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I propose the name Port Side for this route. Goes from the top of Ships Prow Buttress to Ships Prow Tower and from there a short walk into the saddle on The Loft route.
We did this climb awhile back, finally getting around to writing it up. Thought I would post it, someone may like to try it. It's a different way (with great views) to the top of Longs Peak or other summits accessible from the Saddle between Longs and Meeker. I did most of this route solo on 8-29-15 but stayed on the ridge between Port Side gully and Flying Dutchman couloir. Donald and I did the gully on 9-10-15.
We saw no foot traffic or rock cairns along this route to top of Ship Prow Towers. Placed a few small cairns in and around the gully.
Here's the details.
Hike up the Longs Peak trail then take the Chasm Lake trail and head for the meadows below Chasm Lake. There are great views of Ships Prow Buttress here. The first objective to reach is the top of the Ships Prow Buttress at around 12,200.
Leave the Chasm Lake trail just before the trail heads up a wall to enter the Chasm Lake basin. Go left around the bottom of Ships Prow Buttress just as you would for The Loft route. Ships Prow Buttress
As you head up the drainage look sharp to your right for the ascent ramp. Finding the ascent ramp is key to reaching the top of Ships Prow Buttress. The ascent ramp does not come into view till you're almost next to it. The bottom of this ramp has grass, upper part is filled with boulders. Ascent ramp
The first major boulders are the crux of ramp, the wall on left has nice edges for handholds and then you can traverse back right. Use a hand traverse with a crack lower down for feet, this gets you into center of ramp again. Upper part of ramp is much easier. (Ships Prow Buttress route in Lisa Foster Complete Hiking Guide, also decent 1 from Ships Prow in Richard Rossiter RMNP book).Lisa Foster rates ramp Class 3+, Rossiter rates ramp low Class 5. Once on top of Ships Prow Buttress might as well head out east to see the big air.
You could also access the top of Ships Prow Buttress from the west end of Chasm Lake up a steep boulder strewn slope. But it looks unpleasant. Start of Port Side Route
From the top of Ships Prow Buttress starts the Port Side route. Hike up the ridge heading for the towers above. We found more solid rock on or just right of the ridge. Hike up to the bottom of some boiler plate slabs. Traverse right staying under the boiler plate slabs that run all the way across the north side of the ridge. Some loose rock will be encountered on this traverse but not too bad, Class 2. Approching the boiler plate slabs Traverse to gully
As you approach a rib you can hike down and around into the first gully or you can go high and drop into the gully. We found the higher route better.
The first gully you come to is the route. My friend Donald proposed calling this gully The Galley (staying with the ship theme). The next gully to the west is more of a couloir, this is the Flying Dutchman route which may have some snow in it year around. Donald about to enter gully (The Galley) Vague start to gully
Climb up the first gully (The Galley). The lower part of gully is vague and wide but as you go higher the gully gets deeper and more committing. The left side of gully is easier to start. Higher up the gully move to the right where ramps can be found, short sections of Class 3 will be encountered. As you near the top of gully it will pinch down to only a few feet wide. Find ramps to right to avoid the middle
When right side steepens find a ledge leading back to the gully's center and reach the crux. The crux is only 15 feet or so. You can chimney up the middle or climb a little bulge to the left . This crux is Class 4 to low Class 5. Right side steepens find ledge back to middle Heading up the narrowing gully
Above the crux the gully opens up again and the climbing gets easier.
As you near the top and see the ridge crest. Move out of the gully to the right/west below a tower. Move around to the opposite (west) side of this ridge. This ridge makes up the right half of the gully you just ascended. Scramble up the west side of this ridge, Class 3. Abruptly you come out at Ships Prow Towers with great views of the Diamond and The Loft. You are at the Glacier Ridge Tower or you could say Ship Prow East Tower (lower of the two Towers). Above the crux move out right Moving out of gully and the diamond starts to appear
To summit the East Tower find a small saddle drop down to the southeast and follow easy terrain around to the south and summit tower from the east, Class 3.
Easiest way to the West Tower (higher Tower) is go back to the small saddle and then go around the north side of both towers. I like climbing the northwest ridge of the West Tower, Class 5.2(?) View of Ships Prow Tower from summit of Glacier Ridge Tower, saddle of Longs and Meeker in background Donald rappelling off northwest corner of Ships Prow Tower
From here it is a simple hike to The Loft.
Summit Longs Peak via the Loft Route/Clarks Arrow. Or you could go for Mt. Meeker.
I will not bore you with a description of The Loft route as I am sure there are plenty of trip reports. It was interesting to see the changes in The Loft route since the 2013 floods. I think it has made The Loft route a little looser.
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
I’ve seen this route for years as I’d slog up to the Loft, and have climbed Ships Prow Tower from the Loft. Good for you for going after the route! Looks pretty high quality, high adventure. Congrats!
No rope needed if ok climbing a few feet of 5.0 without. We only used rope to summit the higher Ships Prow Tower. Can easily hike around it. To down climb Ships Prow Tower is out of my comfort level without a rope. As for comfort level concerns the crux in Port Side gully felt no harder than the crux up the ascent ramp to top of Ships Prow Buttress. Think you will find it an enjoyable route.
I've wanted to explore the ledge that goes up to the Ship's Prow for a long time. I only had the afternoon (got to the trailhead at 2pm) and so didn't have the time to walk all the way to the Loft, but it was enough time to take the ledge, stand at the Ship's Prow, and then descend to Chasm Lake. The ledge is not too difficult, I'd say easy-4 or hard-3, however you want to count that. Quite enjoyable to see that it actually goes!
I took the slope down to the west end of Chasm Lake. That wasn't so much fun, many big rocks, some loose stuff, it just takes forever. Going around the north side of Chasm Lake isn't great either.
If your goal is to get to the Loft, and not to summit the spires on the ridge, I assume from your report that it can all be kept to class 4?
Yes you can easily bypass towers on their north sides to the Loft, class 2
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