Mount Sill Swiss Arete / Mount Russell

Posted by icecream4breakfast on Sep 27, 2013
Page Views: 667

Date: Anytime
City or Place: palo alto, ca
Skill Level: Intermediate
Categories: Hiking, Ice Climbing, Mountaineering, Rock Climbing
Partner Status: Want Partners

How's it going? I've been looking for someone to climb Mount Sill's famous Swiss Arete route for a while. Given it's now fall, I might have to put this goal until next year. This would be the weekend of October 5th. I would probably default to Mount Russell's East Ridge which doesn't require a belay if I can't get a buddy at such short notice.

Swiss Arete is generally rated 5.7 by people who climb it. I would feel comfortable leading something in this range of difficulty. Swiss Arete is arguably the most interesting route on Mount Sill. Some say the view from Mount Sill is the best in the Sierra. With the Palisade Glacier nearby, its hard to argue against that.

I would do Mount Russel's East Ridge the same weekend otherwise. Probably more like driving to the Whitney portal and starting the hike before the sun comes up. Mount Russell's East Ridge is a non-technical highly exposed ridgeline that leads to the East and West summits with spectacular views of Mount Whitney and the surrounding lakes and Owen's Valley. The whole thing can be done in a single day with a pair of regular hiking boots. Most would say this is no harder than class 3. The highlight is definitely traversing the ridge itself. If that sounds more like your cup of tea give me a holler.