High Sierra Topix

In planning this route, I was hoping to exit via the ridge that holds Keating Pass. Has anyone been up this way, know if it's reasonable? I don't want to deal with more than mildly exposed class 3, or any avalanche-prone scree slopes.

I know Echo Col is the "easy" way out around there, and some of the ridges in that area are "crumbly". But I figure it's not much of a backtrack if I enter the ridge at Keating Pass (instead of the red line I've drawn, which assumes the ridgeline looks like a rolling meadow once I'm near).

Any close-up photos of this ridge?

I'm not sure about the ridge your asking about but you'll also encounter some tedious class 3 while traversing the West ridge of Langille Peak. You can find an easier route by working your way up the South West face of it.

Dropping that northwest ridge from Langille looks class 4 steep on the topo. In fact just climbing the less difficult south side was described as a class 3 puzzle during Bob Burd's 8/18/2014 Sierra Challenge.

Just taking the stream down east ought be challenging enough with a pack. As for your other ridge line routes, one needs to understand topographic maps due to lack of scale detail often tend to show such narrow ridge lines with vertical lines less steep than they actually are because the lines bend at such points. Accordingly what appears as maybe negotiable on a map can turn out to be a sharp arete where one needs to climb up and down using more serious climbing skills. Thus generally when analyzing topos, there is more probability slope pitch remains as shown where vertical lines remain parallel or curing gradually versus sections with sharp bends.

David
http://www.davidsenesac.com/Spring_2015 ... 015-1.html

Have you considered doing Powell-Thompson Col (class 2) a little further east, it puts you down to Sunset Lake and Baboon Lakes, putting you back on your proposed route. HST Map

RoguePhotonic wrote:you'll also encounter some tedious class 3 while traversing the West ridge of Langille Peak. You can find an easier route by working your way up the South West face of it.

I see.

SSSdave wrote:Dropping that northwest ridge from Langille looks class 4 steep on the topo.

That's why there's an "alternate". I figure we'd see what's there when we're there, but I'm not optimistic about descending with a pack.

SSSdave wrote:Just taking the stream down east ought be challenging enough with a pack.

I see.

maverick wrote:Have you considered doing Powell-Thompson Col

I read that's not a nice route.

You are not going to find anything easy around Powell, its all nasty rock, and the glaciers have receded, exposing even more scree. If you want the easiest stick with Echo, if you want a little more challenging route then PT Col, if you have the experience.