Granite Peak in 2021

14ers in California and Washington state or any other peak in the USA
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youngk2844
Posts: 167
Joined: 3/29/2013
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Re: Granite Peak in 2021

Post by youngk2844 »

Hey Rdp32, I climbed split Mountain (in the Winds) two summers ago after coming over Knapsack Col. Did it in September - no snow. There was definitely some route finding but also nothing more than class 2 scrambling. I climbed it with a freashly broken finger so, I'd say definitely sub class 3. That photo of Split Mtn in the Sierras is amazing!
rdp32
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Re: Granite Peak in 2021

Post by rdp32 »

youngk2844 wrote: Sat Aug 07, 2021 11:43 pm Hey Rdp32, I climbed split Mountain (in the Winds) two summers ago after coming over Knapsack Col. Did it in September - no snow. There was definitely some route finding but also nothing more than class 2 scrambling. I climbed it with a freashly broken finger so, I'd say definitely sub class 3. That photo of Split Mtn in the Sierras is amazing!
Thanks. And I agree about that photo being amazing!
seano
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Re: Granite Peak in 2021

Post by seano »

Geckser wrote: Sat Aug 07, 2021 9:35 pm Haha, completely understandable mistake. I would recommend the Split Mountain the Sierras though. Rises like 4,000 feet above a high alpine lake. I think we saw 5 other people on a day in the Fourth of July Weekend.
https://imgur.com/a/cSdfueh
That's actually the lake *before* Red Lake, which is right at the base of that face. Split is probably less popular because the access road is rough by CA standards, and the trailhead is low. It also lacks a trail to the top, and the rock is too rotten for popular technical routes (in general, colorful = bad in the Sierra). But it is a wonderful hike, either in a day or camping at Red Lake.
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Hoot
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Re: Granite Peak in 2021

Post by Hoot »

Here's a quick conditions report with TR to follow eventually. Greg, Dave, and I climbed Granite via the Southwest Ramp approach yesterday 14 Aug 21. The ramp is completely dry. The climbing in the ramp is difficult Class 3. There are two fixed lines at the steepest sections in the ramp, but I didn't need them going up or down (if the rock had been wet, they would have been useful). Based on beta we got from climbers coming down, we did not bring traction, rope or any protection aside from helmets (which stopped two rocks). Rockfall in the ramp is definitely an issue so be careful especially if multiple parties are in the ramp. There are decent camping spots on grass around the upper Sky Top lakes. The biggest surprise for us was how much boulder hopping there is from camp to the summit and back. What looked like a 4-hour camp-to-camp round trip took the fastest groups around 6 hours and most groups well over 8 hours. It's a long approach, but absolutely beautiful!
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