Sierra Ridge Climbing

Kilian Jornet was coming straight at me, smiling, but clearly fatigued. Mt. Whitney soared above.

“What do you think of our big piles of rocks?” I asked.

“Wow, you have so many beautiful ridges!” he enthusiastically replied.

Even after two weeks of nonstop movement, he still managed to look excited about the 100 miles of Sierra landscape he was about to roar through. Much of it on the very ridges he found so beautiful. 

It was day one of his time in the Sierra during his States of Elevation project. We arrived near the base of Mt. Whitney, fresh and ready, Kilian had 1,942 kilometers and 78,004 meters of elevation gain in his legs after 16 days doing all 56 of Colorado’s 14ers. And that doesn’t count riding his bike 1500 kilometers from Colorado to California. We tucked in behind figuring we’d let him set the pace. 

Kilian Jornet’s States of Elevation : Sierra Nevada

Months prior, Kilian had asked me to join him wherever I liked in the Sierra. I chose the Whitney area to do Mt. Russell together. The East Ridge is one of my favorites in the entire range thanks to the setting, views, and perfect rock. 

Together, we climbed to the summit where we took a brief break. I told Kilian about pikas, then we marveled at his ability to rattle off the names of more visible peaks than we could. Before a chill could set in, we started down the East Ridge until hitting a side spur that was Kilian’s line and our goodbye point. We pointed our toes to the Whitney Portal, Kilian turned to face 80+ miles of trail, talus, high elevation, and ridge traversing.

Two days later, he’d ticked all of the Sierra 14ers and traversed a major chunk of the technical High Sierra crest in an astounding 56 hours. His Sierra summary was, “The quantity of beautiful mountains, the wilderness, the endless possibilities. Days without seeing a single person, just lakes, rock, and sky. I want to come back and spend more time here-there’s just too much beauty and adventure for one trip.”

His description is spot on. Combined with his, “so many beautiful ridges” comment, that makes up the very qualities we love about mountain running in the Sierra. When we put together the list of routes for our guidebook Sierra Trail Runs : A Guide to the Eastside, we focused on what routes would allow trail runners to primarily run. But when we plan our own days, we often incorporate getting to a ridge, climbing the ridge, and running out. For runners, hikers, and climbers, Sierra ridges are simply outstanding: the rock quality, complexity, and especially abundance is like no other mountain range I’ve seen. Plus, typically stable weather makes for reliable stretches of sunshine.

Sierra Ridge Climbing Possibilities

I remember when Peter Croft first did the monumental Evolution Traverse back in 1999. At the time, the idea of a 8 mile/12km 5.9 ridge traverse was mind-blowing. But sure enough, he found a masterpiece where the bulk of the climbing stayed right on or very close to the crest. If you know how slow ridge traversing can be and then imagine doing it for 8 miles. It’s a huge undertaking that is still today a proud accomplishment. In the Sierra, the order of classic ridge traverses might be something like:

1) The Palisade Traverse, 1.6 miles/2.6km, 5.7-5.9

2) The Evolution Traverse, 8 miles/12km, 5.9

3) The Goliath. Vitaliy Musiyenko’s absolute mega-ridge which traverses 32 miles of ridge line with 80,000 feet/24,000 meters of gain, much of it 5th class and most all of it requiring a climber’s full attention. 

While all three of these ridges require technical climbing ability and extensive experience, there is no shortage of easier, preparatory ridges to get you honed if the big lines are your dream. And the one ingredient that all these ridges have is the necessity of very solid fitness and the ability to move up high for long periods of time. In other words, endurance.

Sierra Ridge Climbing : Where to start?

What defines a ridge route vs a normal route along a ridge? The best ridges are where the bulk of time is spent moving right on the top of the ridge. If you are on again off again, noodling beneath the crest, and favoring not being on the ridge due to loose rock or inconsistent terrain, maybe it’s not a classic. But when the best rock to move on is right on the edge and that edge is solid and consistent at the grade, this is a classic. 

Besides honing the skills to move efficiently on a ridge, there is one other very important skill to develop in the Sierra – talus hopping. Talus (large boulder fields) is ubiquitous to the Sierra Nevada. More often than not, when you leave a trail you enter talus. It’s what you travel on to get to ridges, it’s often what you climb through on ridges, and it’s what you descend to get off ridges. Get good at talus. Mountain running shoes with sticky rubber is critical.

