Kelso Ridge compared to Keyhole Route

[ReachingHigher]

I am planning to hike Torreys and Grays in a couple of weeks and I’m wondering how Kelso Ridge compares to the Keyhole route on Longs? I know Longs Peak is farther and more elevation; mostly, I am wondering about the technicality and exposure (they seem pretty comparable based on the route ratings). If it were up to me, I would go for it, but I am planning to do Torreys and Grays with a friend who summitted Longs with me last year, so I want to give her an idea of what we’re looking at if we decide to do Kelso Ridge. TIA!

[randalmartin]

There is only small sections of Kelso Ridge that have any real exposure. So for me that would be the main difference, Longs Peak has more of the difficulties. I would also add that because Kelso Ridge is so short and early on in your climb, you will be fresher/stronger. All in all, it's a fantastic little scramble.

Photo 28/29 of the route (https://www.14ers.com/route.php?route=torr4) show the only area that is different than anything you would have encountered on the standard Longs Peak route. But it is solid rock and straightforward.

[letitbeirie]

Kelso's crux is a doubly-exposed knife edge and it's all the way at the top, but apart from that Longs is more difficult in every way.

The knife edge is also not very sharp - it feels more like the corner of a square column. It's not hugely exposed to the right either (40'?) but the exposure to the left is real.

[daway8]

So Keyhole is basically just a walk up (albeit a very long and tiring one), at least to the Keyhole itself with maybe a little borderline class 3 up the Trough and perhaps on the Homestretch (this assumes we're talking normal summer conditions rather than what the Keyhole route has been of late).

Kelso Ridge felt a little more "scrambly" to me in that it seems like I engaged my hands a bit more, but it comes in very short, easy bursts of scrambling. The knife edge is a total joke compared to the likes of The Knife Edge on Capitol but still enough to perhaps unsettle someone afraid of heights.

Kelso is so much shorter that even when I went out of my way to try to make it more of a scramble than necessary, I'd still rank it as easier overall than Longs. But it has a much different "feel" since you're on a ridge the whole way up (vs down in a gully on the Trough).

There's a lot more exposure on the Narrows than Kelso's knife edge but the Narrows is only exposed on one side. The knife edge has you exposed on both sides, but it's super, super short compared to the Narrows.

So overall, I'd say if you've done Keyhole you'll probably be fine on Kelso with the one exception that if you're bothered by heights you might possibly have some slight issue since a ridge, by definition, is going to generally be a little more "airy" than a non-ridge route.

[DeTour]

I’m going to disagree a bit with some of the previous posters. As I recall Kelso had several spots of pretty steep class 3 climbing before you reach the knife edge - steeper than what you encounter on Longs. The “white rock wall” (route description photo 12) is one, but not the only one.

Longs has some areas with significant pucker factor in the ledges, narrows and home stretch, but the first two are more traversing than climbing and the home stretch just isn’t that steep - much of it can be walked without using hands. On Kelso, before the knife edge, you have places where you are truly climbing and a fall would have serious consequences.

Not try to discourage anyone - Kelso is still easier IMO due to the much shorter distance. But I think a person with concerns about climbing with exposure should go into it with expectation of it being a bit more challenging technically. The routefinding is also a bit more challenging since you don’t have a path laid out for you with paint.

[ScottLovesRMNP]

Absolutely this. IMO no single spot on the Keyhole route of Longs is *that* terrifying in good, summer conditions. Again, just my opinion and I have been on this mountain A LOT. What gets you is the overall grind, the continual focus needed, and the fact that you're going to be up there on that terrain for a long, long time. But under normal summer conditions, I've never felt like I was going to die as long as I took my time, used common sense, stayed mentally engaged, watched the weather, etc.

With Kelso, which I just did last August, the climbing seemed steeper and stiffer than anything on Longs' Keyhole route. There were a few places where I felt like my life depended on whatever handhold or foothold I was engaging with at that moment. Overall I felt that Kelso was harder than what a lot of people describe it to be. Perhaps it attracts climbers who are a bit more seasoned than the ones on Longs, so the relative described difficulty decreases correspondingly. Not sure. But the tough spots on Kelso are short and sweet. It's much more direct than Longs.

In the end, I don't really think the two climbs are all that comparable. Keyhole on Longs is a long slog with continual alpine challenges that go on seemingly for hours on end, while Kelso is a much shorter route that has some short, specific high-consequence spots with steepness and fall-potential that exceed anything seen on the Keyhole route (again, in summer conditions).

I’m going to disagree a bit with some of the previous posters. As I recall Kelso had several spots of pretty steep class 3 climbing before you reach the knife edge - steeper than what you encounter on Longs. The “white rock wall” (route description photo 12) is one, but not the only one.

Longs has some areas with significant pucker factor in the ledges, narrows and home stretch, but the first two are more traversing than climbing and the home stretch just isn’t that steep - much of it can be walked without using hands. On Kelso, before the knife edge, you have places where you are truly climbing and a fall would have serious consequences.

