Route Climbed: S. Slope Trail, N. Ridge & E. Ridge Date Climbed: Aug. 1986, July & Oct. 2001
Always an enjoyable summit. Led group of kids with Matt Biers in '86. Did North Ridge with friends Hugh Sakols and Mara Dale in '01. Returned with John Pfeiffer to brave the chilly late Oct. winds that same year.
Route Climbed: East Ridge Date Climbed: Oct 04 "03
A great day hike from Saddlebag Lake. Route was fun. Mostly easy scambling up slabs and talus. Most scree in final climb to summit plateau is avoidable by scrambling on nearby rock. Summit views back into Yosemite are worth the effort required to get to the top.
Route Climbed: East Ridge Date Climbed: Sept. 27, 2003
The lower part of the East Ridge around the East Buttress was fun. The rest of the route is overused, especially the stairs built into the summit pinnacle. 3 hours to go up from the dam, 2 hours 40 minutes to go down via Alpine Lake. A shorter hike than I was expecting.
Route Climbed: Glacier Route Date Climbed: Aug 22, 2003
Ascended glacier route with loopperu, got into some messy rock and sand on the rock wall. Went into the bergschrund, and dislocated my shoulder when my front point came out on hard ice. Some glissading landed me face first in the stream. All in all a great trip! PICS
Route Climbed: East Ridge Date Climbed: August 11, 2003
Oh, so close! Climbed with my buddy, Brian, and was going to meet our friends Mark and Natasha up top as they climbed the North Ridge. From Alpine Lake, we searched for the "notch" in the east ridge and headed up. We should have known things were not right when we ran into 4th class exposed stuff. Scrambled up over the ridge to find the south ridge converging with the one we just climbed. Scrambled up 3 dead ends on the back side of the spires before we gave up and descended scree to the meadowed valley below. Enjoyed beautiful flowery meadows on the way back. Caught the wrong trail back and ended up a bit south on the road in to the trailhead.
Finally got through to Mark and Natasha on the radio who were just reaching the summit (10 hours after they started). Figured out later we had climbed the wrong ridge. There are two that jut out east, you want the northern one. We climbed the toothy one with spires and although we only got to about 11,800 feet, we had a nice hike and scramble. The soft meadows on the way down really revived us and made the climb for me. Got some food at the cafe at Saddlebag Lake then headed back to Tuolomne. Mark and Natasha showed up about 9 pm that night with their tales of the summit. I'm going to have to go back and finish this one up sometime.
Route Climbed: West Ridge Date Climbed: 16 - 17 August, '3
8.8.'15: North ridge
Started from the parking lot at 10.41. Made decent, but not spectacular progress to the saddle ('beginning' of the route), which I got to at 12.55. Passed 2 couples who descended due to various reasons. Ridge just kept getting better & better! After the notch, it was easier to go up than down, so knew my fate at that point. Excellent rock & extremely enjoyable climbing! Summitted at 15.14. Hung out on the summit for a while, soaking it all in. Incredible views (also cool to see things I'm so used to seeing from such a different perspective)! Finally took off at 15.49. Way down pretty chill, except for the dirty downclimb from the notch, & then the extra .9 mile from the campground-road intersection to the dam >:( Beat upon finally arriving at truck. Phenomenal day!! Stark contrast to the last time I was here :) , but lent perspective, & makes memories of the first time even fonder.
Word up, 'wombat. One of my more interesting epics. Four.25 mile approaches, including bushwacking, X-country, & several thousand feet vertical gain, should not be underestimated. Neither should a 1500' high technical route (I don't consider this a II or III- definitely a IV in my book!). On the bright side, the rock was clean for the most part (sorta flaky & mungy at the bottom, and parts later on, mostly really good farther up), the views spectacular, & the position awesome (above the SW face, in the true sense of the word!!!)! Climbing at night, hearing the coyotes howl, seeing Lyell & its glacier from one aspect, & the lights of Oakdale from another, was surreal. Seeing the sunrise at the summit was pretty cool (& pretty cold!) too. A great peak & awesome route. Give yourself plenty of time (if you're going with a rope, anyway)!
Route Climbed: West Ridge Date Climbed: August 17, 2003
REALLY long 'day' for a climb. After leaving a little late and getting a slow start on the ridge, we got caught in the dark after the first 3 or 4 pitches and had to climb the rest of the ridge in the dark. As a result, we belayed all of the pitches until the final 300 feet of 3rd class scrambling, with us summitting at 5am the following day. By the time we got back to the car, we'd been on the move for 24 hours.
Route Climbed: North Ridge Date Climbed: August 09, 2003
My very first free solo! It was awesome! We climbed North Peak first, from Saddlebag Lake, then hiked down its south ridge and up Conness' north ridge. Killer!
