The Wilsons?

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nyker
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Re: The Wilsons?

Post by nyker »

Mount Wilson has some legit C4 moves but "only" just under the summit, and seem easier for folks with longer legs, but were definitely more exposed than the other two.
El Diente and Wilson Peak are generally C3 on the standard routes. Wilson Peak was the less demanding of the three.
These three mountains collectively are rated more difficult due to the overall effort, distance / elevation gain, route finding and loose rock and are pretty remote.
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Re: The Wilsons?

Post by Ptglhs »

I thought mt Wilson was the easiest but I went SW slopes route which I would rate as 2+ or 3-. Didn't find much exposure and it was mostly talus hopping from kilpacker.

El diente from kilpacker, some loose stuff and a bit of exposure and route finding. Solid class 3.

Wilson peak from woods lake: woods lake is a great approach, the northern side of the Wilson group in late july is beautiful. Thought the peak was easily the hardest of the 3, loose rock, some exposure, and I damn near killed someone when a microwave sized rock I touched started rolling down the mountain.
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maff
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Re: The Wilsons?

Post by maff »

The final section on Wilson Peak is the most memorable, but once you know where you're going it is pretty manageable as long as you take your time and focus. Other parts of Wilson Peak--like the traversal from the ROA saddle to the Wilson/Gladstone saddle and back to the ridge--can be more challenging as they become more choose-your-own adventure and it's easier to choose a tougher route. We got off track on our descent, veering off towards Bilk Basin before realizing our mistake, regaining the Gladstone saddle further towards Gladstone than intended, and navigating large talus fields to rejoin the ROA saddle.

Can't speak to the others but have the traverse penciled in for late August this year. Hoping for no snow/ice on the route by then but will be monitoring reports closely as we get later in the summer...
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Re: The Wilsons?

Post by nunns »

CaptainSuburbia wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 3:28 pm
randalmartin wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 3:08 pm One point I would make about Wilson Peak, a lot of the focus is about the final section after the ridge where you descend down and back up to the summit. I found that part straightforward and enjoyable. However, the section right after ROA saddle was more tricky. We didn't descend down off ROA but tried to not lose elevation. I found that section to be tricky an uncomfortable at some points.
Yeah the final climb to the summit of Wilson Peak is not that hard as my buddy shows here.
He makes that looks easy. Then again, Alex Honnold makes most of those ridiculous free solos that he does look easy also.
I appreciate all of the counsel, especially about the loose rock.

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Re: The Wilsons?

Post by terrysrunning »

None of them were "hard" compared to some other peaks, but definitely some things to be careful of.
I did Kilpacker to ED and traverse to Mt Wilson. Found that route so easy to ED that I wondered what the fuss was about. Rock didn't seem that bad. Couple sketchy parts on the traverse, but it was late season and there was snow on the route so not sure if those would have been avoidable in good conditions. I still found it the easiest of the 4 Traverses, or maybe a tie w Crestone.
But. Having done all 58 and the 4 Traverses, the one awkward move getting onto the summit of Mt Wilson might have been the hardest move I did. And I've heard others say the same thing. It's just one move, and maybe just awkward to me. I didn't expect that though.
And descending Mt Wilson back to the Kilpacker side is the 2nd scared-est I've ever been on a 14er (after the despicable W slope of Snowmass for the same reason) because there were people above me and I was in a hurry to get far enough ahead of them that they couldn't kill me with all the loose rock there ready to fall.
Tangential pro tip: Get some rubber palmed gardening gloves (Atlas are the best, find on Amazon) for the descent on places like that. You've got good grip if you want to grab something to hold onto, and it eases your mind a bit about the likely prospect of slipping on that loose rock and having to catch yourself on sharp and jagged rocks underfoot. And they're 7 bucks so you won't ruin your 50 dollars OR/North Face/whatever gloves like I've done more than once.
Wilson Peak is not hard. Good place to practice your route-finding past the Gladstone saddle. You won't get lost, but you'll know it if you picked a stupid line and you'll hate your life for a little while. That section past the false summit is the most enjoyable part of the whole thing IF it's dry. Early or late season, snow lingers there, and at least 6 people that I saw or talked to turned back the first day I did it, only a couple hundred yards from the summit. So either wait until it's dry, or bring spikes (at least) and know how to use them. There were places I thought I was going to turn back too, but it seemed there were just enough holds to make one more move until I got past that little downclimb. Even with spikes I wouldn't have trusted my footing enough without something to hold on to. Not a place you want to fall.
I didn't find them harder than a few other peaks. But not much easier, either. Just gotta be careful. Wear a helmet.
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Re: The Wilsons?

