As you (JKW, balzaccom, chick-on) have said, I think it must be "the thumb". It's so prominent that I figured it had to have a name - but you have to be at the right angle to see it (it stands out in contrast to the blue sky). It's not at the summit of Hoffmann (thanks for the spelling lesson c-o) but on the ridge of Hoffmann sounds about right. From this photos, it looks like "Hoffmann's Thumb" is a sort of fin, from one angle wider at the base than at the top, but from another (90 degrees rotated) it looks like it is the same width at the top as the base. If that's correct, then this is likely what I've seen (from the angle making it look like an almost perfectly rectangular monolith on end).
Oddly, I've been to the summit of Hoffmann (recently - finally - after saying "I really need to get up there sometime" for years) but didn't notice it then. Is it a pretty straightforward "see it and walk to it" hike to get up to it or is there a certain climbing route(s) required (to avoid class 3-5 stuff)?
Thanks for the responses, I think this is it :-) .
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/2016 09:36AM by ags.