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I've added a full trip report to Borah Peak, Idaho's state highpoint, on my blog - you can read it over at Mountainouswords.com. We climbed via the standard Chicken-Out Ridge route.
This is a really fun climb and worth a visit. Borah is a lot like a truncated version of Longs Peak—an arduous Class 1 approach followed by the all-business section leading to the summit. Most of the climb is fun, solid Class 3 / Class 2 but there are definitely two Class 4 sections. Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills (7th Edition, page 550) describes Class 4 as “Simple climbing, often with exposure. A rope is often used. A fall on Class-4 rock could be fatal. Typically, natural protection can be easily found.” The two crux moves along the ridge are fun and solid, though a fall would be very, very bad. They are both very short but will get your attention. I was curious what the rating would be in-person, given that there are reports that say it's all easy Class 3 with no exposure (which is wrong) and others say it's low Class 5 with a ton of exposure (also not quite accurate). Overall, the climb isn't that exposed but the two crux sections are legit.
Here are a few preview photos. Enjoy!
Working across the first crux.
Traversing the ridge itself.
Along the more mellow part of the upper ridge.A great look back at the second crux tower. It's the block at the end of the ridge before the saddle. There were three of us so we sampled three different lines - downclimbing the tower and exiting lower via Class 3 chutes. We all climbed the crux block on the way back.
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
Great write up, and I agree - not a class 3 route. Class 4, with arguably a Class 5 move (the climb down/up from the snow bridge - which was not snowy for you). Great climb, brings back memories - thanks for posting.
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