Route Climbed: East Ridge Date Climbed: August 3, 2003
Summitted with my girlfriend Etsuko via East Ridge. We took the variation between East Ridge from Alpine Lake and East Ridge routes. It turned out to be an easy Class 3 going and more direct and pleasant than from Alpine Lake. We made it to the top in ~3 hours from the parking lot at Saddleback Lake. Weather was surprisingly stable and rain-free after many days of violent thunderstorms above the Sierra crest. Views from the summit are incredible! On the top we've met a chef of Tioga Pass Resort who free-solo'ed West Ridge.
On the way down, we took some harder Class 3 - borderline Class 4 slabs to Alpine Lake where we spent an hour enjoying the sun!
Route Climbed: Southwest Face "Harding Route" 5.10 Date Climbed: Sept. 1999
One of the great ones, Bob Cable and I climbed this route as a finale to the greatest sierra season ever. I'm suprised I've still got a wife. Pitch 2 may be the crux but whoever leads pitch 5 knows where the crux really is.
Route Climbed: East Ridge from Alpine Lake Date Climbed: October 20, 2002
An awesome day! forjan, jimconsid, Will and myself climbed Mount Conness on what could be considered a perfect day. Left our campsite at Saddlebag Lake shortly after 6:00 AM and hiked cross-country to Alpine Lake. From there we picked up the East Ridge Route, scrambling up fun class 3 rock to the summit plateau. From there another short and somewhat exposed class 3 section brought us to the spectacular summit. The views in all directions where outstanding.
Route Climbed: East Ridge from Alpine Lake Date Climbed: August 2002
I climbed this for the second time with my good friend, Sam. She wasn’t feeling 100% because she spent part of the day before swimming down a class 5 rapid. Nevertheless, we both made it and afterwards had a nice swim and a few shots of scotch at Alpine Lake and walked down happily buzzed.
This is a nice, clean route (not much slogging). A few years ago I climbed the South Slope from the east route. Great route description.
Route Climbed: East Ridge, West Ridge, and North Ridge. Date Climbed: September 28, 2001
I have climbed the East Ridge twice, and the first trip, with my friend Craig Watkins, was uneventful but fun. The 2nd time, with ScottyS while on a geography field trip with UNR, was a full moon night time ascent. We left Saddlebag just after dark, and summited to crystal clear views in all directions at about 10 pm. Back to Saddlebag by 1 am for some sleep. The moon was so bright on the white granite that a headlamp was unnecessary except in the trees on the approach.
August 9, 2006: West Ridge with Dave Michalski, ctc in around 11 hours, we belayed the first two pitches, and simul-climbed the rest. Two simul-solers climbed ahead of us, and they they proceeded to simul-solo down the North Ridge. We descended the East Ridge.
August 28, 2006. Climbed the North Ridge from North Peak with D-Rod and ScottyS. An enjoyable day of scrambling, starting with the NW Ridge of North Peak.
August 8, 2009
Climbed the NW Ridge of North Peak, then the North Ridge of Conness, then the West Ridge of Conness, then back to the car just at dark
Route Climbed: East Ridge via Alpine Lake Date Climbed: September 21, 2002
Nice hike - except for the boring scree above Alpine Lake. The lake itself and then the summit ridge were the highlights. I was not expecting a "real" mountain, but it was...
With Sven Feldmann, 6 hours CTC at a leisurely pace, including lunch at Alpine lake (with a swim therein for Sven) and over an hour spent on the summit. Trip report
mtnfoto - Jan 20, 2004 6:17 pm
Route Climbed: West Face Date Climbed: 1988Climbed what I thought was a new route on the wide face north of the classic W Ridge route. Great climbing with superb rock.
Dave Dinnell - Jan 11, 2004 12:51 pm
Route Climbed: S. Slope Trail, N. Ridge & E. Ridge Date Climbed: Aug. 1986, July & Oct. 2001Always an enjoyable summit. Led group of kids with Matt Biers in '86. Did North Ridge with friends Hugh Sakols and Mara Dale in '01. Returned with John Pfeiffer to brave the chilly late Oct. winds that same year.
fugla - Nov 4, 2003 6:53 pm
Route Climbed: South Slope from Young Lake Date Climbed: Sept 27, 2003Beautiful hike, awesome views
TDRoberts - Oct 20, 2003 9:52 am
Route Climbed: East Ridge Date Climbed: Oct 04 "03A great day hike from Saddlebag Lake. Route was fun. Mostly easy scambling up slabs and talus. Most scree in final climb to summit plateau is avoidable by scrambling on nearby rock. Summit views back into Yosemite are worth the effort required to get to the top.
