Biggest Alpine Face in Colorado

[ajkagy]

By the second nothing in Colorado touches Lizard Head, or so I hear

If interested, Lizard Head is the hardest 13er, but at "only" 5.8-5.9 isn't even close to the hardest peak in Colorado.

Have you done it? I have not but that 5.8 - 5.9 has the magic (or tragic) "R" after it. From the folks I have talked to that have been up there the consensus is it should be more of an "X". Take your pick, but that rock is as crappy as it gets. 5.8 R (or x) standard route on loose rock... show me a 14er that has a standard route that is more difficult than that? Oh you can't? Neither can I. Hmmmm maybe it is the hardest peak in Colorado?

seriously? there are plenty of runout moderates around (with crap rock to boot)...by no means is lizard head anything special, it just gets the attention it does because it's a 13er and the only route up it is "technical"...

[rmiller]

I believe that Peak 7071 is much more difficult than Lizard Head. Does it still remain unclimbed?

[its_not_a_tuba]

I agree, there are plenty of crappy routes in Colorado. Still, show me a peak in Colorado that is more difficult by its standard route?

[its_not_a_tuba]

I believe that Peak 7071 is much more difficult than Lizard Head. Does it still remain unclimbed?

Alpine Sir, alpine. 7071 is another (very serious) matter unto itself, but it isn't alpine.

[Doug Shaw]

Still, show me a peak in Colorado that is more difficult by its standard route?

Take your pick.

[Jim Davies]

"Roof of the Rockies" states that both Mike Garratt and Bob Martin considered Twin Peaks (12,461') to be the hardest peak over 12K', due to loose rock - the book says it's like "trying to climb a vertical mud pile". Turret Ridge (12,260') is also considered harder than Lizard Head.

[dubsho3000]

Wow. "Big Rock Candy Mountain" is actually a peak. And a difficult one at that at 5.9.

[Matt]

Wow. "Big Rock Candy Mountain" is actually a peak. And a difficult one at that at 5.9.

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains all the cops have wooden legs
And the bulldogs all have rubber teeth and the hens lay soft boiled eggs
The farmer's trees are full of fruit and the barns are full of hay
Oh, I'm bound to go where there ain't no snow
Where the rain don't fall and the wind don't blow
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains

Good call!!!
I was trolling listsofjohn on Tuesday, looking for low peaks around town, found that, smiled real big, and kept looking for something easy for my afternoon.

[TomPierce]

Although we're digressing from the OP's query, as Doug points out there are several alpine peaks harder than Lizard Head (and yes, I've been on it but alas did not summit),The Index (5.9) and Sunlight Spire (5.10d) come to mind. There are others out there that I suspect could be harder. Noname Needle is erroneously tagged at 5.6, but based on some limited research I've done it's not 5.6 but was in fact first done on aid. Not sure of the free grade (I assume it has been done free); I'm tentatively planning to try it this summer. Anyway, the 5th class list is very loose; it'll never be complete in the sense that the 14'er list will be. Once the door was opened to desert spires (not that I object) it'll now encompass hundreds if not thousands of new "peaks." Just take a look at Bjornstad's series of Desert Rock guidebooks, tons of 5th class spires.

Back to the original issue, the E. Face of Monitor is 1200' (I've not done it but have a buddy who was injured there). Although the Painted Wall is probably bigger, I suspect when both the Lower East Face and the Diamond are combined Longs may come close to 2000'. Just a guess.
-Tom

[PKelley]

It's not a Tuba -

I have climbed both Lizard Head and Sunlight Spire. I can tell you that without question, that Sunlight Spire is a more difficult summit than Lizard Head. You may dismiss this as Sunlight Spire is not "ranked". There are plenty of difficult peaks out there. Many of which we probably don't know about.

PK

[kaiman]

Back to the original issue, the E. Face of Monitor is 1200' (I've not done it but have a buddy who was injured there). Although the Painted Wall is probably bigger, I suspect when both the Lower East Face and the Diamond are combined Longs may come close to 2000'. Just a guess.
-Tom

Just to weigh in a bit here: I think Jim Davies is correct, it depends on how you define "alpine face".

With that being said, after looking at a topo (USGS map not climbers topo) it shows that the top of Mill's Glacier (at the base of Longs Peak East Face) is at approx. 12,800 feet. So by doing the math: the summit of Longs Peak is at 14,259 feet - minus 12,800 feet (the elevation of the top of Mill's Glacier) puts the total height of the East Face (including the Diamond, Broadway, and Lower East Face) at around 1460 feet. If you include Mill's Glacier as part of the East Face then it puts the face at 2060 feet as Mills begins at around approx. 12,200 feet. Putting it around the same height as Capitol's Northwest Buttress.

On the other hand, Capitol Peak's Northwest Buttress (which starts at around 12,100-12,300 feet) ranges in height from 1800-2000 feet (depending on which route is taken), technically making it the higher of the two as the face starts abruptly and has no 600 foot Class 2/3 glacier below it.

However, as BIO_KNEE points out the North Face of Blanca peak (but not the Ormes Buttress route which starts at approx. 12,400 feet and ends closer to the saddle below the summit at around 13,900 feet), starts at about 12,200 feet measures in at over 2,100 feet (14,345 - 12,200 = 2,145 feet from Blanca's summit to the base of the face), which makes it the largest of the 3 and possibly the largest alpine face on any 14er in the state (but not the largest alpine face on any mountain as others have pointed out).

In doing some research some other contenders for biggest alpine faces that haven't been mentioned yet include:

1. Wham Ridge on Vestal at 1,500 feet tall (Class 4-5) - http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock ... -peak.html
2. Southwest Face of Storm King Peak (Class 5.7) also approx. 1,500 feet tall - http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock ... -peak.html

I'll leave it to you all to decide which alpine face in Colorado is hardest climb...

kaiman

[Scott P]

Alpine Sir, alpine. 7071 is another (very serious) matter unto itself, but it isn't alpine.

True, but you didn't say alpine.

Here are your statements:

Hmmmm maybe it [Lizard Head] is the hardest peak in Colorado?

By the second nothing in Colorado touches Lizard Head, or so I hear

You didn't say alpine and neither did I. Here is my statement:

If interested, Lizard Head is the hardest 13er, but at "only" 5.8-5.9 isn't even close to the hardest peak in Colorado.

I thought you would be interested in the information. It wasn't phrased rudely or to argue, but for interest.

I suppose you aren't interested, but Lizard Head isn't even the hardest alpine peak either, if you are speaking of strictly alpine (which you didn't specify). Gerry Roach himself told me that Turrent Ridge and Twin Peaks are harder. Many whom have climbed both Chimney Rock (the one in the San Juans) and Lizard Head consider Chimney Rock more difficult, though this is debatable and depends on whom you ask.

None of them compare in difficulty to some the peaks in Dinosaur though, though it is true that they aren't alpine. The easiest route on Steamboat Rock for example is 5.10+ A2+, 6 pitches (compared to Lizard Head's 5.8+ 3 pitches) and the rock is also very loose. Even so, Steamboat Rock is one of the smaller peaks in the area. It is only soft ranked, but that's not true of it's bigger brothers that surround it.

show me a 14er that has a standard route that is more difficult than that?

Most (not all) of the highest peaks in Colorado are 6ers, 7ers, 8ers and 9ers rather than 14ers. As I've said before, most of the 14ers can be climbed by 3 and 4 year olds. There are plenty of fairly difficult 10 and 11er peaks as well.

Of course this thread is digressing somewhat as Tom pointed out.

It would be fun to look at all these faces on a topo map. Since our project is shut down due to the storm, it may be a good project. :D