Pikes Peak Summit house options

Colorado peak questions, condition requests and other info.
Forum rules
  • This is a mountaineering forum, so please keep your posts on-topic. Posts do not all have to be related to the 14ers but should at least be mountaineering-related.
  • Personal attacks and confrontational behavior will result in removal from the forum at the discretion of the administrators.
  • Do not use this forum to advertise, sell photos or other products or promote a commercial website.
  • Posts will be removed at the discretion of the site administrator or moderator(s), including: Troll posts, posts pushing political views or religious beliefs, and posts with the purpose of instigating conflict within the forum.
    For more details, please see the Terms of Use you agreed to when joining the forum.
Post Reply
User avatar
dsunwall
Posts: 808
Joined: 5/7/2007
14ers: 58  58 
13ers: 399
Trip Reports (1)
 

Re: Pikes Peak Summit house options

Post by dsunwall »

If you look at the entire layout it doesn't look too bad, that little schoolhouse will hardly be seen.
CZu7r9QUcAAdddB.jpg
CZu7r9QUcAAdddB.jpg (85.21 KiB) Viewed 3075 times
User avatar
climbing_rob
Posts: 1152
Joined: 5/24/2010
14ers: 58 
13ers: 121
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Pikes Peak Summit house options

Post by climbing_rob »

I kinda like it, call me silly. And I'm sure the design will be good for 150mph or whatever winds.

I just hope, but don't expect, that somewhere in the building that they would design a little alcove, always open, for winter Pikes climbers to rest in. I think my wife and I have topped out a half a dozen or more times in the winter on a day (or time) that the current building was closed, so we hunkered down along a leeward wall for a few before heading down. Sure would be nice to have a wind-free alcove to rest up in! Something tells me Pikes Peak climbers are not any consideration whatsoever in the design.
User avatar
Jon Frohlich
Posts: 2605
Joined: 10/14/2005
14ers: 58 
13ers: 162 3
Trip Reports (29)
 

Re: Pikes Peak Summit house options

Post by Jon Frohlich »

climbing_rob wrote: I just hope, but don't expect, that somewhere in the building that they would design a little alcove, always open, for winter Pikes climbers to rest in. I think my wife and I have topped out a half a dozen or more times in the winter on a day (or time) that the current building was closed, so we hunkered down along a leeward wall for a few before heading down. Sure would be nice to have a wind-free alcove to rest up in! Something tells me Pikes Peak climbers are not any consideration whatsoever in the design.
Articles mention an emergency shelter for hikers but that they haven't figured out the design of it yet.
User avatar
pmeadco
Posts: 302
Joined: 6/21/2015
14ers: 58  2 
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Pikes Peak Summit house options

Post by pmeadco »

When they were soliciting comments a couple years ago I asked for an unlocked enclosed area for shelter. It isn't clear to me if that got in the final design but they did get that request.
User avatar
Oldskool70
Posts: 180
Joined: 7/18/2011
14ers: 28  1  1 
Trip Reports (4)
 

Re: Pikes Peak Summit house options

Post by Oldskool70 »

I heard a emergency shelter is part of the plan. Very minimal (water, blankets -Stuff will probably get stolen in few weeks). Probably too small of a space to include in this topo. I'm curious how much snow will accumulate on the leeward side. Might not be much of a view dining with a 10ft wall of snow to look at. Don't see a service track in that area to remove snow. Hope they have enough road for the racers to stop. I recall the last death during the race the motorcycle kept going a went into a pile of rocks.

I'll take this as the lesser of the 4 evils... 8-[
If you're not moshing, it's NOT music.
User avatar
susanjoypaul
Posts: 2050
Joined: 9/8/2006
14ers: 58  2 
13ers: 88 6
Trip Reports (2)
 

Re: Pikes Peak Summit house options

Post by susanjoypaul »

Here are a few highlights from an article that appeared in today's Gazette:

"Pikes Peak granite and beetle-kill pine will round out design touches, six overlooks will emphasize different views from 14,115 feet, and solar panels will provide up to 40 percent of the energy requirements."

"...with a clear path to bathrooms without requiring visitors to "push through the crowd" in the gift shop."

