Climb Mount Russell’s East Ridge with a Guide

I love guiding the East Ridge of Mount Russell. First climbed by the legendary Norman Clyde, this route is a perfect example of a stout so-called “3rd class” ridge climb. It is mega-classic, but also presents mega-hard routefinding challenges. You’d think it would be easy to simply follow a ridge and keep things at 3rd class, as promised by numerous guidebooks. Alas, many (if not most) climbers venturing onto this ridge end up turning around (wisely, I’d say) when they fail to find a 3rd-class passage to the western summit, if the not first-encountered eastern summit. I’d argue that there actually isn’t a 3rd class passage that gains you the summit of Mount Russell via the East Ridge. It almost goes at 3rd class, but after at least a dozen ascents of this ridge myself, I’ve not found a way that meets my personal definition of 3rd class (can I climb it one-handed with a cup of hot coffee in the other hand?). So, to keep things safe, there are at least a few sections where I pitch things out rather than moving together with my client(s) as I would on most other 3rd-class climbs. This is especially true in early season, where the East Ridge can truly be an alpine climbing endeavor with snow obscuring or blocking the easiest passage, necessitating careful trailbreaking, avalanche-hazard assessment, and myriad other alpine climbing skills not needed with typical summer conditions. All that said, for folks preparing for grand alpine objectives in the greater ranges, climbing Russell’s East Ridge in winter conditions can be ideal preparation.

I’ve guided this route more times than I’ve been able to keep track of, and it never gets old for me. Want to give it a go? Reach out!