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| Jonstone Peak is located on the western edge of the Pioneer Mountains, east of Ketchum. It has quite a few different route options in summer, and is one of only a couple mountains in the Pioneers that can be climbed in winter on a single day outing. The highlight of the winter south ridge route is the awesome views of the main Pioneer crest visible much of the time. George and I left Boise at around 5:30am, and then picked up JohnR and Splattski along the way before arriving at the trailhead at about 8:30. The starting point is located on the same road you take to get to Hyndman, and is plowed to within about a mile of the Bear Gulch intersection. The steepest part of the hike is probably the initial ascent to Point 8004�. The snow conditions made for easy going down low, but we started breaking through the crust as we neared the ridge. Fortunately the conditions got better when we got a little higher, so we made pretty good time along the up-and-down portion of the ridge. We were having a fantastic day. The views of the big Pioneer peaks were great, even from down low on the ridge, and the weather was great with minimal winds and barely a cloud in the sky. The route began to get steeper at around 8200� as we approached the crux of the climb, a partially exposed band of rocks. George and I gave the Johns a head start in this section since we didn�t want to leave them in the dust. (The poor guys had no Televators on their snowshoes.) We reached Point 8823� soon enough, and stopped for a break. Looking back on the route, we could see someone climbing behind us and making good time. We later found out that it was Michael who I�d invited the day before via email, but never heard back from. I�d given him the wrong starting time, which explained why he didn�t meet up with us at the trailhead. After a snack, and an extended break to take in the views, we were off again. The remainder of the climb wasn�t as steep, but was still work. The weather continued to be great, and we didn�t have to add layers until the last little climb to the summit where the wind picked up a bit. The summit views were great in all directions, and we stayed there for a while snapping photos until we got too cold and decided to descend back down to the tree-line for a lunch break. Michael caught up with us here, and then went up to tag the summit and then come back down to descend with us. We took a leisurely pace, soaking in the views, and the going was pretty easy other than the final slopes where the snow had softened quite a bit making for some sloppy going. It had been a great day in the mountains, and this peak is highly recommended for the views, probably the best I�ve experienced on a peak in winter. Click on the thumbnail to see a larger version. |
 Overview map of the south ridge route, just under 8 miles round trip and 3500' of elevation gain. |
 Trailhead view of the summit. |
 Crossing some ups & downs low on the ridge. |
 Panoramic view of the Pioneer Crest taken low on the ridge. |
 Climbing towards the rock band (George R photo). |
 Dave leaving the false summit (George R photo). |
 The final climb to the summit (George R photo). |
 Group shot on the summit (George's camera, Splattski's index finger.) |
 Great view of the Pioneer crest from the summit. Eight 11ers visible in this shot. |
 Summit view NNE to the Boulder Mountains. |
 Close-up view of the triumvirate (Hyndman, Old Hyndman, Cobb) from the summit. |
 The ski runs on Baldy, with Ketchum down below. |
 Descending the steep section above the rock band. |
Looking back up our route to the summit. |
 The final descent into the Hyndman Creek Valley. Our cars are down there somewhere. |
 Action shot of George. |