Mutch on September 28, 1991, I marked down its southeastern neighbour as worthy of a visit.
On a fine Friday morning in early June, Paul Allen and I left Nelson at 7:20 and drove to the signed Rossiter Creek FSR, 23 km. west of Kaslo on Hwy. 31A and just before the Rossiter Creek Bridge. We turned right and stayed on this mainline, avoiding the turnoff for Rossiter East FSR at km. 2.4 11 and spurs right at km. 7.4 and 8.5. After passing through a cut block, we were stopped by snow on the road at km. 8.7 (5,000’, GR 925-437). Our goal was to walk up this road, which seemed to lead to mine excavations, as far as we could, maybe getting close enough for a go at the SE summit of Lyle.
Starting on foot at 9:40 and carrying a 60’ length of 9mm rope, a few slings and our harnesses, we walked up the snowy road through numerous switchbacks before reaching alp land near the road’s end at 7,050’ (GR 934-451). After a snack, we headed up and right between two ridge systems, made a traverse along the side of a ridge, and reached a snowy basin at 941-454 beneath our objective. A flat-topped peak with numerous towers, knobs, and clefts loomed before us. To the left, a snow couloir reached the summit ridge, but travel along the top to the seeming high point on the right looked iffy.
To the right, a southwest buttress or ridge swept down toward us from the summit massif, presenting steep-looking climbing. Nevertheless, we chose this latter route and waded up some steep snow and along a ridge crest to reach it. Starting on the rock at 8080’(943-453), we enjoyed very pleasant class 3 climbing on solid rock with a variety of ramps, ledges, and slabs. Higher up, our ridge looked narrower and steeper, finishing in a kind of fin to the right of a discontinuous snow couloir. Once again, it all unfolded very nicely as we reached the crest of the summit ridge, turned left or northwest to cross a bit of snow, and finished off the final, easy summit dome.
It was 2:20 (4 hrs. 40 min. up) as we reached the roughly flat-topped summit. During our 40 min. stay, I recorded the elevation and grid reference (945-454) by GPS and built a small cairn but put in no record. The weather was windy and cool with a high, thin overcast.
For the descent, we decided to traverse the peak, making for that snowy couloir on the northwest end. This we did in about 30 min. of much less enjoyable climbing: numerous lumps separated by clefts requiring tricky down climbing, all on rotten rock. All difficulties were taken directly or turned to the left. Reaching the col (943-457), we found it to be guarded on the northwest side by a pinnacle about 25’ high, so we named the spot Obelisk Col. The descent of the southwest-facing snow couloir went nicely, and we continued on a leftward diagonal around the basin below the peak to avoid a snow swamp, re-joining our up-tracks at the entrance to the amphitheatre. The rest of the return was just a matter of retracing our steps on good snow. A couple of times we stopped to examine the points where, sometime last winter, a sub-alpine avalanche had shot across three switchbacks of the access road.
Back to the truck by 5:20 for a 7-hour. 45 min. day and a 2 hr. 25 min. descent from the summit, we headed immediately for Kaslo and a Mountain Burger. Although miners could well have scaled our peak, there is no guidebook information on any ascents; so we will claim a first ascent and first traverse. Truly a good outing for early June conditions.
Kim Kratky