Route List By Difficulty

This list is totally subjective and (hopefully) evolving. You might disagree with the order, which is fine. What do Californians know about M-climbing anyway. If you think there's a major error please contact me!

Routes are sorted by overall difficulty, not just the hardest technical move (kinda like the French Alpine Grades or IFAS), and are fairly close in difficulty with their neighbors on the list. Here's a grade reference from Alpinist Magazine.

Ian McEleney on Justification. If you climb to the top of the chimney this is your exit onto the summit slabs. Photo by Kevin McGarity.

Crystal Crag - West Face (3rd) or South Ridge (low 5th). A "mini-alpine" winter day (though it could be long if you're a slow hiker/skier. In the winter park at the end of Main Street where Tamarack Cross Country ski area begins. Both of these routes are good for figuring out how to be in the backcountry in the winter but don't need to be very technical.

Mammoth Rock - Justification (low 5th). A short day close to the car and an intro to not-granite winter climbing. If there's no snow in the couloir the route is probably "out". A good climb for a stormy day.

Mammoth Rock - West Chimney (M3). Another short one on this sedimentary (chossy) crag. More technical than Justification but that depends on snow levels on the first pitch.

Crystal Crag - East Face Central (5.7). Several variations on this one.

Crystal Crag - North Face/Ridge (5.7). Similar to East Face Central, though maybe a touch more sustained. That and figuring out the ridge traverse to the actual summit might make it a bit harder than EFC in the winter.

Blue Crag - The McCramer (M2). In the Mammoth Lakes Basin. Both descents are in avy terrain, particularly the Crag Couloir to the north.

 

Getting ready to deal with the big chockstone on the Tower Of Pine. Photo by Kevin McGarity.

Central Tower of Pine - North Couloir (AI2 M3). The approach probably takes a similar amount of time but is steeper than Blue Crag. This could be a cool zone to camp out and do some skiing before or after climbing. You can see this one from the 395.

Mount Dade - North Face (low 5th). A mellow alpine romp. A big day in the winter, because the Rock Creek Road is usually gated at the East Fork Campground, which can add 4 miles to your approach. A snowmobile or bike (if the road is dry but gated, a possibility in a dry winter) could make this a bit shorter.

Mount Carl Heller - East Ridge (4th). This one is probably going to feel a lot more like low 5th in the winter. The approach has some of the only actual bushwhacking I've done in the Sierra. Probably a couple of nights out for most climbers in the winter. 

Blue Crag - Why Ya Sufferin'? (5.8). is fun with a mix of different types of climbing. This Preston Rhea FA kicked off the winter activity on Blue Crag. On-route snow conditions make a difference on this line.

Lone Pine Peak - Winter Route (5.7 AI2 M3). Long but mostly easy. Pay attention to the descent beta on the MP.com page. Also a trip report here.

JC taking spindrift to the face on a cold and windy day on Morrison. A still photo does not convey the amount of snow being blown around. Photo by Ian McEleney.

Mount Morrison - Caught Inside (M4). Check out the Morrison beta page here.

Lone Pine Peak - Bad Hombres (WI3 M4). Richard Shore and Myles Moser snatched up this thing right before it fell down at the end of the mega 2016 - 17 winter. AAJ report here.

Mount Morrison - Psychopomp (M4+).

Torre De Mierda - Jamaican Lager. First climbed by Ian McEleney and Jack Cramer in March 2021 as a plan B. Not long, but a lot of thoughtful climbing, 5 pitches. Gear to a #4, pins (including beaks) are useful. Scramble (3rd class) down to a gully on the backside and descend it.

Jamaican Lager route line.

Torre De Mierda - Artem's Ramp. First climbed by Jack Cramer and Ian McEleney in February of 2022. The hardest moves are easier than those on Jamaican Lager but the route is a bit longer and more sustained.

Wheeler Crest, The Black Obelisk - My Cup Runneth Over (WI4 M5). Put up in a flurry of activity in early 2022.

Topo by Richard Shore.

Wheeler Crest, The Rocketship - A rarity, Scottish Astronauts was put up by Richard Shore and Joel Kauffman in late January of 2019, a snowy winter. It looks really cool!

Wheeler Crest, The Rocketship - Polish Cosmonauts (WI4 M?). A variation and extension to Scottish Astronauts put up in January 2022, yet to be completely freed.

Jess Haist finishing the first pitch of Guilty As Charged. Photo by Ian McEleney.

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Laurel Mountain - Guilty As Charged (WI4 M2). You get great views of this one from the North Ridge of Morrison and the summit of the Torre De Mierda. The first pitch is one of the best pitches of ice in the state. First climbed during a dry winter, this line probably comes in every year. All four ascents (as of 2021) have been in January or February.

Pyramid Peak - Inconceivable (M5). A solo first ascent from Preston with a bit of an approach and short, punchy cruxes. Compared to Morrison and Blue Crag, pitons are less useful.

Lone Pine Peak - Winter Chimney (WI3 M5-6). Richard's MP.com page is a good source of beta on this great route. It's a fairly big day with actual ice to swing your tools into. In the past there was a webcam in Lone Pine that looked right up at the south face of the peak. This route has a lot of hiking and scrambling to approach the technical climbing and forcing it when this ground is dry could be less fun. 

Blue Crag - Mousetrap (M6 A1). This route is the focus of a 2019 AAJ report on Blue Crag. According to first ascensionist Jack Cramer, "Mouse Trap is substantially harder than Jamaican Lager. Looser, harder technical moves, more sustained. We camped out there, started in the dark, and still weren’t back to the base until night."

 

Troll Toll. Photo/topo by Jack Cramer.

 

Mount Morrison - Troll Toll (M5). First Ascent by Jack Cramer, Tad McCrea, Vitaliy Musiyenko in April of 2023. This one took a couple of attempts and a bunch of scouting to nail the conditions. Easier cruxes than Mousetrap but overall a lot harder because it's a lot longer.