What are the hardest non technical climbs...

[ADK4Life]

Huntington is clearly class 3. I would say it falls into hard class 3 if it was not for the trail being perfectly blazed. As for class 4 there is very little out east that is actually established. Most of the class 3 I ran into out west was super steep scree fields, its very rare to get class 3 slabs as they usually fall into class 4 in the Sierra/Rockies. All of the ledges and slabs I was on were class 4 probably needing a rope for peace of mind with the extended climbing involved, helmet was mandatory.

You will probably need to blaze your own trails to get the class 4 experience you may be looking for out east. I have been eyeballing a cute in Huntington for the last 2 years and would be happy to find someone willing to ascend with me.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Have they finally listened to some of us and improved the blazing at Huntington? When I did it a year ago the blazing was so poor as to cause me to have adventures in dead ends - or at least ends I didn't want to pursue. I'd be interested in what you mean by the trail being "perfectly blazed." To me, that's a gross overstatement.

 

[ADK4Life]

In my opinion the trail is very well blazed, I have been up at least once every year for the past 3 years. Considering this is a class 3 climb the trail could not be better laid out. Some may disagree but I have never been off trail on that hike.

 

[giggy]

done huntington a couple times and never had route finding issues. in -fact recall the blazes damn good. But - this was 2000 -2002 - not sure about now

 

[ADK4Life]

I recall a spot about 50 feet below the exit that was a bit odd. There was a blaze pretty much in a crack and the direction to the actual trail looked like you were going off trail.

 

[wayward son]

Lawn sale is right. The ledge does slope a bit. It's also extremely slick when wet. Believe me, I'm very glad those hand rails are there. Call me a big baby, but if I meet someone coming down, they and not me, will be on the open side.

 

[hikerbrian]

Cool thread

These give me some ideas for when I'm back in NE again...

For what it's worth, if anyone is travelling out West (Sierras or N. Cascades), I think you're going to find that class II and III out West is different from how it has been defined on this thread so far. Most importantly, 99.9% of the summit climbs in the White Mountains are certainly class I, as you would see on summitpost.org. I think another good indicator is, if your dog can climb up it, it is class I. You would be very hard pressed to find a class III in the whites. Certainly, none of the trails described in the White Mountain Guide are class III, and a very few would be considered VERY EASY class II. Let me see if I can dig up some pictures...

Ok, so the first is described as a class II pass, the second is class II+ in one book, and class III in another, and the last is class IV. I hope these are helpful. I'm not looking to split hairs with anyone, just trying to provide some perspective for those that plan to travel.

B

 

[hikerbrian]

The class IV is Sahale Peak in N. Cascades (photo by C. H.). The other two are Matterhorn Pass in Sierra Nevadas.

 

[sierra]

If I may chime in. Ive done alot of big peaks out west, Flume slide is class 2 at best,imo, Hunningtons is easy class 3, anything else in the Whites is class 2.

 

[prino]

Was this the one?...

 

[DougPaul]

Was this the one?

Precipice Tr is easy. (Class II or so.) Just exposed.

Doug

 

[WalksWithBlackflies]

The nub on the Great Slide on East Dix (Grace) in the Adirondacks (not the area of slide with regular foot traffic), Class III:

 

[anita514]

huntington is easy class 3 and only for a bit.
I haven't done the flume slide trail, but a few friends recently descended it while doing the franconia ridge and they didn't say it was hard at all. I guess I will have to see for myself eventually.

 

[ADK4Life]

Judging by the safety set on the rocks the Precipice trail appears to fall outside of a specific class as there is no real risk factor involved.

 

[jfb]

My dog completed Huntington's, but I had to help her on one short section, so that must make it a Class 1, A-0.

 

[Klutz]

I would say that the hardest climbs/hikes in maine are
-the knife edge on katahdin.
-the cathedral trail up katahdin is pretty difficult as well, very steep.
-the abol slide on katahdin is not scary in any places but it does rise a good 2,000 feet up the slide in about a mile, it'll hurt your lungs more than your mind.
-the precipice trail in acadia is only about a mile to the top, but it is all iron rungs, skirting cliffs, climbing over big rocks. I have done this trail several times and the knife edge several times, and i would say that the knife edge is a little more vertigo inducing but not by a lot. I have a few shots of the precipice in my pics, if you want to take a look.

I have to agree with King tut also, although I can't say too much about the Knife edge on Katahdin, since I refuse to do it. Now I can say I'm been up the Cathedral Trail and will never do that again! Haven't been up the Abol, or the Pecipice so I can't say anything about either of those. Been up the Beehive trial in Acadia, twice, and I thought the second time I'd get over the height thing or really the edge with the height thing, but still have a bit of a hard time with that. A few sections on the Hamlin Ridge are a bit challenging for the edge/height fear.

 

[Klutz]

Was this the one?...

OMG, I can definately say I haven't been there and will never be....

 

[Mad Townie]

Judging by the safety set on the rocks the Precipice trail appears to fall outside of a specific class as there is no real risk factor involved.

Of course there is also some Class 5 climbing at the Precipice, not including anything with rungs.

 

[blacknblue]

These give me some ideas for when I'm back in NE again...

For what it's worth, if anyone is travelling out West (Sierras or N. Cascades), I think you're going to find that class II and III out West is different from how it has been defined on this thread so far. Most importantly, 99.9% of the summit climbs in the White Mountains are certainly class I, as you would see on summitpost.org. I think another good indicator is, if your dog can climb up it, it is class I. You would be very hard pressed to find a class III in the whites. Certainly, none of the trails described in the White Mountain Guide are class III, and a very few would be considered VERY EASY class II. Let me see if I can dig up some pictures...

Ok, so the first is described as a class II pass, the second is class II+ in one book, and class III in another, and the last is class IV. I hope these are helpful. I'm not looking to split hairs with anyone, just trying to provide some perspective for those that plan to travel.

B

Then again, I hike/climb extensively in Colorado, and there are some class 4 routes that are not nearly as difficult as the class 4 pictured in your post. In many respects, rating trail difficulty is much like ski areas handing out greens, blues, and blacks--there is often internal consistency, but you really can't compare different areas. Whether it's AMC in the northeast or Gerry Roach in Colorado, there are always debates and inconsistencies around trail ratings. BUT, if you understand a "Gerry Roach class 4" or an "AMC class 4," then you can make your estimations from there.

 

[wayward son]

Hey prino! That's it baby! The first time it's a bit scary, after that it's just FUN!