Iconic Colorado Routes

[kaiman]

Not a 14er, but here is one of my favorite iconic Colorado climbs: Wham!

[Tory Wells]

As a side note, I've always been non-plussed by the folks who tick Pikes off the 14er list without doing the Barr. Barr is a true test of your fitness--Crags is reducing a big sucker of a mountain to a mole hill. A cheat, IMO. But that's just my opinion, I'm sure plenty others will disagree.

Yes, I disagree. Crags is 4300' elevation gain with 14 mile round trip at a higher Class rating than Barr. I would not consider that "cheating". Sorry you are "non-plussed" about that. Barr snobbery, perhaps?

Why so defensive about your route selection? You are right and I was wrong to call it a cheat, but it's still not the Barr. I stand by my earlier statements though, taking Crags is the easy way up compared to the Barr. But taking the easy way up seems to be a common theme for many of the "Finishers" on this site, I've noticed. Doing a peak by it's harder/longer routes is a style I enjoy; I feel it is a better way to experience the mountain, to tackle it head on and not reduce the challenge.

SnowAlien: Yes, Barr is a simple class one and not comparable to the mountaineering routes. But the thread title is "Iconic Colorado Routes" and Barr fits that bill nicely, even if it is just walking/running. Railroad and the Y don't fit the criteria, IMO.

Kaiman: We're not talking about MTB routes here. But I'm sure biking the Barr would be no walk in the park either. As a side note, road biking the Pikes Peak Highway from Manitou Springs is the hardest bike ride I've ever done--and I've done some hard ones. Mt Evans is easy by comparison because it is just not as steep.

[12ersRule]

non-plussed by the folks who tick Pikes off the 14er list without doing the Barr. Barr is a true test of your fitness

Sorry you are "non-plussed" about that. Barr snobbery, perhaps?

Why don't you guys say 'minused' instead of non-plussed. minus = !plus. It's more direct.

Also, no mountain with a road on top should even be in a discussion of Iconic Colorado routes. Although, I do I want to try road riding to the top sometime.

[davebobk47]

But taking the easy way up seems to be a common theme for many of the "Finishers" on this site, I've noticed.

Anyone that has stood on the top of all 58 14ers did not take the easy way out. There is no easy route on peaks like Capitol and Little Bear. Are you are saying you've never taken a standard route?

Doing a peak by it's harder/longer routes is a style I enjoy; I feel it is a better way to experience the mountain, to tackle it head on and not reduce the challenge.

That's your opinion but doesn't mean you should look down on people that use standard routes.

[SchralpTheGnar]

But if you read the original question was "what do you consider the top ten iconic Colorado mountaineering routes?"

Calling the Barr route a mountaineering route is like calling something like something else that really isn't like the something else you are comparing the something to.

[painless4u2]

But taking the easy way up seems to be a common theme for many of the "Finishers" on this site, I've noticed. Doing a peak by it's harder/longer routes is a style I enjoy; I feel it is a better way to experience the mountain, to tackle it head on and not reduce the challenge.

Looks like someone is making generalized assumptions they know nothing about.

Let's see, I've done these "easy" routes on my way to being a "finisher". Have you?

Blanca via Gash/Winchell Lakes
SW Ridge Little Bear
Keplinger's Couloir Longs
Tour de Massive
Tour de Abyss
Capital from Snowmass/Moon Lakes
First (defined) ascent of C2 Ellingwood Point/Zapata Lake
and there are others...

[Monster5]

I didn't expect this topic to engender a Crags vs Barr debate.

Can we uhh.. skip the unrelated debates? Popular, but perhaps not iconic mountaineering routes on the 14ers might include:

G and T: Kelso in winter, Dead Dog
Evans: Snave
Longs: Kieners, Notch, Cables, Keplinger and Trough Direct, GG traverse, Keyhole Ridge. And a big ETC.
Pikes: Hero's to the Y

Quandary: Inwood, perhaps W ridge in winter
Democrat's N Ridge in winter

Cross Couloir to Halo Ridge
Missouri's coulies?
Ellingwood Ridge with snow

Conundrum Couly
Bell Cord to Bells Traverse
N Maroon via the Gunsight (snow) or N face
Pyramid via the NW Ridge (snow), Pyramidal, or Megamidal
Capitol standard
Snowmass via S or standard
El D N Buttress to MW traverse.
MW via the Boxcar(?) couly
El D Luttrell Line
Sneffles via the Snake and N Buttresss

Crestone Traverse
Ellingwood Arete
Crestone N couly or pillar
Either Crestone standard route as a snow climb
Kit Carson N Ridge or one of the coulies
LB Blanca via Hourglass
Gash Ridge (heck, not popular but it is named...)

Other popular climbs (naturally, there's a geographic bias to the Front Range):
Savage Couloir
Y-Couloirs, Ypsilon
Blitzen
Wham Ridge
Jagged, Teakettle (best with snow), Dallas
Dragontail, Dreamweaver, Martha
Skywalker to Arapaho Trav
Ice Lakes Basin, not sure which route to include but the area is a pretty popular mountaineering spot
The Grand Traverse in the Gore. This seems to be the most popular of the Gore traverses
Bancroft E Ridge
Neva N Ridge or Coulies
Arkansas N Couly, though I feel this one has actually decreased in popularity in recent years
Sharkstooth NE Ridge
Lizardhead
James via one of the Star coulies

That's a list of roughly 55, depending on how you count them up. I'm around 90-95%. Anybody done near all of those? Any other additions?

[Hungry Jack]

When I first saw the thread title on my tiny little iPhone 5 display, I thought it said "Ironic."

I immediately thought of Quandary Peak and the very gentle eastern slope, which presents anything but a quandary for almost any hiker.

And perhaps there is some irony that Mt. Lincoln is probably most frequently summited by first summiting Mt. Democrat.

I have nothing more to add. Have a nice day.

[Tory Wells]

But if you read the original question was "what do you consider the top ten iconic Colorado mountaineering routes?"

Calling the Barr route a mountaineering route is like calling something like something else that really isn't like the something else you are comparing the something to.

You're right, I missed the mountaineering part. By that criteria, Barr does not qualify.

[ezabielski]

And perhaps there is some irony that Mt. Lincoln is probably most frequently summited by first summiting Mt. Democrat.

The irony goes a bit deeper, according to the name history on this website: Mt. Democrat was named curing the Civil War in a political statement against President Lincoln.

[Hungry Jack]

And perhaps there is some irony that Mt. Lincoln is probably most frequently summited by first summiting Mt. Democrat.

The irony goes a bit deeper, according to the name history on this website: Mt. Democrat was named curing the Civil War in a political statement against President Lincoln.

Probably by the same interests that christened Mt. Sherman.

Given Cameron's bridging of Democrat and Lincoln, "Bipartisan Summit" might be a more appropriate name.

[Scott P]

Hungry Jack wrote:And perhaps there is some irony that Mt. Lincoln is probably most frequently summited by first summiting Mt. Democrat.

ezabielski wrote:The irony goes a bit deeper, according to the name history on this website: Mt. Democrat was named curing the Civil War in a political statement against President Lincoln.

This one is pretty ironic too:

Republican.JPG