Stop ignoring the switchback count on steep climbs

I keep seeing people post routes that cut straight up a 40 degree slope instead of taking the marked switchbacks. Last Saturday on the Mount Whitney trail, I passed three groups who were sliding on loose gravel and kicking rocks down on hikers below. Meanwhile, I took the 22 switchback section and got to the summit just 10 minutes slower but with way less risk. Why do so many people think stomping a straight line up is faster when it just tears up the trail and your calves?

2 comments

2 Comments

evan_dixon671mo ago

Wait, 40 degrees? Are we talking about actual slope angle here, because that's basically a cliff face. I've been hiking for over 20 years and I've never seen a group try to cut straight up at that angle, that's just asking for trouble. I remember once on a trail in the Sierras, I watched a guy try a shortcut on a steep section and he ended up sliding 30 feet into a patch of poison oak, took him an hour to climb back out. Those switchbacks are there for a reason, and if you're only losing 10 minutes, that's a no brainer. It's crazy to me that people think they're saving time when they're just endangering themselves and everybody below them.

margaretw411mo ago

Did that guy really slide 30 feet into poison oak? Sounds awful. I saw someone try to cut a switchback on the Devil's Slide trail once. They slipped and landed right in a pile of cactus. Took forever picking out needles.