Consolation Peak and P 5500, Pangnirtung Pass Area. In early May, Dave Shoemaker, Rick West, John Mallery and I spent nine days climbing in the Pangnirtung Pass region of Auyuittuq National Park. Travel into the pass from Pangnirtung was made by snow-machines, but due to an early thaw, we were unable to ski-doo past Windy Lake. We hiked further up the pass and put Base Camp near Mount Thor. During our stay two peaks were ascended. On May 6, Shoemaker, Mallery and I reached the south summit on Consolation Peak (6100 feet; two miles west of Thor). Our route went up a 4000-foot snow gully, shaped like an hourglass, then up a 1500-foot ridge to our high point. The climbing was no harder than F6 and the granite excellent for clean climbing. The summit of P 5500, about three miles northeast of Thor, was reached by John Mallery and me on May 9, after a quick 12-hour push from Base Camp. Our route of 12 pitches of F4 to F8 led up the south ridge.

Michael Pelchat, Randolph Mountain Club