Everest Ridge is a Utah Valley area classic alpine climb. This route is famous for the 1992 "Utahns on Everest" expedition who used the route to train for their climb of Mount Everest (news article).
This route can be climbed snow-free during dry summer months, however, this is a description for an alpine-like climb of the route during winter/early spring when snow is present.
Everest Ridge can be climbed car-to-car in one long push. The climb is most often done with an overnight stay in Big Baldy Pass as the climb is fairly steep and long. An overnight camp in the pass is a worthwhile outing in itself offering amazing views of Utah Valley and the Wasatch Range.
The climb starts as a hike on the well maintained Dry Canyon trail to the top of Big Baldy Pass. The final approach into Baldy Pass is often covered with deep soft snow requiring snowshoes. Terraces have been carved into the slopes south of the pass for erosion control and provide flat, sheltered camp locations.
From the pass climb through a stand of quaking aspen to gain the bottom of Everest Ridge. Here the slope steepens enough to make snow shoes impractical (stash snowshoes as you leave the aspens and get out crampons/ice axe). In ideal conditions the snow on the ridge is sunbaked and wind-swept making for good styrofoam cramponing snow.
Ascending Everest Ridge starts by following a steep slope between two short cliff bands. This beginning slope can and does avalanche. Climb next to (or over) one of the cliff bands to avoid unnecessary exposure and gain the ridge proper. Some route-finding is necessary on the ridge as snow conditions change. Be prepared to cross some exposed rock.
A rock band near the top of the ridge may be climbed under some conditions, but is usually bypassed by traversing right on steep exposed slopes.
Avalanche Caution: Climbing the ridge does provide some protection from avalanche exposure, but there are exposed slopes where great care should be taken. Acceptable alpine conditions “can” be found from mid-January into early March. Avoid Everest Ridge during high avalanche conditions.
Route Info: Dry Canyon: 5,450 ft (1,661 m), GPS: N40.34226 W111.67673 Baldy Saddle: 8,300 ft (2,530 m), GPS: N40.37159 W111.65527 Everest Ridge Summit: 11,650 ft (3,551 m), GPS: N40.38632 W111.64431 Timpanogos Summit: 11,750 ft (3,581 m), GPS: N40.39118 W111.64600
Dry Canyon to Baldy Pass: 2.70 miles, 2,850' elevation gain Baldy Pass to top of Everest Ridge: 1.28 miles, 3,350' elevation gain ER Summit to Timp Summit: 0.37 miles, 100' elevation gain (also some elevation loss)
One-way Distance: 4.35 miles (7 km) Total Elevation gain: 6,300 ft (1,920 m)
More photos and information can be found on SummitPost.org
Location
The climb begins as a hike up Dry Canyon. Get to Dry Canyon trail head by driving east to the top of Orem's 2000 North or Lindon's 200 South (one and the same) and turn left on Dry Canyon Drive (just before the road bends south). This street becomes a narrow paved road and ends at a paved parking lot at the mouth of Dry Canyon. Park here. Follow the trail between the cliffs.
This looks cool and very long. What about descent options considering avy dangers? Looks like something you could have a lot more fun descending on skis...
Craig, yeah there's probably nothing "official" about the name Everest Ridge or Big Baldy Ridge. Everest Ridge is just what locals have called it for many years. Thanks for your comment though.
Tenesmus, the steep faces of Timp are sometimes skied/boarded but not by me. =) The conditions have to be just right. I think the ridge offers the best protection from avalanches. I was on Everest Ridge once when the cloud ceiling dropped and we were hit by a powerful snow storm. With poor visibility, we headed down the ridge to find we were NOT on the ridge we had climbed up. My old yellow GPS (no maps) indicated we were too far north. The white-out was disorienting and the GPS directions didn't make sense. With the storm intensifying and cliff bands below us, we elected not to retrace our steps back up, but to traverse south across the face to try to find Everest Ridge again. The more fresh snow that fell the greater the avalanche danger on the exposed slopes, but the near white-out made it easier to cross the steep slopes without being able to see the huge exposure below. After quickly crossing three ridges and still not reaching Everest Ridge itself we found a way to descend around the cliff bands and glissade back down to better visibility. One more ridge and we would have finally gotten back onto Everest Ridge. Amazing. High on the ridge we somehow had gone down one of off-shoot ridges to the north (see topo photo). Glad we trusted the GPS as we followed it right to camp. Funny thing was, back in the valley the sun was out and it was almost spring-like.
The Utahns on Everest team didn't do the FA of this climb. My dad did this climb in the late 60s or early 70s with some BYU alpine club, so it was definitely climbed even before then.
Reading that account again, it doesn't say for certain, but it is likely that their "first winter ascent" of Timp was via this ridge.
From LeGrand Hardy's 1954 obituary: "Always interested in the out-of-doors and any challenge that it presented, he was a member of the small party that was the first to climb Mt. Moran of the Teton range in Wyoming." (Perhaps he was a member of this party in 1941.)
Yeah, I agree it doesn't say for certain. Probably safe to assume this was the route.
Thanks for the info, looks like a good time and I will have to give it another try soon. I backed off due to avalanche conditions a few years ago. I have always wanted to go back but I am only interested in using it as access for a ski descent so conditions have to be perfect.
Good to see this route in here -- the best way to summit Timp IMO. The elevation changes are a bit exaggerated here, though: it's more like 6400 vertical ft from Dry Canyon..
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