Not try to discourage anyone - Kelso is still easier IMO due to the much shorter distance. But I think a person with concerns about climbing with exposure should go into it with expectation of it being a bit more challenging technically. The routefinding is also a bit more challenging since you don’t have a path laid out for you with paint.

[dr_j]

Both are a bit scrambly in nature, especially the Homestretch portion on Longs which I found to be rather slippery even on a dry day.

They are very different in terms of exposure. Kelso has the knife edge section which is airy on both sides, but it is quite short, and once you are past that, it's a straightforward hike up to the summit. The Ledges / Narrows are exposed on one side, and it's quite a drop-off, but there is maybe only one or two awkward sections with badly placed rocks.

Routefinding is much easier on Longs with all the painted marks. Kelso is a bit more difficult to find the way up, if you end up in a difficult climbing zone, back up and find another way up. Also for Longs, it is quite the commitment, and far longer than Kelso.

[Wentzl]

I have seen people freeze in terror on Kelso. I have not seen this on Long's.

That said, Kelso is not really any more difficult or technical, but it is more exposed and anyone with a genuine fear of heights/exposure would have an easier time on Long's.

[terrysrunning]

Keyhole route barely felt class 3 to me. Mostly like walking on a little sidewalk with a cliff next to it. Didn't need hands or routefinding much. But as has been pointed out, the parts like that go on for a long time.
Kelso has more actual scrambling, and part of the diversity of opinions might be because of the routefinding choices involved. There are a number of places where you can choose your own adventure; stay right and go up a steep loose slope of technically class 2 garbage, or stay left near/on the ridge and make it class 3/4/5 if you want. But even keeping it as low a grade as possible, the sections you have to scramble are more scrambly than anything you have to do on the Keyhole route.
Also Kelso Ridge is better because you don't have to get started in the middle of the stupid night. And you only have to do it one direction; once you get to the top you have nothing but pleasant class 1/2 ahead of you unless you decide to go back down the same way. Not exactly relevant to the topic, but factors into the experience.

[smokiesgnar]

Absolutely this. IMO no single spot on the Keyhole route of Longs is *that* terrifying in good, summer conditions. Again, just my opinion and I have been on this mountain A LOT. What gets you is the overall grind, the continual focus needed, and the fact that you're going to be up there on that terrain for a long, long time. But under normal summer conditions, I've never felt like I was going to die as long as I took my time, used common sense, stayed mentally engaged, watched the weather, etc.

With Kelso, which I just did last August, the climbing seemed steeper and stiffer than anything on Longs' Keyhole route. There were a few places where I felt like my life depended on whatever handhold or foothold I was engaging with at that moment. Overall I felt that Kelso was harder than what a lot of people describe it to be. Perhaps it attracts climbers who are a bit more seasoned than the ones on Longs, so the relative described difficulty decreases correspondingly. Not sure. But the tough spots on Kelso are short and sweet. It's much more direct than Longs.

In the end, I don't really think the two climbs are all that comparable. Keyhole on Longs is a long slog with continual alpine challenges that go on seemingly for hours on end, while Kelso is a much shorter route that has some short, specific high-consequence spots with steepness and fall-potential that exceed anything seen on the Keyhole route (again, in summer conditions).

I’m going to disagree a bit with some of the previous posters. As I recall Kelso had several spots of pretty steep class 3 climbing before you reach the knife edge - steeper than what you encounter on Longs. The “white rock wall” (route description photo 12) is one, but not the only one.

Longs has some areas with significant pucker factor in the ledges, narrows and home stretch, but the first two are more traversing than climbing and the home stretch just isn’t that steep - much of it can be walked without using hands. On Kelso, before the knife edge, you have places where you are truly climbing and a fall would have serious consequences.

Not try to discourage anyone - Kelso is still easier IMO due to the much shorter distance. But I think a person with concerns about climbing with exposure should go into it with expectation of it being a bit more challenging technically. The routefinding is also a bit more challenging since you don’t have a path laid out for you with paint.

Agree completely. Long time lurker here. I’ve done many 3rd class Colorado routes at this point. Longs keyhole several times. I climbed Kelso last year at the end of a week that included Crestone needle standard route. I personally thought Kelso ridge felt harder, more exposed, and much looser than the Crestone Needle west gully route. This is specifically in regards to several pitches leading up to the knife edge, not the knife edge itself. I would put Kelso a full notch above anything on Longs keyhole in regards to the exposure/technical aspect. Just my opinion.

[Gulf_Coast_Hiker]

Can anyone compare Kelso ridge to Gray's south ridge coming from Ruby mountain?

[daway8]

Can anyone compare Kelso ridge to Gray's south ridge coming from Ruby mountain?

Gray's South ridge from Ruby is much, much easier and far more trivial than Kelso Ridge.

I did a dramatized TR on the ridge from Ruby here: https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepo ... m=tripmine
You really have to work at it to make it interesting whereas Kelso Ridge has some fun scrambles even by it's easiest variation.

People interested in comparisons of ridges may benefit from this TR I did a ways back that includes Kelso and several other classics: https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepo ... m=tripmine