Capitol Peak

[angry]

I've been climbing for ten years and free solo 5th class.

FREE SOLO! ok, Alex Honnold. Not sure how this comment is relevant to OP's question.

aadi_duggal, I don't think you need to come back next summer. Just pick a different peak.

[John Landers]

OP is troll, but keep playing along as it provides a litle amusement.

[Aggieclimber86]

No kidding. Everyone is getting trolled right down the road. Do you all really believe the OP really intends to climb anything?

[aadi_duggal]

No kidding. Everyone is getting trolled right down the road. Do you all really believe the OP really intends to climb anything?

I’m not sure why you think that. I’ll be happy to provide an update on a trip report on whatever I end up doing along with pictures.

[aadi_duggal]

Just don't, SAR will be picking up your body if you make an attempt on any of those peaks with your skillset

Come back next summer

This. Find a walk up and enjoy the views. They are called the "Deadly Bells" for a reason... and Little Bear, from what I've heard and seen in photos, isn't something to try this time of year unless you have experience with that sort of hill and snowy conditions.

I want to be very clear. I’ve never been to Colorado, yes, but I’ve been on mountains before. I’m not exactly sure what I would need on my resume to show that I’m capable of a relatively “difficult” 14er. I’m not interested in a walk up. I am honestly looking for a challenge, but I don’t know the area or the conditions. That is why I am asking this forum to gain some insight from people who know more than me.

I can understand the sentiment of “just don’t even think about doing anything” for someone who’s so clueless about the area. But for my plans, that’s neither productive nor helpful.

To be a little more specific, anything that has dry 3rd-4th class rock is something I’m down for. A relatively well consolidated snow couloir <50 deg is fine too. I understand the conditions are wet and icy, but I’m assuming that’s not the case with every mountain in the state.

[bdloftin77]

I want to be very clear. I’ve never been to Colorado, yes, but I’ve been on mountains before. I’m not exactly sure what I would need on my resume to show that I’m capable of a relatively “difficult” 14er. I’m not interested in a walk up. I am honestly looking for a challenge, but I don’t know the area or the conditions. That is why I am asking this forum to gain some insight from people who know more than me.

Anything that has dry 3rd-4th class rock is something I’m down for. A relatively well consolidated snow couloir <50 deg is fine too. I understand the conditions are wet and icy, but I’m assuming that’s not the case with every mountain in the state.

Excuse some of the incredulous responses - we've just had our share of numerous accidents and deaths this summer, and no one here wants any more tragedies. It's less common for someone to post on the forum about coming straight from the midwest and attempting one of the hardest peaks in Colorado, let alone during less than ideal conditions. We're less than eager to send (presumably) newer hikers to their deaths, so advice tends to be on the more conservative side.

You'd probably be fine if it was dry and not windy with your experience (assuming the peaks you listed were climbed in summer conditions), but things definitely turn up a couple notches on the harder peaks when there's snow, ice, gusty wind, etc. The Sangre de Cristo range tends to be drier than other ranges in Colorado and accumulates snow a bit later than otherwise (whereas the San Juans often get early and heavy snow). If you're interested in a more difficult 14er, somewhere in the Sangres is probably a good option.

Again, the Conditions tab on this website is a good place to see what things are like, assuming someone has climbed/posted recently. To get a general feel for how much snow there is, I often go to https://listsofjohn.com/search?State=CO , search for a peak, and click the Snow Depth link on the left side of the page.

[Barnold41]

I want to be very clear. I’ve never been to Colorado, yes, but I’ve been on mountains before. I’m not exactly sure what I would need on my resume to show that I’m capable of a relatively “difficult” 14er. I’m not interested in a walk up. I am honestly looking for a challenge, but I don’t know the area or the conditions. That is why I am asking this forum to gain some insight from people who know more than me.

I can understand the sentiment of “just don’t even think about doing anything” for someone who’s so clueless about the area. But for my plans, that’s neither productive nor helpful.

To be a little more specific, anything that has dry 3rd-4th class rock is something I’m down for. A relatively well consolidated snow couloir <50 deg is fine too. I understand the conditions are wet and icy, but I’m assuming that’s not the case with every mountain in the state.

Most everything in the areas you are talking about already have snow and are expected to get more by Sunday, and you said you were planning on going in trail runners without any gear. If you are indeed not a troll, these would not be good decisions. You are simply visiting at the wrong time of year to do peaks like these with the expectation that you will find dry conditions. As mentioned above, you might luck out in the Sangres but I honestly haven't looked at the forecast down there for the weekend.

[Aphelion]

I want to be very clear. I’ve never been to Colorado, yes, but I’ve been on mountains before. I’m not exactly sure what I would need on my resume to show that I’m capable of a relatively “difficult” 14er. I’m not interested in a walk up. I am honestly looking for a challenge, but I don’t know the area or the conditions. That is why I am asking this forum to gain some insight from people who know more than me.

Anything that has dry 3rd-4th class rock is something I’m down for. A relatively well consolidated snow couloir <50 deg is fine too. I understand the conditions are wet and icy, but I’m assuming that’s not the case with every mountain in the state.

