A
cool, snowy spring made for a very nice snow climb at the end of May.
Everest
Ridge on Mount Timpanogas got its name because it was used for training climbs in the mid 1980's by a group of Utah climbers
in preparation for an Everest expedition. It's an easy but fun ridge climb, and we climbed rock, soft snow, and perfect
neve.
The parking lot at Dry Creek Canyon trailhead is at 5430 feet, and Timp's
summit is 11,749 feet, so there's a bit over 6,000 feet of elevation gain on this climb. We started at 3:30 a.m., reached
the top of the ridge at 10:15, and were on the summit by 11:00.
The
final section at the top of the ridge is guarded by a rock step. Although it looks somewhat intimidating from a distance,
it's maybe 5.3 or 5.4, and we were comfortable climbing it without rope or protection. Rockfall from the climber above
is the primary danger on this step, as the rock is very loose.
