Maroon Peak

[jasonwillis1984]

I was thinking about trying to peak Maroon at the end of May. Has anyone done this?

[bckcntryskr]

Yes they have been climbed, skied and survived in May. Be careful.
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[jasonwillis1984]

Thanks for the input. What equipment will i need? i know ill need snowshoes, but what else?

[JohnWilliams]

I'm sorry, but if you dont know what you'll need for the Bells, then you havent done enough research. Hit the books, thats my advice

[Kevin Baker]

With all due respect, maybe you shouldn't be considering the Bells in spring if you need to ask what equipment to bring. IMHO, you should have some avy awareness training before tackling the Bells this early in the year. Easiest route may be the Bell Cord as the standard routes will involve crossing lots of gullies loaded with snow. Over 100 inches of snow in the area per NOAA!

[jasonwillis1984]

I am an avid rock climber and have summited peaks in colorado and i think that i have the equipment i would need. I would just like to know from people that have experienced this peak, and know what equipment you used.

[Rcizzle]

Maroon may be the most beautiful peak in the state, but climbing it is hell without snow. I can't imagine it with snow (Elks are slow to melt out). Read some trip reports. The Bell Chord is the best snow route, however, the are about 100 horror stories from people that climbed it. People get clocked by rocks in that gully. If my memory serves me correctly, a two people died in it last year (different times of the year). It's definitely doable, don't get me wrong. Expect a 20+ hour day in less than ideal conditions even on a good day. I know guys that started around 1 am in the morning, still took them all day. Remember, there is no such thing as an easy rescue on these mountains. You'll need crampons and a ice axe or two. This peak is not a walk in the park, it's incredibly huge!

[sgladbach]

I was thinking about trying to peak Maroon at the end of May.

Jason,

If you are a bit taken aback by the responses so far (i.e. "If you don’t know what you'll need for the Bells, then you haven’t done enough research. Hit the books."), maybe I can help explain.

There is a particular portion of the Colorado climbing community who spend an inordinate amount of time ridiculing the people who use this site. They have a great deal of knowledge, expertise and experience. Unfortunately, their egos are as big as their accomplishments. They actually maintain their own invitation-only website where a favorite category is "Screwing with 14ers.com". They make posts here which are specifically designed to cause controversy and generate a large # of responses to essentially un-answerable questions.

It may be overly cynical, but I believe that rather than attempting to offer legitimate advice or to mentor those of us who are simply weekend warriors, they enjoy "trolling" this site as a means of filling some empty hole left by their inability to make a human connection for some Real purpose.

What does this have to do with you? Well, your post bears signs of their typical modus-operandi. They join under a pseudonym, post no profile (or a profile that clearly indicates a novice), and the same day they ask a question that indicates they are about to attempt something far too risky for their skill level. Caring 14ers.com members get excited and make a legitimate effort to explain the dangerous nature of the proposed plan. This is hilarious to the perpetrators because, at their experience level, the routes actually are fairly mundane. These guys get a big kick out of watching the Average Joe, "scaredy-cat" 14ers.com climber get all worked up.

Since your profile is blank, your post was made the same day that joined, and you are asking questions about basic gear involving a snow route on one of Colorado's most inherently dangerous 14ers, I suspect we are being played. If we are, I hope you got what you needed. If not, my apologies, read on.........


Jason, rock climbing experience is quite helpful, but Maroon peak in May requires snow skills. Avalanche evaluation, crampon and ice axe training, experience on loose, unreliable rock, and route finding skills (Cairns will be snow-covered) are all prerequisite. Snowshoes will probably not be needed. (End of May, right?)

Snow season alpine travel has a skill set that is best learned from classes, guides, and mentors. As such, Maroon Peak is not a good choice for a novice snow climber (even one with significant rock experience.) Based on your questions and profile, I can only assume that you do not have the snow experience required to reasonably mitigate the dangers of Maroon Peak in May. Of course, I don’t know you; perhaps you are quite prepared for the challenges and merely needed the equipment info I provided above. Also, of course, many, many under-qualified climbers have successfully climbed this peak in the snow while a few legitimate experts have died.

If you need any further advice about equipment, drop me a PM and I’ll supply my phone #. I’ll be happy to tell you what I can.

Has anyone done this?

Yes I have. I've had two trips during the first week of June. One was the most fun I’d ever had on a 14er to that point in my climbing career. We did the right fork of the "Y" couloirs on the East face. The second trip, same route, I and three others fell 1500' down the "Garbage Chute” , landing on the apron at the base of the east face. Two weaker members of an expert party, left behind by their faster partners, were waiting at the top of the couloir for their partners to return. They walked over to the edge of the gully to look down at us and say, “Hi.” They kicked a small cornice on our heads which progressed into a shallow wet-slab slide. Later, the party declined to stay and help.

One partner died immediately, her husband slowly died of internal injuries over the next 45 minutes. I received sufficient injuries that I required a med-evac helicopter. It arrived 10 hours later. The fourth friend, and two others who avoided the fall, walked out under their own power. We were equipped with ice axes, crampons, helmets and ropes (though we were not tied in at the time.)

FINALLY, I’d like to invite you , instead, to join a group of 14ers.com members who will be camping at Como Lake over Memorial Day weekend. If conditions are safe, Blanca makes a good novice snow climb. Perhaps there you can get more advice on equipment and adequately judge your skill level as it correlates to Maroon Peak.

Steve

[Floyd]

Steve... another example of why you are an invaluable member of this community. Thanks.

[SchralpTheGnar]

Last memorial day weekend we climbed the bell cord\east face route (leaves the bell cord about 4/5th of the way up and traverses left). I climbed the route with my Black diamond Sabertooth crampons and Raven Pro ice axe, and descended using Salomon Pocket Rockets and Fritschi Freeride plus bindings. I was able to complete the route in just under 12 hours from a camp around Crater Lake. Please support my sponsors!

[Watkins656]

Thanks Steve,

That answer might be the best answer I've ever encountered on a forum. It is because of you that I just registered for this forum.

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[sevenvii]

Last memorial day weekend we climbed the bell cord\east face route (leaves the bell cord about 4/5th of the way up and traverses left). I climbed the route with my Black diamond Sabertooth crampons and Raven Pro ice axe, and descended using Salomon Pocket Rockets and Fritschi Freeride plus bindings. I was able to complete the route in just under 12 hours from a camp around Crater Lake. Please support my sponsors!

You arent gonna tell us what kind of boot and sock system you were using? Come on!!!!