High Sierra Topix

Hello, is Mt. Ritter currently accessible from Ediza Lake without ice axe/crampons?

I'm comfortable on Class 3.

Thanks!

Hi OhioStoke,

Welcome to HST! Here is a recent, detaled TR from one of our HST members:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9583" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It would appear from that TR that No, Ritter is not accessible from Ediza without axe/crampons...thanks

If you want to do a non-technical (<class 4) route without ice axe/crampons on Ritter, the only alternative is the west slope/face route from the highest of the Ritter Lakes. This route is most easily accessed from Thousand Island Lake by going over Glacier Pass and around Lake Catherine. This is genuine class 2 provided the optimal route is followed. If one gets off this route it gets to class 4 in a jiffy. My trip there in 1973 had both experiences: big route error (missing "off ramp" out of chute) on ascent leading to 100+ feet of class 4 climbing, but on the button on the descent for 100 percent class 2.

From what i've heard, this being a low snow year, it is possible to bypass the glacier beneath the saddle when approaching from the east.

Personally, if I even suspect snow/ice are an element in a climbing route, I bring both ice axe and crampons (and sometimes a helmet). In the event that circumstances necessitate a nighttime or speedy descent, they are invaluable.

I have done Mt Ritter from the tarn above Ezida Lake with an ice axe, but no crampons, by scrambling up some rock, bypassing quite a bit of the lower large snowfield. It depends on time of year. Remaining snow becomes hard and icy later in the year. This year, given the photos others have already shown of the route from Iceberg Lake to Ceicl Lake, there may be very little snow left. When I did the climb, there was quite a bit of rockfall coming from higher up the snowfield when the sun hit the snow. I brought a climbing helmet, and was glad to have it.