Hike Class Rating - Breackneck Ridge and Others....

[Keep Walking]

Hi All...I've been lurking for a while and finally decided to write my first post. I started hiking in earnest this spring and I'm now in full prep mode for a 3 day presidential traverse using the huts. All of my hikes this year have been in the lower Hudson Valley. I'm planning to head up to the Catskills later this month, then up to the ADK's and VT and finally the presidential range.

In any case, I've been reading about hike classes and I'm wondering what exactly they mean in context. The most difficult hike I've done in terms of steepness is Breakneck Ridge. I think I read that the steep part is considered a class 3 hike. Is this true? And what exactly does this mean? What about the steep part of Bear Mountain? Also class 3 or is this class 2?

Finally, do hikes get steeper than Breakneck or if they get steeper are we moving into technical territory?

Thanks!

 

[una_dogger]

Welcome!

I think the steep section of Breakneck earns that rating because in areas one needs to use hands as well as feet to negotiate the terrain.

In terms of what you can expect -- yes, hikes can and do get steeper but in most cases scrambles such as Breakneck only make up small sections of the overall trail.

Generally speaking, when you start climbing higher peaks -- you can expect a sustained uphill climb that covers 3- 6 miles till you reach the summit. In the Adirondacks, approaches to some peaks may be upwards of seven miles It all depends on how far the peak is from a trailhead.

Reading Guide Books and learning to evaluate topography on maps helps determine what you can expect from a trail....IIRC Breakneck has a gain of about 700-800 feet or so -- whereas some trails in the Whites gain nearly 5000 feet in elevation -- over the course of several miles.

The Catskills are a great next step. Climbs of peaks like Sugarloaf are similar to Breakneck, with a longer approach of a few miles of gradual uphill before the final 1300'ft climb in less than one mile brings you to the summit. This type of hike is characteristic of the Catskills and The Adirondacks, longer gradually climbing approaches that end in an all out push to the top that may involve some scrambling or grabbing onto of roots, handholds, or climbing ladders.

The Whites differ in that the climbs tend to be long uphill hauls on more evenly graded trails.

But you can certainly find more challenging and less challenging approaches in the Northeast, guidebooks are great for helping decide which trail to take.

Happy Hiking!

Please share your hikes in trip reports, its always nice to read a fresh take on an old peak!

 

[Tom Rankin]

Hikes can be steeper than Breakneck, but they are rare. Certainly in small doses, there are a few places that are tricky, and may cause one to pause and proceed with great caution, up or down.

To me, class 3 means you might have to use your hands, but it will never get to the point where you need a helmet, or a rope, etc. (This is all non-winter hiking we are talking about).

The Catskills are a great place to hike! I will put in a plug for the Catskill 3500 Club. We schedule hikes to every 3500' peak, every quarter. Join us on the web, Facebook, or Yahoo.

The ADKs and the Whites are great too!

Welcome again!

 

[nartreb]

The "Classes" refer to the Yosemite Decimal System, which was designed for rock climbing. If you look it up, you'll find a lot of disagreement about what routes earn what grades, especially when it comes to anything below a 5.5 or so.

As a quick-and-dirty summary:

Class 1: you could hop, or ride a unicycle.
Class 2: A good dirt bike could do this trail, at least descending
Class 3: You need two legs and at least one hand. It's often said that the hand is "for balance"; you don't have to pull on it if you're resourceful with your foot placements.
Class 4: Both hands and both feet needed. Not quite vertical, but close enough that you probably don't want your mother watching. A favorite quote: "I don't know the difference between class 3 and class 4, but I know which routes my dog has climbed."
Class 5: Two hands plus two feet plus a rope.

One person's "rope required" is another person's "look ma, no hands", so the system is more about consensus and *relative* difficulty than it is about any strict criteria. For routes below about 5.5, most climbers simply don't care enough to reach consensus.

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

Welcome to the VFTT community!

I started hiking in earnest this spring and I'm now in full prep mode for a 3 day presidential traverse using the huts.

Let me suggest that you look at my Hut to Hut Presidential Traverse page for distances and elevation gains. There is little or no scrambling involved, though there is a lot of rock hopping.

 

[John H Swanson]

The "Classes" refer to the Yosemite Decimal System, which was designed for rock climbing. If you look it up, you'll find a lot of disagreement about what routes earn what grades, especially when it comes to anything below a 5.5 or so.

As a quick-and-dirty summary:

Class 1: you could hop, or ride a unicycle.
Class 2: A good dirt bike could do this trail, at least descending
Class 3: You need two legs and at least one hand. It's often said that the hand is "for balance"; you don't have to pull on it if you're resourceful with your foot placements.
Class 4: Both hands and both feet needed. Not quite vertical, but close enough that you probably don't want your mother watching. A favorite quote: "I don't know the difference between class 3 and class 4, but I know which routes my dog has climbed."
Class 5: Two hands plus two feet plus a rope.

