Treasure Iceland

A beautiful, varied line directly up the north face of Bear Claw Spire aka Treasure Peak (Peak 12,563 on maps).  This description is of an early May ascent, when lots of snow and water ice are present.  If done in late summer, this would likely be a pure rock climb.

The route starts on a snow tongue that extends up just left of a large blank block, a few hundred feet right/west of the obvious deep couloir on the north face.  From the snow tongue, climb a mixed pitch on slightly loose rock trending slightly left to reach an awkward left leaning crack.  Climb up (front points in the crack worked great) to reach more snow and the first belay.  From there, climb easier mixed ground to gain the broad base of a snow couloir .  Two pitches of moderate snow bring you to the crux of the route, a 20-foot rock wall split by two narrow ribbons of ice.  Climb the left ribbon (look for good rock pro to the left just before starting up the ice), then continue up more mixed terrain until reaching the upper snow couloir.  A few more pitches of snow with the occasional rock step bring you to the summit ridge.  Scramble up to the base of the precarious summit block, and a few easy but unprotected moves bring you to the summit.  Descend the gentle talus slope of the southwest face/ridge.

On the north face of Bear Claw Spire/Treasure Peak/Peak 12,563 on the east side of middle Royce Lake, eastern Sierra Nevada.  Begin on a small snow tongue about 250' below a snow couloir, a few hundred feet to the right/west of the deeply inset north couloir.

Standard alpine rock rack and lots of slings. A few short ice screws could be useful. There are no bolts on the summit block, so be prepared to downclimb!