I noticed this route when hiking up towards Chocolate Peak. I never took it. I was worried about brush. Is it really class 4? Do you really need a helmet, potentially rope? Seems like the hardest route is Class 4, but couldn't this be done Class 3?
Brush is definitely a serious concern on this route, and is unavoidable in certain spots. In order to minimize the brush factor (and increase the difficulty), I tried to take the ridge direct and stick to rock. There were definitely spots that scared me (which generally equates to class 4+), but I would not say a rope or helmet are necessary. Most of the difficult climbing was on the lower part of the route and could easily be skirted. Even difficult parts higher on the ridge could be avoided if necessary. There's no commitment whatsoever on this, and bailing is possible anywhere if you don't mind brush. You could probably even walk around the rocks all the way to the top, thus keeping it class 2, but wheres the fun in that?
hgrapid - Jun 3, 2012 12:06 pm - Hasn't voted
InterestingI noticed this route when hiking up towards Chocolate Peak. I never took it. I was worried about brush. Is it really class 4? Do you really need a helmet, potentially rope? Seems like the hardest route is Class 4, but couldn't this be done Class 3?
Wobby - Jun 3, 2012 10:04 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: InterestingBrush is definitely a serious concern on this route, and is unavoidable in certain spots. In order to minimize the brush factor (and increase the difficulty), I tried to take the ridge direct and stick to rock. There were definitely spots that scared me (which generally equates to class 4+), but I would not say a rope or helmet are necessary. Most of the difficult climbing was on the lower part of the route and could easily be skirted. Even difficult parts higher on the ridge could be avoided if necessary. There's no commitment whatsoever on this, and bailing is possible anywhere if you don't mind brush. You could probably even walk around the rocks all the way to the top, thus keeping it class 2, but wheres the fun in that?