thebeave7 - Aug 14, 2006 4:35 am Date Climbed: Aug 5, 2006
North Face/SE Glacier
Climbed along with Banner as part of the Sierra Challenge(alt peak). Beautiful climb, the SE glacier is a bit of a maze.
eggheadsherpa - Aug 7, 2006 6:39 am Date Climbed: Aug 5, 2006
Route Climbed: North Face
Came from Agnew Meadows as part of Sierra Challenge. We came up from the saddle after summiting Banner and went up the right-hand chute. Very enjoyable climb on solid class 3 rock and descended down the SE face.
The view from the summit is one of the best I've ever seen.
Zzyzx - Jul 7, 2006 7:43 am Date Climbed: Jul 3, 2006
North Face
I climbed Banner and Ritter in a day from Agnew Meadows. Total time car-to-car was 13.5 hrs. From the saddle I went up the right chute on the North Face, then followed the class 3 arete to the summit. Descended SE glacier route and hiked back to the car. Beautiful area, I really enjoyed the hike.
ckerth - Jun 30, 2006 6:10 am Date Climbed: Jun 28, 2006
SE Glacier Route
Great snow conditions. We had a little rain on the way up but it cleared as we approached the summit. We were able to do almost the entire climb on snow.
lakenyon - May 14, 2006 10:38 pm Date Climbed: Jun 19, 2005
SE Glacier
Very enjoyable climb early in a heavy snow year. Ediza Lake was mostly frozen and surrounded by snow. Almost all travel was on snow, with essentially no rock scrambling.
Route Climbed: Southeast Glacier Date Climbed: September 2004
Great 3 day trip. First time on this mountain. Weather was perfect! Camped at Lake Ediza with Jay, Tommy and Keith. Had a great summit day. Excellent views in all directions.
Climbed with Andrew, Sudipta and Tau. Was nice and fun class 2/3 in the chute. Painful part of the whole climb was having to take-off/put-on the crampons a bunch of times.
Route Climbed: North Face Date Climbed: September 4, 2005
Day-climbed with Vendulka. My guidebook said it is 9 miles roundtrip. It is 9 miles one-way... which made for a 13 hour day. Good combination of snow and rock climbing. Descended Clyde Variation.
Route Climbed: North Face /RB saddle/Lake Ediza Date Climbed: Sep 04, 2005
It was a great climb alongwith Basu(balajisv), Andrew(sierramtngoat) and Ritesh (Tau). We started from Lake Ediza at 7.30 AM. The snow in the chute going up to the RB Saddle had softened a little since it was late in the day. From the saddle the snow patch leading to the bottom of the chutes was quite icy. We took the right-hand chute but then took the ramp across the North Face. My best trip in the Sierra Nevadas so far ! The descent was tight as the snow got a lot harder but we made it down to the tree-line as it got dark. I wish the future holds more trips to the Sierras for me - unfortunately its a long long way from North Carolina :(
Route Climbed: Southeast Glacier Date Climbed: September 4, 2005
After climbing Banner seven years ago while working at the nearby Red's Meadow Pack Station, I am happy to have finally conquered its superior twin. We started the trip off with the luxury of my mom and friend (our posse) carrying the heaviest of our load (the tent and jam-packed bear canister) by horseback to Lake Ediza. We made it to Ediza in about 3 hours and 45 minutes. We camped above the timberline on the Northwest edge of the lake where we were a little more protected from the wind and closer to Ritter.
We started the summit day at 7:00 AM. We headed up to the Lower Gully and planned to follow Alan Ritter's route description as closely as possible. We ended up doing things a little differently. We shot off of to the right of the Lower Gully just beyond the trees on the Tree Rock and over the ridge that Alan Ritter suggests you go behind. We found a non-challenging route through the grass ledges that led us over to the top of a very loose chute that spit us out onto a steep snow slope well below the snow bowl. Crampons made the slope an easy descent. From here we made a diagonal shot to the windridge, staying in crampons the entire time. We crossed over a 20 foot wide tongue of rock extending from the pinnacle--easily, but carefully crossed in crampons. From here we headed towards the three toed buttress and made our way up an easy Class 3 chute just to the right of the main chute (Owen's). From the top of the chute we crossed the relatively flat snow field and slowly made our way to the summit staying off and to the left of the upper snow field.