Post by E_A_Marcus_949 »

nyker wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 7:17 am Mount Wilson has some legit C4 moves but "only" just under the summit, and seem easier for folks with longer legs, but were definitely more exposed than the other two.
I would argue that these moves below the summit of Mt. Wilson are some of the hardest - it's exposed, consequential, and loose. If you have climbing skills, it helps with confidence on your moves in this area.
From the traverse, photos 20-23 of the description (https://www.14ers.com/route.php?route=mwil5), were the next hardest. I wouldn't underestimate either of these sections as they are difficult.
We - for better or worse - descended Mt. Wilson via the N Slopes. That was a loose pile of crud. We didn't want to downclimb the crux though. Once we found some cairns it helped but overall, loose. Just loose.
Because of the above two comments, I would put Mt. Wilson right behind Capitol and Little Bear. Yes, they're only a few moves, however, that's what the rating is based on, and I think it's accurate and not to be taken lightly.

I found Wilson Peak from Rock of Ages quite fun (SW Ridge route). There is some climbing, but solid Class 3 level. There were a fair amount of people that were there when I did it, so it does take some time and patience as there are places where it's one-at-a-time only. But, safety first.

Edit to add El Diente - N Buttress route was lovely and quite enjoyable! Class 4, yes absolutely, but I don't recall extremely lose rock on that route (at least compared to the Wilsons)
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Re: The Wilsons?

Post by Jorts »

E_A_Marcus_949 wrote: Tue Jun 06, 2023 1:58 pm Edit to add El Diente - N Buttress route was lovely and quite enjoyable! Class 4, yes absolutely, but I don't recall extremely lose rock on that route (at least compared to the Wilsons)
N Buttress is solid. It should be the standard route from RoA. "North Slopes" or whatever that standard route is referred to as is a bowling alley. It's more dangerous than the hourglass and should only be attempted early season as a snow climb.
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LURE
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Re: The Wilsons?

Post by LURE »

the pucker factor on final mt wilson move from north is way understated IMO. that is a very, very airy few moves. solid rock tho.

+1 stay away from north slopes on el d, regretted every minute of that climb.
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Re: The Wilsons?

Post by Scott P »

LURE wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 9:29 am the pucker factor on final mt wilson move from north is way understated IMO. that is a very, very airy few moves. solid rock tho.
I agree. If the northern route is still considered the standard, it is the most exposed section on a Colorado 14er with the possible exception of Sunlight (which is the only one I haven't done).
stay away from north slopes on el d, regretted every minute of that climb.
I thought it was a nice snow climb, but I wouldn't want to do it after the snow melts.
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Re: The Wilsons?

Post by nunns »

Thank you to all who have provided advice.

I probably should add that our plan is: Kilpacker Basin high camp, El Diente south slopes, either traverse to Mount Wilson or descend to 12600' and then climb Mount Wilson, descend back to high camp. We aren't experts on snow climbing, so in light of the high snowfall this winter, the north slopes are out of the picture, even in August.

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Re: The Wilsons?

Post by HikerGuy »

You may encounter low angle snow in upper Kilpacker. Microspikes may be helpful for traction. The scrambly bits will be dry. These photos are from August 16, 2015.
kilpacker_view_from_wilson.jpg
kilpacker_view_from_wilson.jpg (295.94 KiB) Viewed 805 times
upper_kilpacker.jpg
upper_kilpacker.jpg (161.53 KiB) Viewed 805 times
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Re: The Wilsons?

Post by maff »

nunns wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 10:28 am Thank you to all who have provided advice.

I probably should add that our plan is: Kilpacker Basin high camp, El Diente south slopes, either traverse to Mount Wilson or descend to 12600' and then climb Mount Wilson, descend back to high camp. We aren't experts on snow climbing, so in light of the high snowfall this winter, the north slopes are out of the picture, even in August.

Sean Nunn
That's basically my plan, Sean. Have my heart set on the traverse a little, but we'll see what conditions are like--aiming for the last week of August (somewhere in the 8/20 to 8/23 range; feel free to reach out if that lines up with yours).

Regarding the final crux move onto Mt. Wilson, I happened to see a video last night that argued going straight over the top of the rock--as opposed to going around it left or right--was the easiest solution. Looked reasonable in the footage, though that can be misleading, and certainly less exposed. Anyone have any experience with that or opinion on that idea? video here, at the 11:25 mark: https://youtu.be/KaEc3sAwtqM?t=682
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