One person's "rope required" is another person's "look ma, no hands", so the system is more about consensus and *relative* difficulty than it is about any strict criteria. For routes below about 5.5, most climbers simply don't care enough to reach consensus.

One thing to consider when trying to apply class ratings to the Breakneck "climb" is that the route up breakneck varies. The trail is much easier than a number of the popular variants that one might take if you don't stay on the proper marked trail. It is easy to find some difficult class 3 and class 4 routes if you choose to climb up a slab of rock instead of going on the marked trail that winds its way up the hill. So, the memory of the difficulty of the climb up Breakneck varies from person to person.

 

[Daniel Eagan]

On a personal note, I think if you are comfortable on the Breakneck Ridge trails, you shouldn't have any trouble with the major Presidential trails. In fact I thought Breakneck was great training for the Whites, apart from distance and stamina and all that stuff.

 

[TEO]

As a quick-and-dirty summary:

Class 1: you could hop, or ride a unicycle.
Class 2: A good dirt bike could do this trail, at least descending
Class 3: You need two legs and at least one hand. It's often said that the hand is "for balance"; you don't have to pull on it if you're resourceful with your foot placements.
Class 4: Both hands and both feet needed. Not quite vertical, but close enough that you probably don't want your mother watching. A favorite quote: "I don't know the difference between class 3 and class 4, but I know which routes my dog has climbed."
Class 5: Two hands plus two feet plus a rope.

While as you note, there is discrepancy between the five classes, the definitions found on Wikipedia are more in line with what I've heard and read:

Class 1: Walking with a low chance of injury.
Class 2: Simple scrambling, with the possibility of occasional use of the hands. Little potential danger is encountered.
Class 3: Scrambling with increased exposure. A rope can be carried but is usually not required. Falls are not always fatal.
Class 4: Simple climbing, with exposure. A rope is often used. Natural protection can be easily found. Falls may well be fatal.
Class 5: Technical free climbing involving rope, belaying, and other protection hardware for safety. Un-roped falls can result in severe injury or death.

So a hiking trail in the Northeast would be Class 1, with the more difficult ones getting into the Class 2 range; many Adirondack slides would like Class 3, with some going into the Class 4 range (aside from the actual Class 5 routes).

 

[bikehikeskifish]

There are some existing threads on this topic, more New England focused than New York, but you did mention a desire to visit the Presidential Range, so you may find them interesting:

Class-III-trails-in-NE
Differences-Btwn-Class-3-amp-Class-4-Hiking
Class-III-trails-in-NE
What-are-the-hardest-non-technical-climbs

Tim

 

[Keep Walking]

Welcome!

I think the steep section of Breakneck earns that rating because in areas one needs to use hands as well as feet to negotiate the terrain.

In terms of what you can expect -- yes, hikes can and do get steeper but in most cases scrambles such as Breakneck only make up small sections of the overall trail.

Generally speaking, when you start climbing higher peaks -- you can expect a sustained uphill climb that covers 3- 6 miles till you reach the summit. In the Adirondacks, approaches to some peaks may be upwards of seven miles It all depends on how far the peak is from a trailhead.

Reading Guide Books and learning to evaluate topography on maps helps determine what you can expect from a trail....IIRC Breakneck has a gain of about 700-800 feet or so -- whereas some trails in the Whites gain nearly 5000 feet in elevation -- over the course of several miles.

The Catskills are a great next step. Climbs of peaks like Sugarloaf are similar to Breakneck, with a longer approach of a few miles of gradual uphill before the final 1300'ft climb in less than one mile brings you to the summit. This type of hike is characteristic of the Catskills and The Adirondacks, longer gradually climbing approaches that end in an all out push to the top that may involve some scrambling or grabbing onto of roots, handholds, or climbing ladders.

The Whites differ in that the climbs tend to be long uphill hauls on more evenly graded trails.

But you can certainly find more challenging and less challenging approaches in the Northeast, guidebooks are great for helping decide which trail to take.

Happy Hiking!

Please share your hikes in trip reports, its always nice to read a fresh take on an old peak!

This is great info. Thanks! Planning to do my first overnight next week in the Catskills. I will post questions later to see what you guys think of my plan.

Hikes can be steeper than Breakneck, but they are rare. Certainly in small doses, there are a few places that are tricky, and may cause one to pause and proceed with great caution, up or down.

To me, class 3 means you might have to use your hands, but it will never get to the point where you need a helmet, or a rope, etc. (This is all non-winter hiking we are talking about).

The Catskills are a great place to hike! I will put in a plug for the Catskill 3500 Club. We schedule hikes to every 3500' peak, every quarter. Join us on the web, Facebook, or Yahoo.

The ADKs and the Whites are great too!

Welcome again!

Thanks for the warm welcome. I'm seriously considering joining the 3500 club!

Welcome to the VFTT community!



Let me suggest that you look at my Hut to Hut Presidential Traverse page for distances and elevation gains. There is little or no scrambling involved, though there is a lot of rock hopping.

Been there, done that! Your hut to hut traverse page was what inspired me to set this as my goal for this hiking season! Thanks!