"Maintaining intact tundra and restoring lost tundra will be long-term focus..."

"New to the summit complex will be an emergency shelter for stranded hikers. Although details have yet to be worked out, the goal is to provide shelter, water and a means to summon help without encouraging camping on the summit."

"Construction is slated to begin in 2017 - but not before the design is approved by the Forest Service, which has jurisdiction over the peak."


Here's a slideshow: Pikes Summit House

I am excited about that clear path to the bathroom.
User avatar
mikefromcraig
Posts: 449
Joined: 11/10/2010
14ers: 53  24 
13ers: 57
Trip Reports (15)
 

Re: Pikes Peak Summit house options

Post by mikefromcraig »

We have over 50 14ers in the state and people are freaking out that one of them, which already has a building on top, might get a larger, nicer building on top?

Different people want to enjoy mountains in different ways. Most people on here want to enjoy a mountain in its semi-natural state and some of those are intolerant of people who have different preferences (people who would like to enjoy a mountain in a nice building). The people who take the cog up to building far, far outnumber the people who hike to the top (and then often take advantage of that building themselves).

Also gotta love how they are trying to appease environmentalists by bragging about how they will be using one of the least efficient means for energy. LOL
"I don't believe anyone who says they would prefer to die on a mountain in their 30s than in a hospital in their 90s."
User avatar
climbing_rob
Posts: 1152
Joined: 5/24/2010
14ers: 58 
13ers: 121
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Pikes Peak Summit house options

Post by climbing_rob »

susanjoypaul wrote:Here are a few highlights from an article that appeared in today's Gazette:

"Pikes Peak granite and beetle-kill pine will round out design touches, six overlooks will emphasize different views from 14,115 feet, and solar panels will provide up to 40 percent of the energy requirements."

"...with a clear path to bathrooms without requiring visitors to "push through the crowd" in the gift shop."

"Maintaining intact tundra and restoring lost tundra will be long-term focus..."

"New to the summit complex will be an emergency shelter for stranded hikers. Although details have yet to be worked out, the goal is to provide shelter, water and a means to summon help without encouraging camping on the summit."

"Construction is slated to begin in 2017 - but not before the design is approved by the Forest Service, which has jurisdiction over the peak."


Here's a slideshow: Pikes Summit House

I am excited about that clear path to the bathroom.
Thanks for that link, and yes, exciting stuff! (the bathroom and shelter things)
User avatar
jrs1965
Posts: 702
Joined: 1/3/2010
14ers: 58  1  3 
13ers: 10
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Pikes Peak Summit house options

Post by jrs1965 »

dsunwall wrote:If you look at the entire layout it doesn't look too bad, that little schoolhouse will hardly be seen.
CZu7r9QUcAAdddB.jpg
This diagram makes it look as if the building will be hidden from the Springs, Barr Trail and Woodland Park...
User avatar
kman
Posts: 225
Joined: 8/18/2008
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Pikes Peak Summit house options

Post by kman »

Here is a flyover/fly-through video of the Summit House. Thought it was pretty interesting. https://vimeo.com/153283693
Also, here is a link to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which has been tasked by the Governor to develop 16 priority trails. You can scroll down and click on the various trails, including the Ring the Peak Trail, so that "within a generation, every Coloradan will live within 10 minutes of a park, trail, or vibrant green space." https://cdnr.us/#/cothebeautiful
casualrider80905
Posts: 1
Joined: 10/16/2020
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Pikes Peak Summit house options

Post by casualrider80905 »

I hate to bring this up; too late now. The Summit House is impossible to miss from Colorado Springs. Even without my glasses, it sticks out like a sore thumb. Breaks my heart every time I look up at was once a beautiful peak with absolutely stunning amounts of vertical feet elevation change for Colorado. I never noticed the other structure from town. Now it is impossible not to notice as it creates a focal point, like some bold monument the artist Cristo would mar a beautiful peak with.
User avatar
cedica
Posts: 723
Joined: 6/25/2014
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Pikes Peak Summit house options

Post by cedica »

But even Christo never permanently disfigured landscape with his installations, they were all temporary, expensive and insane. Like that project to shrink wrap Arkansas River east of Salida that never happened.
Post Reply