Download Agreement, Release, and Acknowledgement of Risk:
You (the person requesting this file download) fully understand mountain climbing ("Activity") involves risks and dangers of serious bodily injury, including permanent disability, paralysis, and death ("Risks") and you fully accept and assume all such risks and all responsibility for losses, costs, and damages you incur as a result of your participation in this Activity.
You acknowledge that information in the file you have chosen to download may not be accurate and may contain errors. You agree to assume all risks when using this information and agree to release and discharge 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and the author(s) of such information (collectively, the "Released Parties").
You hereby discharge the Released Parties from all damages, actions, claims and liabilities of any nature, specifically including, but not limited to, damages, actions, claims and liabilities arising from or related to the negligence of the Released Parties. You further agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and each of the other Released Parties from and against any loss, damage, liability and expense, including costs and attorney fees, incurred by 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. or any of the other Released Parties as a result of you using information provided on the 14ers.com or 14ers Inc. websites.
You have read this agreement, fully understand its terms and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect.
By clicking "OK" you agree to these terms. If you DO NOT agree, click "Cancel"...
I decided to give the Northwest Ridge a shot today -- it looked like a fun winter climb! I got started around 5:30 am with my skins on my skis. There was still a faint trail from December that helped me find my way over the two log bridges.
I was going solo, so I wanted to avoid all avalanche danger. I headed to the ridge as soon as possible, and found some really rough route finding. There were a ton of downed trees that made picking a skin path very difficult. The lower part of the ridge (in the trees in Bill's pics) is actually a lot steeper than I thought. Finally, many hours later than planned, I popped out of the trees at the rock formation leading to the upper ridge.
(My skin track definitely gets the job done, but beware that there are several log crossings. Yuck! Sorry I couldn't find a more efficient route through the trees on the lower ridge.)
At this point, the climber is afforded a good view of the route ahead. I didn't see much snow covering, so I ditched my skis at treeline.
The crux of the climbing on the route is surmounting the rocks to gain the upper ridge.
I headed up towards the right side (slightly steeper than 30 degrees), and found rotten snow mixed in with small rocks. A thin layer of ice required crampons for purchase. I didn't need my ice axe, but others might want one there.
Once I gained the upper ridge, it was also slow going. I was exhausted from breaking trail on the lower ridge, and I post-holed in some places along the upper ridge. (I don't regret leaving the skis behind, though.) I stuck to the ridge as closely as possible, and found it to be overall in great shape! Several hours of climbing along the ridge and the summit was at hand.
This was definitely my toughest winter Colorado 14er climb so far (Bierstadt, Quandary, El Diente, Shavano, Tabeguache). Overall, it took me 8 hours to reach the summit! Granted, I'm not in great shape, but I'm not in bad shape, either. The downclimb was straight-forward, and I followed my skin tracks back out to make sure I found the log bridges.
Overall car-to-car time: 11.5 hours. I usually beat Dawson's time estimates fairly handily (finishing in 50-75% of his times), but I just barely beat his estimate of 12 hours.
A final note -- the standard route actually looks fairly windblown. It might be in shape. It would be much easier than tackling the forest of the lower ridge, but dig a pit first.
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
Comments or Questions
Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.
Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.
