North Backbone Trail

A short, very steep climb above Wrightwood in California. The hardest 500 metres average 31.6% and come almost at once, before your legs have settled. Expect 22 to 37 minutes. At 15.0 TEP it is harder than 89% of the climbs in the catalogue. It faces north: the shady side, where snow stays longest. Mostly on gravel and farm tracks. The nearest named summit, Pine Mountain at 2,942 m, is 528 m away.