Technical difficulty
Snow to 40 degrees and 4th class rock
Physical difficulty
Strenuous
Length
3 days, 2 nights
Dates 2010
May 29-31
June 25-27
July 23-25
Aug 13-15
Sept 4-6
or custom programs at any time.
Price
$595 per person
Ratio
1 guide : 6 participants for Day 1
1 guide : 6 participants for Day 2
1 guide : 2-3 participants for Day 3
Prerequisites
No prior climbing experience but prior backpacking and wilderness travel essential.
Inclusions
Price includes guiding, permits, group climbing gear, tents, kitchen gear, breakfasts, lunches and dinners (you bring hot/cold drinks and snack items). Scheduled dates include USFS trail fees. Private programs do not. Local accommodation is not included.
Perhaps you have done some hiking and peak scrambling in the past and found yourself wishing that you had more of the skills needed to get up more challenging peaks, across those unexpected snow slopes or up technical rock sections. Or maybe you have done some rock climbing but wish to expand your skills to include mountaineering. If so this three-day program will give you the basics upon which to build a solid climbing future.
No prior climbing experience is necessary but prior backpacking and wilderness travel is helpful. We will base ourselves between Bishop and Mammoth in Rock Creek Canyon, which offers aesthetic peak ascents in one of the Sierra's most beautiful canyon. We often do this program with a ratio of 6:1 maximum for the skills instruction and then reduce the ratio to 3:1 for the peak ascents to ensure that you get maximum individual attention with a high level of safety on the more technical terrain.
Itinerary
Day One: We will meet at the Tom Place Restaurant, located adjacent to Highway 395, 18 miles north of Bishop,
at 7.30am for breakfast and then head up Rock Creek Canyon's Iris Slab to cover the basics of rock climbing. We will do some of the climbing in rock shoes but we'll also use mountain boots to get accustomed to climbing in them before getting onto a peak. The evening will be at a campground in the canyon where we'll make preparations for an early departure for the next day's hike to camp.
Rock skills on day one include
Knot tying
Belaying
Equipment selection and use
Movement skills
Rappelling.
For the night you have two choices. At Mosquito Flats there is a walk in campground for hikers and at 10,000 feet this makes a good place to spend the night and acclimatize to the elevation and we recommend this approach. You can either bring your own food and plan on cooking for dinner and breakfast at the campground, or you can go back to Tom's Place.
On the other hand Mosquito Flats can be well named in early summer and there is also the option of a soft bed and a restaurant at Toms Place just back down the road.
Day Two: We leave the 10,000' Mosquito Flats trailhead and follow an easy trail for three to four hours, passing beautiful Ruby Lake on our way to basecamp near Mills Lake at 11,700'. This is a secluded part of the canyon, high in the mountains and surrounded by dramatic peaks. For the rest of the day we will work on the basics of snow and ice travel including:
Snow skills
Step kicking
Moving on snow
Ice axe use
Self arrest, snow anchors,
Belaying on snow
French crampon technique.
Day Three: Once you have learned the basics we will put it all together on day three an ascent of 13,600 foot Mount Dade the high point of the drainage. Mount Mills (13,468') and the spectacular spire of the Petit Griffon, with its tabletop sized summit are two other possible options depending upon conditions and inclination. The program finishes late on day three with a descent to Mosquito Flats.
Notes Guidebooks include Secor's “The High Sierra; Peaks, Passes and Trails”, and “Sierra Classics” by Moynier and Fiddler.
While a night spent at Mosquito Flats aids acclimatization we still recommend that you spend at least one night at moderate altitude (higher than 8,000') just prior to the trip. Spending a night in Mammoth or camped at the trailhead campground in Rock Creek Canyon would do the trick. You could also stay at Rock Creek Lodge. Please refer to our Planning for Success info sheet for more info.