The descent was a bit more exciting. After debating, we picked what we thought might be the same chute we ascended. As we descended, we quickly noticed that the chute was much steeper, narrower, and more technical. Although the chute became more intimidating, we kept descending hoping not to have to climb back up it. When we got to the bottom we knew exactly where we were--the Dead End Chute. We had the option of strapping on our crampons and descending a steep finger of the glacier that reached up into the chute and was barely wide enough to stand on with a 15 foot drop on either side. After stepping onto it and slipping, we stepped back onto the rock, took the crampons off, and crossed over a thin, vertical rock wall and climbed back onto the glacial finger that extends up into Secor Chute.
From here, we made a smooth descent down the glacier and over to the SE Pinnacle. I did manage to do one face plant on the SE Glacier. We stayed low on the snow bowl after crossing the rock outcropping and made a diagonal approach to the rock ledges. We went straight for the trees on the Tree Rock and picked our way down the ledges well below our turn-off on the way up the summit. We made it back to camp just before 6:00 PM.
After two hours of rest, we put our headlamps on and headed off on what we thought would be our night journey back to Agnew Meadows. After a wrong turn and 30 minutes of wasted time, we caught back up with the trail that was to take us back around Ediza and onto the main trail. Shortly after getting on the trail, I shined my headlamp right into the eyes of a bear standing directly in our path about 50 to 70 feet ahead of us. The bear stood frozen for a few seconds, as did I, before advancing a few feet our way. We slowly backed up and decided to pull out our sleeping bags for a peaceful night under the stars. Fortunately, it was a warm and still night. We hit the trail at 6:00 the next morning and had a slow 3 hour and 45 minute trip back to the parking lot.
Ritter was a great peak, with routes for all levels of climbers. It helps to have an idea of how to get to the summit, but I don't think that any of the 4 to 6 parties who summited that day took the same route, and most of us came down a different route than we went up.
Route Climbed: Ediza / North Face (right chute + ramp) Date Climbed: Sep 4, 2005
Climbed with Balaji, Raj, and Tau under perfect weather. The snow was hard throughout the day requiring crampons for the ascent and descend; we found ourselves continually taking our crampons off/on because of the large gaps between snow patches. The right chute of the NF is class 2/3, however, the more difficult lines were solid so we stuck to those. The ramp that traverses the NF is worth checking out.
Route Climbed: North Face Date Climbed: August 26, 2005
On Jennie's team from below. Great climb from the Ritter/Banner saddle. Forged through the class 2/3 route. Plenty of loose rock. Had an interesting encounter with an Anti-American zealot who tried to pick a fight with a few in our team for wearing an American flag bandana. Beware this guy! Grabbed Banner later in the day.
Trip with six participants, lead by Ed C. and Doug M. Hiked in from cars, then up to the Ritter-Banner Saddle. Climbed Ritter, then two of us opted for Banner before returning to camp. Doug and Ed did Banner on Saturday before we all hiked out to the cars. Great climb.
Route Climbed: SE Glacier Date Climbed: Aug 19, 2005
Nice scrambling around the slabs and grassy benches at the base of the route, but the snow and talus above seemed pretty tedious. Perfect weather. Warm-up day in preparation for a long haul out to Milestone and Midway that same weekend.
Route Climbed: Clyde Variation Date Climbed: July 3, 2005
Attempted with Hakan and Ayla Yalcin over the three-day weekend. We found typically early May conditions: Ediza Lake's shores were 99% covered with snow, and the lake was mostly frozen. We followed Alan Ritter's route descriptions for the Southeast Glacier route, but at the top of the Lower Gully decided to take the Clyde variation since it was more direct. This was our mistake: as we made it to the top of the chute ready to traverse the Southeast Glacier, a very steep (about 60 degrees) snow ridge blocked our way. While attempting to cross it I took a 50 feet fall down a very steep chute filled with unconsolidated snow. Luckily I came to a stop after my feet (wearing crampons) collided with the rocks twice during the fall. We retreated the same way we came, where the extremely soft snow made for a sketchy descent.
thebeave7 - Aug 14, 2006 4:35 am Date Climbed: Aug 5, 2006
North Face/SE GlacierClimbed along with Banner as part of the Sierra Challenge(alt peak). Beautiful climb, the SE glacier is a bit of a maze.
eggheadsherpa - Aug 7, 2006 6:39 am Date Climbed: Aug 5, 2006
Route Climbed: North FaceCame from Agnew Meadows as part of Sierra Challenge. We came up from the saddle after summiting Banner and went up the right-hand chute. Very enjoyable climb on solid class 3 rock and descended down the SE face.
The view from the summit is one of the best I've ever seen.
