Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Mt Russell

I was wondering about the East ridge approach to Mt russell from Mt Carillon. In terms of difficulty, how does this approach compare to the mountaineers route up whitney? i have a permit for june 20-21, but depending on the weather and how much ice and snow is hanging on I thought the Carillon-Russell saddle looks easily reached from UBSL, and maybe (though probably not) that a mt russell summit could be a less risky alternative. Though even if it isn't, it sure looks good as future climb when I've gotten a little more Class 3 experience. Very striking ridgeline.

Hi rruby,

I climbed Mt Russell via East Ridge last September and it was very icy and had tons of snow. It is considered class 3 so expect to use your hands (mind you, the rocks are really, really cold and some still have ice on it). There were parts where I was walking over sheer ice and it's a little scary because the ascent is really exposed. My mate and I brought along a rope, couple cams, and harnesses to get us through the more dangerous parts. The exposure is another factor in climbing Russell. But you get used to it after the first hour. The initial scrambling is intense, but it doesn't last very long. I found Russell (way) easier than Whitney's MR as it is more non technical climbing. But I also found Russell more dangerous, too.

Hope this helps, if you have any questions just send me a message.

And oh, we started from UBSL. It was awesome.

Thanks Margaret,

Even if I decide to go through with the MR route, the response to Mt Russell makes it sound like it's definitely a place I want to go in the future. I submitted the same question on SummitPost and got numerous responses similar to yours. Class 3, serious exposure at a couple of spots, but one of the best class 3 climbs in the sierra. In a word "awesome". A few mentioned that you can walk along the North side of the ridge to avoid walking on the arete itself, where there might be ice depending on the conditions.

We (group of 5) are also planning to summit Russell this weekend of June 21, leaving early Sunday morning (3am or so) subject to weather with a Summit attempt late morning/early afternoon via the East Ridge from Upper Boy Scout Lake. any additional Beta woudl be appreciated, ice coverage, etc.

Good luck guys! Wonder if the original summit register is still there. A fabric bound hardback blank page type book signed by
Norman Clyde is 19-- ?

To avoid climbing around in the clouds it'd be perfect to make it to the saddle at dawn. But how do you get 5 climbers, well rested
and fed, and properly equipped hiking at 1am from UBL ? It'll
take a miracle!

Hi lacrosse,

I'm assuming the snapshot is looking from the approach to the east summit with the west summit in the background. From other responses on SummitPost a few people said if you want to avoid walking right on the knife-edge to walk a little below the ridge on the north side. But I don't see that that's possible from looking at your picture. Great shot by the way. Is that recent?

lacrosse - Thanks for the great pic and beta. Clarification, we are leaving the Portal Trailhead at 2am Sunday morning or so, hoping for a up and back in same day (Sunday) but prepared for overnight if needed.