Finally, if you’re new to ridge climbing, or you are considering a trip to the Sierra and want some direction, this is a starter pack of ridges that’ll provide a taste of what it’s all about, and get you tuned in to grades and style.

Mount Starr: Located in Rock Creek Canyon, Mount Starr is both a great trail run and easy ridge climb. While the ridge itself is a bit broad and less defined than a classic ridge, you can access it from a number of points making it a good entry level route. 

Mount Starr is mostly 2nd class with some 3rd possible if you choose to stay right on the ridge in places. It’s also one of the runs in Sierra Trail Runs : A Guide to the Eastside

Mount Lamarck: Another great trail run to an easier ridge, 3rd class, that can be done as a traverse by doing the south ridge up, from Lamarck Col, and the east ridge (go as far as you like before veering off south) down and back to the Lamarck Col trail. This one includes superb summit views into the Darwin Canyon while the Lamarck Col itself is a great objective and trail run all on its own.

Pipsqueak Spire: More of a 3rd class mountain route, this one is a good trail run to a lot of talus and easy scrambling. Best started from Cox Col, just north of Bear Creek Spire, and done as an out and back. However it is possible to descend off the top heading north and then east back to Dade Lake, but this descent requires very good decision making to avoid getting cliffed out just when you think you are down.

The No Goode – Goode Traverse: Another classic in Sierra Trail Runs : A Guide to the Eastside, this is a fantastic bigger day on a much longer ridgeline than the previous routes. Starting at South Lake, the route begins with the very popular Bishop Pass run. Once on the pass, you hop on the ridge to the west of the pass and follow it to Mount No Goode before turning north and scrambling 2nd and 3rd class to the summit of Mount Goode. A short talus section leads east off the summit before turning into a mostly kitty litter soft descent to Saddlerock Lake where you can rejoin the Bishop Pass Trail.

The East Ridge of Mt. Russell: One of the very best 4th class ridges in the Sierra with perfect rock, great views, and an all around interesting and beautiful line. This is a loop that can be done in either direction. Take your pick. We’ll describe it as a counter clockwise loop by first climbing to the Russell-Carillon Col. 

Starting at the Whitney Portal, follow the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek to Upper Boyscout Lake where a use trail leads north to Mount Carillon. To avoid a long, loose and sandy climb, this ascent is best done in the early summer with hard snow. From the Russell-Carillon Col, gain the East Ridge of Russell and primarily stay right on the crest to the summit. There’s a bit of on and off, but the best line of ascent is mostly on the ridge where you’ll find superb, 4th class, golden granite. 

Descend the south gulley, cross the Whitney Russell Col and run/hike out the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek Trail.

Doing this route clockwise requires descending the East Ridge, which seems a shame as a shelf can be followed north of the ridge for much of the descent. But the run down from Russell-Carillon Col is fast and fun. We’ve done it both ways, and both are good, but if I had to pick one I’d favor going up the East Ridge despite the slog to reach it.

Understanding the American Grades, A Climbing Ratings Overview

The American climbing grades are based on the Yosemite Decimal system. 5.whatever. It typically starts at 5.4 (has anyone seen a 5.1?), which is very easy technical rock climbing.

However, climbing that requires hands, rope, and protection is 5th class climbing, thus the 5. 

For easier mountain movement, there are the classes 1 through 4.

• Class 1 is flat, easy terrain, walking.
• Class 2 is steeper, rocky terrain.
• Class 3 is steep, rocky, exposed, and you may start using your hands to negotiate the terrain. Scrambling.
• Class 4 is when you start to climb, a rope may be used, and a fall becomes serious. Harder scrambling.
• Class 5 is proper climbing, technical, with a rope and gear.

As mountain runners, we typically seek out the 3rd and 4th class terrain, possibly even getting into the 5th class range depending on the rock quality, style, and ability- challenging, but not so difficult we can’t manage in our running shoes. 

The Sierra is full of these ridges. Better still, the Sierra lends itself to traveling cross country. Getting to and from the ridges we target can be a big part of the fun.

References:

• CalTopo is the absolute best mapping resource for the Sierra
• R.J. Secor’s The High Sierra: Peaks, Passes,Trails
• The new, and superb, High Sierra Guidebook series by Vitaliy Musiyenko