Zzyzx - Jul 7, 2006 7:43 am Date Climbed: Jul 3, 2006
North FaceI climbed Banner and Ritter in a day from Agnew Meadows. Total time car-to-car was 13.5 hrs. From the saddle I went up the right chute on the North Face, then followed the class 3 arete to the summit. Descended SE glacier route and hiked back to the car. Beautiful area, I really enjoyed the hike.
ckerth - Jun 30, 2006 6:10 am Date Climbed: Jun 28, 2006
SE Glacier RouteGreat snow conditions. We had a little rain on the way up but it cleared as we approached the summit. We were able to do almost the entire climb on snow.
lakenyon - May 14, 2006 10:38 pm Date Climbed: Jun 19, 2005
SE GlacierVery enjoyable climb early in a heavy snow year. Ediza Lake was mostly frozen and surrounded by snow. Almost all travel was on snow, with essentially no rock scrambling.
peakbager - Jan 19, 2006 8:02 am
Route Climbed: South East Glacier Date Climbed: Aug 31 1998Out standing climb and it was a crystal clear day which made for some great views.
Dangers Pop - Nov 23, 2005 11:00 pm
Route Climbed: Southeast Glacier Date Climbed: September 2004Great 3 day trip. First time on this mountain. Weather was perfect! Camped at Lake Ediza with Jay, Tommy and Keith. Had a great summit day. Excellent views in all directions.
dshoshone - Nov 8, 2005 6:51 pm
Route Climbed: southeast glacier Date Climbed: 10/15/2003Fun day hike
balajisv - Sep 23, 2005 5:54 pm
Route Climbed: Ediza-RB saddle- NF chute Date Climbed: 4 Sep 2005Climbed with Andrew, Sudipta and Tau. Was nice and fun class 2/3 in the chute. Painful part of the whole climb was having to take-off/put-on the crampons a bunch of times.
RickF - Sep 19, 2005 7:25 pm
Route Climbed: Shadow Lake Trail then skirted the glacier Date Climbed: August 24, 2004A great peak with fantastic views in all directions.
tiogap - Sep 8, 2005 11:02 pm
Route Climbed: Ritter/Banner Saddle Date Climbed: August, 1979climbed the nw face
kovarpa - Sep 8, 2005 8:37 pm
Route Climbed: North Face Date Climbed: September 4, 2005Day-climbed with Vendulka. My guidebook said it is 9 miles roundtrip. It is 9 miles one-way... which made for a 13 hour day. Good combination of snow and rock climbing. Descended Clyde Variation.
raj96290 - Sep 7, 2005 3:39 pm
Route Climbed: North Face /RB saddle/Lake Ediza Date Climbed: Sep 04, 2005It was a great climb alongwith Basu(balajisv), Andrew(sierramtngoat) and Ritesh (Tau). We started from Lake Ediza at 7.30 AM. The snow in the chute going up to the RB Saddle had softened a little since it was late in the day. From the saddle the snow patch leading to the bottom of the chutes was quite icy. We took the right-hand chute but then took the ramp across the North Face. My best trip in the Sierra Nevadas so far ! The descent was tight as the snow got a lot harder but we made it down to the tree-line as it got dark. I wish the future holds more trips to the Sierras for me - unfortunately its a long long way from North Carolina :(
jenarrow - Sep 6, 2005 8:58 pm
Route Climbed: Southeast Glacier Date Climbed: September 4, 2005After climbing Banner seven years ago while working at the nearby Red's Meadow Pack Station, I am happy to have finally conquered its superior twin. We started the trip off with the luxury of my mom and friend (our posse) carrying the heaviest of our load (the tent and jam-packed bear canister) by horseback to Lake Ediza. We made it to Ediza in about 3 hours and 45 minutes. We camped above the timberline on the Northwest edge of the lake where we were a little more protected from the wind and closer to Ritter.
We started the summit day at 7:00 AM. We headed up to the Lower Gully and planned to follow Alan Ritter's route description as closely as possible. We ended up doing things a little differently. We shot off of to the right of the Lower Gully just beyond the trees on the Tree Rock and over the ridge that Alan Ritter suggests you go behind. We found a non-challenging route through the grass ledges that led us over to the top of a very loose chute that spit us out onto a steep snow slope well below the snow bowl. Crampons made the slope an easy descent. From here we made a diagonal shot to the windridge, staying in crampons the entire time. We crossed over a 20 foot wide tongue of rock extending from the pinnacle--easily, but carefully crossed in crampons. From here we headed towards the three toed buttress and made our way up an easy Class 3 chute just to the right of the main chute (Owen's). From the top of the chute we crossed the relatively flat snow field and slowly made our way to the summit staying off and to the left of the upper snow field.