Dave K - Sep 28, 2003 10:19 pm
Route Climbed: North Ridge Date Climbed: September 27, 2003This was my third climb up Conness--this time, via the North Ridge Route, which is truly a classic climb. Lotsa' fun!
It took longer than expected so we finished the last pitch in the dark and bivvied at the top. Fortunately, it wasn't very cold out.
mrolph - Sep 28, 2003 9:39 am
Route Climbed: East Ridge Date Climbed: Sept. 27, 2003The lower part of the East Ridge around the East Buttress was fun. The rest of the route is overused, especially the stairs built into the summit pinnacle. 3 hours to go up from the dam, 2 hours 40 minutes to go down via Alpine Lake. A shorter hike than I was expecting.
Felsberg - Aug 23, 2003 9:27 pm
Route Climbed: Glacier Route Date Climbed: Aug 22, 2003Ascended glacier route with loopperu, got into some messy rock and sand on the rock wall. Went into the bergschrund, and dislocated my shoulder when my front point came out on hard ice. Some glissading landed me face first in the stream. All in all a great trip! PICS
Flanders - Aug 22, 2003 11:33 am
Route Climbed: East Ridge from Alpine Lake Date Climbed: August 11, 2003Kept from the summit due to wrong route from Alpine Lake. Stay right !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brian Jenkins - Aug 18, 2003 10:22 pm
Route Climbed: East Ridge Date Climbed: August 11, 2003Oh, so close! Climbed with my buddy, Brian, and was going to meet our friends Mark and Natasha up top as they climbed the North Ridge. From Alpine Lake, we searched for the "notch" in the east ridge and headed up. We should have known things were not right when we ran into 4th class exposed stuff. Scrambled up over the ridge to find the south ridge converging with the one we just climbed. Scrambled up 3 dead ends on the back side of the spires before we gave up and descended scree to the meadowed valley below. Enjoyed beautiful flowery meadows on the way back. Caught the wrong trail back and ended up a bit south on the road in to the trailhead.
Finally got through to Mark and Natasha on the radio who were just reaching the summit (10 hours after they started). Figured out later we had climbed the wrong ridge. There are two that jut out east, you want the northern one. We climbed the toothy one with spires and although we only got to about 11,800 feet, we had a nice hike and scramble. The soft meadows on the way down really revived us and made the climb for me. Got some food at the cafe at Saddlebag Lake then headed back to Tuolomne. Mark and Natasha showed up about 9 pm that night with their tales of the summit. I'm going to have to go back and finish this one up sometime.
Diggler - Aug 18, 2003 11:32 am
Route Climbed: West Ridge Date Climbed: 16 - 17 August, '38.8.'15: North ridge
Started from the parking lot at 10.41. Made decent, but not spectacular progress to the saddle ('beginning' of the route), which I got to at 12.55. Passed 2 couples who descended due to various reasons. Ridge just kept getting better & better! After the notch, it was easier to go up than down, so knew my fate at that point. Excellent rock & extremely enjoyable climbing! Summitted at 15.14. Hung out on the summit for a while, soaking it all in. Incredible views (also cool to see things I'm so used to seeing from such a different perspective)! Finally took off at 15.49. Way down pretty chill, except for the dirty downclimb from the notch, & then the extra .9 mile from the campground-road intersection to the dam >:( Beat upon finally arriving at truck. Phenomenal day!! Stark contrast to the last time I was here :) , but lent perspective, & makes memories of the first time even fonder.
Word up, 'wombat. One of my more interesting epics. Four.25 mile approaches, including bushwacking, X-country, & several thousand feet vertical gain, should not be underestimated. Neither should a 1500' high technical route (I don't consider this a II or III- definitely a IV in my book!). On the bright side, the rock was clean for the most part (sorta flaky & mungy at the bottom, and parts later on, mostly really good farther up), the views spectacular, & the position awesome (above the SW face, in the true sense of the word!!!)! Climbing at night, hearing the coyotes howl, seeing Lyell & its glacier from one aspect, & the lights of Oakdale from another, was surreal. Seeing the sunrise at the summit was pretty cool (& pretty cold!) too. A great peak & awesome route. Give yourself plenty of time (if you're going with a rope, anyway)!