... The Sangre de Cristo range tends to be drier than other ranges in Colorado and accumulates snow a bit later than otherwise (whereas the San Juans often get early and heavy snow). If you're interested in a more difficult 14er, somewhere in the Sangres is probably a good option.

Again, the Conditions tab on this website is a good place to see what things are like, assuming someone has climbed/posted recently. To get a general feel for how much snow there is, I often go to https://listsofjohn.com/search?State=CO , search for a peak, and click the Snow Depth link on the left side of the page.

I'd second going through the conditions tab to see what in the last few days is clear enough for you, keeping in mind that pretty much everywhere is at some risk of getting another storm this weekend, and already-fallen snow may be turning to ice. Dry rock will likely be at lower elevations, and there won't be any climbable couloirs until next spring.

[osprey]

aadi_duggal wrote:
“That is why I am asking on the forum …”

0D12F1A1-D672-401D-9FFD-D7BD35501A7A.jpeg (127.97 KiB) Viewed 1087 times

[jfm3]

Just don't, SAR will be picking up your body if you make an attempt on any of those peaks with your skillset

Come back next summer

This. Find a walk up and enjoy the views. They are called the "Deadly Bells" for a reason... and Little Bear, from what I've heard and seen in photos, isn't something to try this time of year unless you have experience with that sort of hill and snowy conditions.

I want to be very clear. I’ve never been to Colorado, yes, but I’ve been on mountains before. I’m not exactly sure what I would need on my resume to show that I’m capable of a relatively “difficult” 14er. I’m not interested in a walk up. I am honestly looking for a challenge, but I don’t know the area or the conditions. That is why I am asking this forum to gain some insight from people who know more than me.

I can understand the sentiment of “just don’t even think about doing anything” for someone who’s so clueless about the area. But for my plans, that’s neither productive nor helpful.

To be a little more specific, anything that has dry 3rd-4th class rock is something I’m down for. A relatively well consolidated snow couloir <50 deg is fine too. I understand the conditions are wet and icy, but I’m assuming that’s not the case with every mountain in the state.

If you truly believed you were capable of climbing Capitol in mixed early-winter conditions, you wouldn't spend an entire day beefing about your climbing resume with a bunch of randos on the internet. It's not hard to find webcams and condition reports for mountains in different states. You can read a whole slew of trip reports on this site alone for early October ascents. The reason no one is taking you seriously is because if you were serious, and actually had the skills to complete the climb, you would do a better job of researching the conditions than saying "I could rent crampons I guess" or "I'll climb a snow couloir instead" (come back in May- nothing is consolidated right now).

[aadi_duggal]

This. Find a walk up and enjoy the views. They are called the "Deadly Bells" for a reason... and Little Bear, from what I've heard and seen in photos, isn't something to try this time of year unless you have experience with that sort of hill and snowy conditions.

I want to be very clear. I’ve never been to Colorado, yes, but I’ve been on mountains before. I’m not exactly sure what I would need on my resume to show that I’m capable of a relatively “difficult” 14er. I’m not interested in a walk up. I am honestly looking for a challenge, but I don’t know the area or the conditions. That is why I am asking this forum to gain some insight from people who know more than me.

I can understand the sentiment of “just don’t even think about doing anything” for someone who’s so clueless about the area. But for my plans, that’s neither productive nor helpful.

To be a little more specific, anything that has dry 3rd-4th class rock is something I’m down for. A relatively well consolidated snow couloir <50 deg is fine too. I understand the conditions are wet and icy, but I’m assuming that’s not the case with every mountain in the state.

If you truly believed you were capable of climbing Capitol in mixed early-winter conditions, you wouldn't spend an entire day beefing about your climbing resume with a bunch of randos on the internet. It's not hard to find webcams and condition reports for mountains in different states. You can read a whole slew of trip reports on this site alone for early October ascents. The reason no one is taking you seriously is because if you were serious, and actually had the skills to complete the climb, you would do a better job of researching the conditions than saying "I could rent crampons I guess" or "I'll climb a snow couloir instead" (come back in May- nothing is consolidated right now).

I don’t think I’m capable of climbing Capitol in mixed early winter conditions. So I dropped Capitol from my plans based on the responses I got here.

I did read previous October trip reports, and saw pictures of how dry the knife edge seemed mid October. I wanted to know if that was still the case this year. If it’s really that much of an issue to ask a question, what’s the point of a forum?

I’m not trying to start beef with anyone. I’m trying to gauge what’s doable and show what I’ve done so others know what might be doable for me. I haven’t been in the area, so I wouldn’t know off of just trip reports or a picture of a mountain from a webcam 20 miles away.

[docinco]

aadi, this isn't about you personally--past couple of years this site has been plagued with wannnabees and arrogant trolls, sometimes amusing but usually just obnoxious. not you. your questions seem reasonable to me; you just picked the wrong month. conditions right now are poor for both climbing and snow-climbing, too much or not enough. to my mind, concurring with others here, either of the crestones could be a good choice because of the southern and/or western exposures; same with little bear west ridge although i haven't done this approach. hourglass on little bear is said to be a good snow climb but right now would be a mess; was a piece of cake when i did it in the summer, but it was almost completely dry then, and the fixed rope was solid although unnecessary. happy climbing and welcome to 14ers.com. we're not all glassbowls.