Mt. Baldy Road to the Ski Lifts!
I had an afternoon to sneak in a ride and Mt. Baldy is on my
bucket list. This giant features in the
Tour of California and ranks as the 4th hardest climb in the western
US.
As I stood on the edge of the Pomona campus gearing up, thoughts
of “how hard can this be?” started to creep in.
Starting in a manicured residential neighborhood, it’s hard to believe
that a huge climb lies just up the road.
All the write-ups talk about how hard this climb is. Many compare it to Alpe d’Huez. First, a few stats (Alpe d’Huez in parens):
· Total Ride: 12.6 miles at 8.8% with 4,700
feet of elevation gain (ADH=8.2 miles, 3,500 feet of ascent)
· 2 separate 2 mile long sections at greater
than 9% grade
· Multiple 15% ramps
· 8.1% average grade for the 7.2 mile long
section above the tunnels
· 8.8% average grade for the final 4 miles
above the village (almost 1900 feet in elevation gain)
· 9.2% average grade for the 2 mile Hogsback
section (last tunnel to just before Mt. Baldy Village)
· 10.0% average grade for the 1.9 mile section
from Icehouse Canyon through the switchbacks to Manker Flats (1000 feet in
<2 miles="miles" o:p="o:p">
· 15% average grade for the final .5 mile
section to the ski lifts (230 feet elevation gain)
Here's the summary with special thanks to the ToughAscent blog for pics and commentary.
I started the ride from the intersection of
Mt. Baldy Rd and Mills Ave (the most common starting point). After
turning onto Mt. Baldy Rd, the first part of the climb is easy as you pass
through the last of Claremont’s residential neighborhoods:
Some of the peaks you see as you go up hit
10,000 feet in elevation. This section
is 9% forever:
You soon hit the first of two tunnels. Getting
through these without getting hit by a car is a trick. Goes from very bright to very dark. A few feet inside the tunnel a bike is
invisible to cars:
And the second, shorter tunnel:
The 2 miles following the tunnels is brutal.
Averaging 9.2%, these 2 grueling miles known as the Hogsback made me wish for
more than the 25 cogs I have. The next 7.2 mile stretch from here to the ski
lifts averages 8.1%. So, no relief for the next one hour plus. Knowing this DID NOT help the motivation.
Looking back down Hogsback from the top of
this section:
The lead-in to the village of Mt. Baldy – when
the grade eases to 7%, it almost feels flat here!
Buckhorn Lodge on the outskirts of the village
– immediately the grade goes back to 9%-10% and the suffering begins in earnest
again:
These last 4 miles to the ski lifts will give
you almost 1900 feet in elevation gain – an average of 8.8%! 8.8% for 4 miles.
Seriously. This is the part that really tests you. The fact that you have
already climbed a few thousand feet and you are getting to elevations where
there is less oxygen makes it all that much harder.
Still, 88 degrees up here in November beats
the heck out of riding the flats back home in 40 degree weather.
This is where the real punishment starts. The
next 1.9 miles average about 10.0% grade (ouch!). Yes, 1,000 feet in elevation
gain in less than 2 miles. This is the crazy switchback section of the climb.
There are 8 distinct, tight and steep switchbacks in this section. The corners
are 18% grade!
One of those tight switchbacks:
One of the insane switchbacks:
At this point, I’m beginning to wonder what I
was thinking in Pomona. This climb is
WAY harder than Alpe d’Huez.
Looking down from the switchback:
A look down the valley:
OK, here’s where it gets to 15%
sustained. At this point the choice is
to either fall over (I’m going so slow) or do the “newspaper boy” and tack back
and forth. This was the SLOWEST ½ mile I’ve
ever done on two wheels. Brutal.
The last little bit of riding is through the
multiple levels of parking for the ski area. This section climbs gently and
gives you a last few dozen feet of gain to the chair lifts.
And, finally, the top of the climb – looking
up the lift:
6500 feet in elevation!
After taking a rest at the top, with a very
cold can of Coke, it was time to descend and the descent from the ski lifts to the village
is pretty technical. The road surface is not great, the grade is very steep and
the curves are tight. Sections of it are definitely fun, but speed builds extremely
quickly and some of that speed had to be quickly scrubbed for the switchbacks.
Rock debris from some of the crumbling hillsides kept things interesting.
Once you hit the village, the technical
section of the descent is done and the rest of the ride is a blast – a very
fast descent. Hogsback section that was such a pain to climb? Easy 40+ mph on
the descent (with the possibility of hitting 50mph if you pedal). The curves
are gentle too, allowing you to sweep through them at that same 40+ mph.
Glad I did this? Yes.
Do it again? Yes. Glad it’s over? Yes.
Double-Double with a Strawberry shake at In-N-Out? You better believe it!
