Pyra Queen Col west to east descent.

[treks]

• Year of XP: 12+
  Miles per day: ~13
  Navigation: Map and compass skills, backup GPS
  Climbing: Level 2 with some 3 moves
  XC XP: 2-3 routes (1-2 miles)
  Areas: The Sierra from Isolation Wilderness down to SEKI

I checked out the The High Sierra Secor book https://www.amazon.com/High-Sierra-Peak ... 0898869714 and the trip report on here, in addition to some scant videos related to traversing the col.

Going to be taking the HST out of Crescent Meadow and am thinking about going over the Pyra Queen from west to east. Relatively new to XC but the terrain images look pretty bare in the basin and I have a sense of the contours from CalTopo https://caltopo.com/m/3FF6. I have done 3 points of contact travel through scree and talus before. One question about the map I did have is whether to take the northern chute once I get to the top of the col (seems less steep).

Wanted to get people's thoughts. Especially based on my experience. Thought this may be more gentle that Piss Your Pants Pass. Also allowing for a day buffer. Any suggestions for day hikes in the Mt. Whitney area.

[cgundersen]

Hi Treks,
It's not clear whether you consulted the various descriptions of Pyraqueen in the cross-country passes section of the HST forums. The initial description by Rogue and the follow ups paint a pretty clear picture of accessibility and the crux spots that you'll encounter. I've not been over Pyraqueen, but my wife & I studied the eastern side pretty carefully as we were heading for Kaweah Pass (the southern exit from Kaweah basin). Frankly, after doing Piss in Your Pants Pass and Kaweah Pass on that trip, I'd hazard the guess that Pyraqueen is the best of the lot. But you may get some contrary opinions.
Good luck! Cameron

[treks]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll look at it deeper. I guess part of me is to get more overlap experiences.

[alpinemike]

Pyra Queen Col is definitely steep on the West Side but generally stable. There is a lot of large rock to cross through and over on the East Side of it, but once again I found it mostly stable and not really an issue. I had snow on it when I did it in 2017 and it was definitely steep enough in spots where we used our Ice Axe. So if there's any chance for snow and ice on it you will want an axe on it. From everything I've read and heard about Kaweah Pass, I'd say Pyra Queen is likely more stable and safer. Take it nice and slow and choose your footing wisely and you're not likely to encounter too much trouble on Pyra Queen. The scenery is breathtaking from there and you won't be disappointed by the views from the top.