PellucidWombat - Aug 18, 2003 5:00 am
Route Climbed: West Ridge Date Climbed: August 17, 2003REALLY long 'day' for a climb. After leaving a little late and getting a slow start on the ridge, we got caught in the dark after the first 3 or 4 pitches and had to climb the rest of the ridge in the dark. As a result, we belayed all of the pitches until the final 300 feet of 3rd class scrambling, with us summitting at 5am the following day. By the time we got back to the car, we'd been on the move for 24 hours.
csundra - Aug 14, 2003 10:36 pm
Route Climbed: North Ridge Date Climbed: August 09, 2003My very first free solo! It was awesome! We climbed North Peak first, from Saddlebag Lake, then hiked down its south ridge and up Conness' north ridge. Killer!
Misha - Aug 4, 2003 2:30 am
Route Climbed: East Ridge Date Climbed: August 3, 2003Summitted with my girlfriend Etsuko via East Ridge. We took the variation between East Ridge from Alpine Lake and East Ridge routes. It turned out to be an easy Class 3 going and more direct and pleasant than from Alpine Lake. We made it to the top in ~3 hours from the parking lot at Saddleback Lake. Weather was surprisingly stable and rain-free after many days of violent thunderstorms above the Sierra crest. Views from the summit are incredible! On the top we've met a chef of Tioga Pass Resort who free-solo'ed West Ridge.
On the way down, we took some harder Class 3 - borderline Class 4 slabs to Alpine Lake where we spent an hour enjoying the sun!
dharmadog - Apr 18, 2003 8:22 pm
Route Climbed: East Route from Saddleback Lake Date Climbed: August 2002By way of Alpine Lake on one of those cloudless days with views beyond dreams.
Eric Tipton - Dec 10, 2002 8:50 pm
Route Climbed: Southwest Face "Harding Route" 5.10 Date Climbed: Sept. 1999One of the great ones, Bob Cable and I climbed this route as a finale to the greatest sierra season ever. I'm suprised I've still got a wife. Pitch 2 may be the crux but whoever leads pitch 5 knows where the crux really is.
kullaberg - Nov 28, 2002 9:53 am
Route Climbed: north ridge Date Climbed: sept 2000fine sierra ridge scramble. day trip from saddlebag lake. the crux is a steep downclimb which can be rapped if you have a rope. long descent.
mdostby - Oct 21, 2002 7:24 pm
Route Climbed: East Ridge from Alpine Lake Date Climbed: October 20, 2002An awesome day! forjan, jimconsid, Will and myself climbed Mount Conness on what could be considered a perfect day. Left our campsite at Saddlebag Lake shortly after 6:00 AM and hiked cross-country to Alpine Lake. From there we picked up the East Ridge Route, scrambling up fun class 3 rock to the summit plateau. From there another short and somewhat exposed class 3 section brought us to the spectacular summit. The views in all directions where outstanding.
Dave K - Oct 19, 2002 5:00 pm
Route Climbed: East Ridge from Alpine Lake Date Climbed: August 2002I climbed this for the second time with my good friend, Sam. She wasn’t feeling 100% because she spent part of the day before swimming down a class 5 rapid. Nevertheless, we both made it and afterwards had a nice swim and a few shots of scotch at Alpine Lake and walked down happily buzzed.
This is a nice, clean route (not much slogging). A few years ago I climbed the South Slope from the east route. Great route description.
bearbnz - Sep 27, 2002 4:35 pm
Route Climbed: East Ridge, West Ridge, and North Ridge. Date Climbed: September 28, 2001I have climbed the East Ridge twice, and the first trip, with my friend Craig Watkins, was uneventful but fun. The 2nd time, with ScottyS while on a geography field trip with UNR, was a full moon night time ascent. We left Saddlebag just after dark, and summited to crystal clear views in all directions at about 10 pm. Back to Saddlebag by 1 am for some sleep. The moon was so bright on the white granite that a headlamp was unnecessary except in the trees on the approach.
August 9, 2006: West Ridge with Dave Michalski, ctc in around 11 hours, we belayed the first two pitches, and simul-climbed the rest. Two simul-solers climbed ahead of us, and they they proceeded to simul-solo down the North Ridge. We descended the East Ridge.
August 28, 2006. Climbed the North Ridge from North Peak with D-Rod and ScottyS. An enjoyable day of scrambling, starting with the NW Ridge of North Peak.
August 8, 2009
Climbed the NW Ridge of North Peak, then the North Ridge of Conness, then the West Ridge of Conness, then back to the car just at dark
Romain - Sep 23, 2002 12:48 am
Route Climbed: East Ridge via Alpine Lake Date Climbed: September 21, 2002Nice hike - except for the boring scree above Alpine Lake. The lake itself and then the summit ridge were the highlights. I was not expecting a "real" mountain, but it was...
With Sven Feldmann, 6 hours CTC at a leisurely pace, including lunch at Alpine lake (with a swim therein for Sven) and over an hour spent on the summit. Trip report