The Anti-Gravity Junkies - Or, Our Favorite and Toughest Climbs

Dirt and paved both, let's have 'em!!

Found this in Bicycling.com, and didn't know it existed. https://www.strava.com/segments/9137662

3rd St in Laguna from Mermaid is comparable, but shorter - I've ridden that one.

Hwy 39 from the OHV area to Crystal Lake is a great cimb, too: Over 300 ft per mile for 14 miles.

 

GMR
Loch Leven

 

Mt Baldy Lodge to the Ski Lifts: 2,119 feet in 4.5 miles. Average 8.9%; last 400 yards is 15%.

 

I don’t hit it to often but really enjoy the climb up eagle rd.

 

These days, if a climb features greater than about 400' gain per mile, I am not interested. My Superman days are over. Back in the last decade however, I was all over whatever super steep ascent I could find.

A local climb I do still enjoy is up to the water tank on Beaudry North (Verdugo Mountain), non-stop (1180' gain in 2.3 miles). For some reason, I get into a rhythm on this climb and I clean it every time. Of course, I take a quick breather and then continue on the motorway sometimes all the way to the bottom of Stough Canyon and back, just for shitz and giggles.

 

"Favorite" climb - I get it!

Garbanzo lift at Whistler. Zephyr at Winter Park. River Run gondola at Keystone. Lift lines are BRUTAL when it's hot and crowded!

And Mathis. I LOVE Mathis to ToW!

 

Lets see: Hell Hill is the worst because they disk it soft, but we have some others. Rocky Peak motorway, Stagecoach-Burma Road to the Rocky Peak, Humingbird to Rocky Peak because it is a technical climb
Happy but buster climbs

 

Every climb on the Floop.

 

The two hardest I know of...

The climb out of Two Harbors on Catalina. It's over 700/mile, but the last couple hundred yards are the steepest, topping out over 30%. During the Gran Fondo, they keep a paramedic stationed at the top. I chatted with him the first year, and he said he had only seen a couple guys clean it all day. Even the pros pushed their bikes up it.

The other is Oso in Caspers... For those who have done the Rwanda 50, you can see the climb as you are descending from East Ridge. It goes off to the right, and runs parallel to the 74. It has 3 sections that are 30%. The first time I did it, I was one of 9 Strava entries for the year. It may get more traffic now... The Cold Springs descent off the end gets very little traffic, and comes out very close to the old hot springs.

Favorite climbs? Anything with a view... GMR to Baldy, especially in the winter. Maybe the initial climb out of Avalon on Catalina. Looking back down at the harbor is amazing. You forget that you get 1500 feet in 3 miles...

 

As much as I love to climb....I honestly don't really have a favorite climb.

There are many I enjoy for different reasons.....and many that I like as a series of climbs or route. Some are favorites because of the feet per mile difficulty. Some are favorites because they are technical and make you think the whole time. They may not be steep or long....but cleaning them is the biggest hurdle.

 

Loch Leven is one of my favorite rides. I love the varied surfaces, the views, the grade is perfect. Fun to blast back down, or if on a road bike, ride down Hwy 38. If really motivated, I'll add on the Post Office Loop which makes a great lollipop ride!

 

Can't say I have a favorite climb either. "Tough" is relative. If it is too steep I just hike a bike. So the harder ones for me are climbs that are pedallable but steep enough that you have to stop often to rest. Climbs I tend to enjoy are ones you can pedal without blowing up. Tech climbing is fun, more interesting and obviously harder but variety makes a climb more bearable than a long boring steady slog. Good views help on any climb, especially trails that climb high up above deep canyons. But mostly climbing is just a way to get to the rest of your ride, hopefully with a good payoff at the end.

San Juan and Holy Jim are pretty good climbs though they have fairly heavy traffic. Romero in Santa Barbara also comes to mind. A climb I was pleasantly surprised with was going up SART from Redlands to Morton Peak and Angelus Oaks. The trail was mostly climbable aside from some ruts, and got more interesting, remote feeling and better views the higher you went.

Trabuco is one of the harder climbs for me. Steep but mostly pedallable if you have the legs and can negotiate the loose rock, but long and relentless. Climbing Noble is another hard one.

Going up Mingus Mtn in the Coconino 250 is still one of the most brutal climbs I've done to date - end the day with a 4500ft climb starting on tough fire road ending with 2000ft of steep rocky HAB.

As for other climbs that are mostly hike a bike - a few other memorable ones were Cactus to Clounds, Mt Elbert, Barr Trail up Pikes Peak. And almost any climb in the BC Chilcotins. All were highly worth it for the scenery and ride down, though...

 

Fighting gravity on wheels can be fun on a few levels.

Nothing like a 4-hr climb to get one in a meditative zone. How about one of those every day for a month? Coming back to normalcy is not so easy...

Cub Creek trail, all 2-3 miles of it, is the hardest climb I've ever tried. Steep and rough will little reprieve requires tech chops, lungs and legs in portions I can only imagine. How ya gonna find out what you're made of if you don't get your ass completely handed to you every 50 yards? Colin said nobody he's taken there has gone back for a second helping. It's not in MTBproj and no bicycle signage at the TH.

 

I learned that Acorn is one of the hardest I've done. Probably ride the whole thing if I want trying to conserve energy for the next 45 miles. But beautiful.

 

What/where is that?

 

The start of the Wrightwood 50.

 

I agree that it is probably more rideable than we think....but we only ride it during the 50 miler and it’s at mile 1.5.

 

This was a thread once...

 

I'll add Beasore Rd from Bass Lake to Cold Springs Summit. 4,000 feet in 12 miles.

 

OK, here goes...

Coyote Flat Rd in Bishop. (mic drop)

 

Burkhart!

 

All the climbs are my favorite... I hate them all equally!

 

The climbs I hate the most..Willow..Mathis..the 3bs...bc I climb them the most.. except floop climbs...if that counts...

 

I actually don't mind Willow, Mathis, Cholla, STT, even Maple Springs, etc. I don't like them, but I'd rather do them and enjoy the accidental fitness and the downs than not do them. But that's the key - the climbing has to lead to some awesomely fun downs - even if only for a few minutes. I also like lift assisted riding - but I see that as a different sport.

 

Mosquito Pass between Leadville and Fairplay. Steep, loose, over 13k’. No way could I pedal it, I’m sure some have.

 

Yes actually I love all climbs bc it has to lead me to a downhill..
I hate getting shortchanged..
Example. Santiago oaks.. some start at the elementary school vs mabury or Irvine park..
The climb out of elem sch is wasted...but climb out of mabury or Irvine park leads to chutes downhill or Peralta. Hawk or grasshopper...
Rambling...

 

I've driven it. I would rather chew on ground glass than ride a bike up that loose shale.

 

Hey @Runs with Scissors, you don't get to Sh!t the bed with this uphill nonsense and skedaddle on us. We anxiously look forward to your return.

 

Used to enjoy "Poles" in El Moro, but haven't been there in awhile. Also, East Fork in Bommer, with a section that was surveyed at 38%, was a real challenge. Since my downhill abilities were/are suspect, ascending was the default niche.

 

I cleaned the East Fork climb in 2013 with a 6.3” enduro 26er. You can see the historic wagon wheel tracks in the limestone. I’m 1 for 2 on that segment. Still, the downhill on Fox Run, Rabbit Run, Cattle Crest, and even Ridge Route are more noteworthy.