Alright sounds good, I guess I just have to wait to see how the conditions turn out. I've read everywhere here that the final 400 is class 3 but other forums and videos describe it as a class 4. I know you've told me that ratings can be arbitrary, but is there some more difficult route that people are accidentally taking that makes it a class 4?
One of my pet peeves is the systematic inflating of ratings. The East Face of Mt. Whitney, the Swiss Arete on Mt. Sill, and the Southeast Buttress on Cathedral Peak were all 5.4. Now they are 5.7, and there are almost no routes left between 5.0 and 5.5 (except for Polemonium Peak from the U-Notch, which jumped from class 4 to 5.2). This is like clothing manufacturers marking what used to be a size 10 dress as size 6. Actually, it’s worse. Fooling women into thinking that they are thinner than they are won’t get anybody killed. Fooling climbers into thinking they can climb three grades above their actual abilities is dangerous.
Yes, ratings are somewhat arbitrary, but we shouldn’t change ratings unless there is a consensus that the original rating was wrong. Keep in mind that all ratings assume that subsequent climbers find the easiest way up the route. If you get lost, deliberately go looking for something spicier, or just don’t bother finding the absolutely easiest way up, you may climb something harder than the intended route. That doesn’t make the original rating wrong.
As for the Final 400, there are many ways to go. If the route is dry, most of the variations will be class 3. If there is a swath of firm snow all the way up the middle, you shouldn’t have much trouble. Things get interesting when the conditions are more mixed or include ice.
I’m going to close with two bits of unsolicited advice: First, I would just schedule your trip later, so the snow and ice won’t be an issue. The air is thin at 14,500’, and you will have to climb about 1,500’ of rock, though most of it will be pretty easy. You don’t need the extra complication of snow and ice.
Second, I’m guessing that you are young and fit, but not very experienced at mountaineering. If I guessed wrong, I intended no disrespect. I suggest that you spend a lot of time climbing and hiking, wherever and whenever you can. Practice route-finding. Look at small cliffs and boulder problems from a distance and imagine how you would climb them. Focus on finding routes and estimating difficulty before starting up. Then see how well your routes work. This kind of practice will help you find your way up the Final 400. I hope this helps.
