Good climb for late October

jjduhamel · Post by **jjduhamel** » Mon Oct 10, 2016 5:34 pm

Hi,

This may get posted a lot. I searched around a while and couldn't find what I was looking for so I decided to create a new thread. If this is totally redundant just let me know...

Anyways... some friends and I planned a trip out to CO from 10/20-10/22. We've really wanted to climb Pyramid for a while, and being spoiled from the warm CA weather, we initially thought that weekend would work great (weather doesn't even start to become an issue for us until Thanksgiving). However, after some research, we learned that Pyramid is a whole different climb in October than say, mid-August.

Now, we're still potentially interested in trying Pyramid. We're all very comfortable doing big climbs like this. However, none of us have done a climb this big where snow, daylight, and weather were a real issue. So my question to you is... would we be totally reckless to attempt Pyramid at that time of year? If so, could anyone recommend a different 14er that would be better at that time of year? We looked into Castle, but it looks totally boring. We were looking forward to being in Aspen that weekend, but we could change our plans to go to pretty much any of the 14ers.

Thanks!

John

Scott P · Post by **Scott P** » Mon Oct 10, 2016 5:49 pm

So my question to you is... would we be totally reckless to attempt Pyramid at that time of year?

That depends. Do you know when to turn back? If you have no problems turning back when conditions warrant, then it wouldn't be too reckless. If you get in over your head and don't know when to turn back then it would be reckless.

Either way, I'd expect some icy and dicey conditions.

JChitwood · Post by **JChitwood** » Mon Oct 10, 2016 6:36 pm

Castle might not be as boring as you think.

ReverendRun71 · Post by **ReverendRun71** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 9:41 am

This time of year, Castle is more challenging than in summer as you may have to climb up and around some ice on the Standard route. Definitely a safer option than Pyramid, IMO. Castle is also quite beautiful this time of year. The added plus with castle are the many mining ruins.

AlexeyD · Post by **AlexeyD** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 9:47 am

Concur with the above.

Snow has definitely been sticking in the higher elevations of the Elks for the past few weeks - particularly on shaded/north facing aspects.

Also: you might already be aware of this, but the Aspen webcams are a great resource for getting a sense of up-to-date conditions on the high Elk peaks:

http://aspen.roundshot.com/highlands/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ajstack · Post by **ajstack** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 11:02 am

I did Lindsey with a couple guys from 14ers this past Saturday. Conditions were great on the Northwest Ridge. There was snow/ice on the easier North Face route. It was like a summer day. Beautiful hike. That may be an option.

Ptglhs · Post by **Ptglhs** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 3:24 pm

I would respectfully submit that hikes which might be boring in late August will probably be a lot more interesting with snow, ice, below freezing temperatures, and 30mph+ winds.

tobiasfunke · Post by **tobiasfunke** » Sat Oct 15, 2016 10:37 am

Daylight wouldn't be a problem on Pyramid. Depending on your experience and level of comfort in snow/ice it might not be a good idea, however.

Phill the Thrill · Post by **Phill the Thrill** » Sat Oct 15, 2016 2:50 pm

jjduhamel wrote:
Now, we're still potentially interested in trying Pyramid. We're all very comfortable doing big climbs like this. However, none of us have done a climb this big where snow, daylight, and weather were a real issue. So my question to you is... would we be totally reckless to attempt Pyramid at that time of year?

I don't know your climbing resume, but if you are not very experienced with climbing 14ers in snow/ice, don't start with Pyramid Peak. There are plenty of choices were you'd have just as much fun and gain some good experience. If you're coming from California, I would suggest the San Juans: Handies Peak, Sunshine/Redcloud, Uncompahgre are some good options.

jdorje · Post by **jdorje** » Sat Oct 15, 2016 3:10 pm

Anything in the Sangres is spectacular right now - summer conditions with plenty of daylight, great daytime temps, and no mosquitoes or monsoon. Best weather of the year (still).

pmeadco · Post by **pmeadco** » Sun Oct 16, 2016 7:24 pm

At risk of stating the obvious, it all depends on the current conditions. We did Pyramid exactly one year ago and had a great day, with no ice and practically no snow. With all the warm weather we have had lately you may find that it is fine when you go. I suggest watching conditions and have a plan B if it isn't looking good.

Good climb for late October

Good climb for late October

Re: Good climb for late October

Re: Good climb for late October

Re: Good climb for late October

Re: Good climb for late October

Re: Good climb for late October

Re: Good climb for late October

Re: Good climb for late October

Re: Good climb for late October

Re: Good climb for late October

Re: Good climb for late October

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