Lindsey's North Face Vs. Sawtooth

[Somewhat of a Prick]

Nobody should ever do Sawtooth via Bierstadt standard route. Tour D' Abyss all day long. No conga line, no willows. Winning.

[TakeMeToYourSummit]

Nobody should ever do Sawtooth via Bierstadt standard route. Tour D' Abyss all day long. No conga line, no willows. Winning.

This. All of this. The east ridge of Bierstadt was tons of fun too!

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[Max Moorman]

+1

Although I did not take the high-route, I would agree that the lower path is risky. And I actually came to it and found it covered in ice, which I was not expecting. To this day I do not know how I made it without taking the express elevator to SPLAT. I will be doing the Tour d'Abyss with my wife, in the next week or two, and plan on taking the high-route when getting to the Evans-side of the Sawtooth.

In regards to Lindsey's North Face and that gulley - blah! When I go back with my wife, I am surely going to try the NW Ridge.

Thanks! I'm with you on Lindsey's North Face and gulley. That was rather nasty and stressful. The lower route on the Evans side of the Sawtooth Ridge looked quite tame in comparison.

My rule of thumb for picking the path of least resistance is solid rock over loose scree, even when the rock route is slightly harder. Rock is more predictable (assume rock is solid) than scree, so you have more control of your movements.

Also, have you considered Tour d’Abyss instead of the standard Bierstadt route? Tour d’Abyss also give you the summit of Bierstadt with a higher fun factor.

Thanks! I did consider it but I don't do well with level 4 exposure. I can't seem to stand at the edge of a cliff without experiencing an overwhelming desire to back away and sit down. At the moment I can handle some class 3 moves, but I think sustained class 3 climbing is still a bit much for me. I need some training in this area to increase my comfort level.

+1

just did the standard sawtooth this week, the standard way back to gnuealla pass SUCKS. mud and willows and water for 3 miles.

I did post a trip report about the sawtooth too if you want more info

Thanks! You are not kidding about the mud and willows. I can vouch for it being especially nasty when it is pouring rain. I lost count of the number of times I sunk knee-deep in mud. I've never been so thoroughly soaked in my life. At least my poncho helped me avoid repeated facial lashings from the willow branches.

Nobody should ever do Sawtooth via Bierstadt standard route. Tour D' Abyss all day long. No conga line, no willows. Winning.

Starting at 4:30am on a Friday rendered the conga line non-existent, thankfully, but my goodness do I wish I'd known about this willows bypass route: http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=5136" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

This. All of this. The east ridge of Bierstadt was tons of fun too!

GEDV0015 (169x300).jpg

Hopefully some day. Got to increase my climbing skills and find a way to decrease my fear of exposure beyond level 3. Traversing the Sawtooth Ridge? No problem at all. Standing on top of The Sawtooth or Iron Nipple? Major case of the heebie jeebies.