Re: Diggler
Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 4:59 am
hgrapid wrote:Diggler,
Isn't there a difference between typical mountain danger, and highly dangerous? So, if I said I wanted to do Mount Langley in late August, it is certainly dangerous. However, probably nowhere near as dangerous as Starlight or the Palisades at that time, or Williamson in June?
My belief is that there is always risk; however, it is foolish to climb way above your skill level. Thus, I am inquiring as to whether mountains such as Sill, Tyndall, and Split are reasonable for someone who has only climbed Longs Peak via a class 3 route. I hiked Whitney last summer and it was pretty easy skill-level wise. Simply an endurance hike. But, Split Mountain, Tyndall, and Sill are totally different endeavors.
So my question is: Which mountain would you recommend of the three to a moderately-skilled hiker. Which is the least difficult?
Langley isn't any more dangerous than Whitney via its standard route, & it's beautiful near the Cottonwood Lakes. Split Mountain has one of the worst approaches you're likely to do, but the typical camping spot near Red (?) Lake is amazing; from there it's a longish scramble up loose talus to the saddle, then easy from there. Don't know how Tyndall is as rock- did it under snow, w/ crampons & axe- fun, steepest sections maybe 50 degrees or so. Sill via the standard way (L-shaped couloir) is considerably harder than the others mentioned; taking the 2nd class way (I've heard- haven't done it) is waaaaayyyy longer, with some challenging route-finding.
Good luck- hope this helps!