The North Ridge of Mt. Tom is THE classic non-technical ridge of the Eastern Sierra. Mt. Tom dominates the Bishop skyline and the north ridge is the obvious, esthetic line that winds it way down right of the summit as viewed from Bishop. This is a rite of passage for any mountain athlete that calls Bishop their home, and it's no easy pickens. Numerous parties have turned back early, ran out of water, or been rescued while trying to complete this route, and it should not be taken lightly; the base of the route can easily be in the 90s fahrenheit during the peak of summer, and the summit can be freezing winds.
The route is simple, either start from the dirt road above Rovana on the east side of the ridge (rougher road, easy hiking), or from the west side on Pine creek road (easier drive, hard to cross the river), then gain the ridge and ascend the 8000 ft to the summit, passing through sage brush, then beautiful pines, and finally the alpine of the High Sierra. Take in the view, then enjoy blasting the down, especially the excellent sand skiing down low. From then on, you'll be able to view Tom from the Grocery Outlet parking lot and remember your time climbing this awesome peak!