The descent was a bit more exciting. After debating, we picked what we thought might be the same chute we ascended. As we descended, we quickly noticed that the chute was much steeper, narrower, and more technical. Although the chute became more intimidating, we kept descending hoping not to have to climb back up it. When we got to the bottom we knew exactly where we were--the Dead End Chute. We had the option of strapping on our crampons and descending a steep finger of the glacier that reached up into the chute and was barely wide enough to stand on with a 15 foot drop on either side. After stepping onto it and slipping, we stepped back onto the rock, took the crampons off, and crossed over a thin, vertical rock wall and climbed back onto the glacial finger that extends up into Secor Chute.
From here, we made a smooth descent down the glacier and over to the SE Pinnacle. I did manage to do one face plant on the SE Glacier. We stayed low on the snow bowl after crossing the rock outcropping and made a diagonal approach to the rock ledges. We went straight for the trees on the Tree Rock and picked our way down the ledges well below our turn-off on the way up the summit. We made it back to camp just before 6:00 PM.
After two hours of rest, we put our headlamps on and headed off on what we thought would be our night journey back to Agnew Meadows. After a wrong turn and 30 minutes of wasted time, we caught back up with the trail that was to take us back around Ediza and onto the main trail. Shortly after getting on the trail, I shined my headlamp right into the eyes of a bear standing directly in our path about 50 to 70 feet ahead of us. The bear stood frozen for a few seconds, as did I, before advancing a few feet our way. We slowly backed up and decided to pull out our sleeping bags for a peaceful night under the stars. Fortunately, it was a warm and still night. We hit the trail at 6:00 the next morning and had a slow 3 hour and 45 minute trip back to the parking lot.
Ritter was a great peak, with routes for all levels of climbers. It helps to have an idea of how to get to the summit, but I don't think that any of the 4 to 6 parties who summited that day took the same route, and most of us came down a different route than we went up.
sierramtngoat - Sep 6, 2005 3:54 pm
Route Climbed: Ediza / North Face (right chute + ramp) Date Climbed: Sep 4, 2005Climbed with Balaji, Raj, and Tau under perfect weather. The snow was hard throughout the day requiring crampons for the ascent and descend; we found ourselves continually taking our crampons off/on because of the large gaps between snow patches. The right chute of the NF is class 2/3, however, the more difficult lines were solid so we stuck to those. The ramp that traverses the NF is worth checking out.
Desert Solitaire - Sep 5, 2005 5:06 pm
Route Climbed: North Face Date Climbed: August 26, 2005On Jennie's team from below. Great climb from the Ritter/Banner saddle. Forged through the class 2/3 route. Plenty of loose rock. Had an interesting encounter with an Anti-American zealot who tried to pick a fight with a few in our team for wearing an American flag bandana. Beware this guy! Grabbed Banner later in the day.
uwjennie - Aug 29, 2005 1:55 am
Route Climbed: North Face Date Climbed: 8/26/05Trip with six participants, lead by Ed C. and Doug M. Hiked in from cars, then up to the Ritter-Banner Saddle. Climbed Ritter, then two of us opted for Banner before returning to camp. Doug and Ed did Banner on Saturday before we all hiked out to the cars. Great climb.
Matthew Holliman - Aug 22, 2005 8:16 pm
Route Climbed: SE Glacier Date Climbed: Aug 19, 2005Nice scrambling around the slabs and grassy benches at the base of the route, but the snow and talus above seemed pretty tedious. Perfect weather. Warm-up day in preparation for a long haul out to Milestone and Midway that same weekend.
gordonye - Jul 5, 2005 2:33 pm
Route Climbed: Clyde Variation Date Climbed: July 3, 2005Attempted with Hakan and Ayla Yalcin over the three-day weekend. We found typically early May conditions: Ediza Lake's shores were 99% covered with snow, and the lake was mostly frozen. We followed Alan Ritter's route descriptions for the Southeast Glacier route, but at the top of the Lower Gully decided to take the Clyde variation since it was more direct. This was our mistake: as we made it to the top of the chute ready to traverse the Southeast Glacier, a very steep (about 60 degrees) snow ridge blocked our way. While attempting to cross it I took a 50 feet fall down a very steep chute filled with unconsolidated snow. Luckily I came to a stop after my feet (wearing crampons) collided with the rocks twice during the fall. We retreated the same way we came, where the extremely soft snow made for a sketchy descent.
plume - Feb 13, 2005 2:57 am
Route Climbed: Route 3 Date Climbed: Aug. 1981Climbed with Dad and new-found stepmother, Barbara. Good climb.