Longs Peak

Route: Keyhole Route
Posted On: 11/9/2021, By: stickmann
Info: No significant snow before the keyhole unless you're headed to the Cables route. Mixed conditions past the keyhole. Snow was soft through the ledges and narrows then punchy firm through the trough. A few spots have avoidable verglas. High exposure zones felt mostly safe with either good snow or dry rock. The homestretch is holding snow and has a crusty ice top layer with firm snow underneath. 

Route: Keyhole Route
Posted On: 10/31/2021, By: scott_s
Info: Trail up to the keyhole has quite a few snowy spots but most are packed/only a couple inches deep. Traction is needed after passing through the keyhole, full mixed snow/rock conditions on the ledges, trough, and narrows. The trough had snow up to about a foot deep in spots. Homestretch is pretty clear and dry, just a bit of snow in the cracks. 

Route: Keyhole Route
Posted On: 10/27/2021, By: wjaygee
Info: Approach was clear of snow with the exception of some drifts on the trail as it wraps around the E side of Mt Lady Washington. Traction not necessary. I don't have information on the route past the boulderfield since I was doing Cables, not Keyhole, but I did take a picture of the Homestretch which was snow-free except the deeper cracks and crevices. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 10/18/2021, By: Micaiah
Info: Minimal snow accumulation up to the Keyhole. North Face had snow/neve/ice in all cracks. The walk down from summit to the rappels had significant snow. Eyebolts exposed.
Ledges nearly full snow coverage, minimal ice. Trough had loose, unconsolidated snow and exposed rock. Narrows looked mostly bare from Keyhole Ridge, but I broke from the route there and ascended Southwest Ridge, which had minimal snow in the cracks. From top, the homestretch appeared mostly dry, with some ice. Ice axe and spikes may suffice for Keyhole Route. I prefer crampons for the north face in these conditions. 

Route: Keyhole Route
Posted On: 10/7/2021, By: anegron
Info: Dry conditions. Some snow and ice on The Trough. 

Route: Keyhole Route
Posted On: 10/5/2021, By: Misi197
Info: Summer conditions with the exception of the upper part of the trough. Final move to get out of the trough is tricky with a light layer of ice. May have melted off in some afternoon sunshine. No traction needed until next storm. 

Route: Keyhole Route
Posted On: 10/2/2021, By: Jennanney82
Info: Alpine start of 6am. Clear and dry conditions all the way up with a splattering of snow near top of the trough. A few icy rocks made for more cautious feet placement at times but no traction needed as of today. Beautiful fall day with minimal folks. 

Route: Notch couloir
Posted On: 9/28/2021, By: Micaiah
Info: 1500ft of bulletproof, grey glacial ice. 

Route: Keyhole ridge/cables
Posted On: 9/26/2021, By: geg86
Info: Clear through the boulder field. Some snow and ice patches remain on keyhole ridge. Snow and ice on the cables route. 

Route: Loft Route
Posted On: 9/26/2021, By: swilson753
Info: Summitted Meeker from the Loft. Didn't go to Longs, but wanted to post info here. Unavoidable snow in the Loft couloir. Bring spikes-it's getting icy in spots. 

Route: Keyhole Route
Posted On: 9/25/2021, By: Mustavio
Info: The Trough has some snow, but was able to avoid all but 2 patches. Did not need microspikes. Rest of the route is clear. 

Route: Keyhole Route
Posted On: 9/22/2021, By: alpinenut
Info: Only one water source near Boulderfield camp sites and it's about 1/4 of a mile downhill. So get water on your way up if camping.

Longs got some some snow on Monday. Maybe an inch. Most is melted, but the Trough was not fun. Mixed unconsolidated snow and loose rock with a few icy steps. Carried traction but didn't use. Might help going up and down the Trough if you want stay on the snow. They would be scraping a lot of rock underneath the unconsolidated snow though. Rest of the mountain was pretty good conditions. No ice or verglas on ledges or narrows. Be on the lookout though, remaining snow melt could cause ice to form all over the mountain.

I attached a photo of the Narrows and Homestretch. Sorry didn't take any of Trough. 

Route: Keyhole Route
Posted On: 9/20/2021, By: longlevi823
Info: Successful summit of Longs Peak via the Keyhole on 09/19.

Synopsis: Windy


I started solo at 3:33 AM Sunday morning. Daylight didn't start to break until I was entering the boulder field.
The boulder field lived up to its windy reputation I've read in other condition updates/trip reports as well as YouTube videos. Also, it was pretty cold so having a wind jacket, winter gloves, fleece, and face buff was helpful.

The wind gusts were enough that my hiking poles were what was helping from getting blown down. Once at the base of boulders to go up to get to the Keyhole the wind gusts calmed down and were no longer blow you over.

I saw 1 solo person and 1 group turn back at the Keyhole because of the wind. There were others in the hut waiting it out. Myself and a guy named Mike I bumped into on the way up decided to still move forward.

Him and I went through the Keyhole and to the other side. Once you got about 20-50 feet past the Keyhole the winds died down. They were never at blow you over speeds the rest of the way but still an annoyance. Layers is what really helped in the situation cause it was a cold breeze.

A lot of clouds coming through quickly, but felt fine with that as the weather sources didn't warn of thunderstorms. Just high winds that day. Once we got to The Narrows the winds picked up again, but still not blow you down speed. Also the sun was breaking out on that side which was nice. The Homestretch and summit were pretty calm with little wind.

2 others made it to the summit not long after us and a party of 2 and one solo person were coming up the Homestretch as we were coming back down. When we got back to the The Trough we saw 2 separate individuals coming up. The winds were starting to calm down through this section but still pretty high. We got back to the Keyhole where the wind was ripping through like it was earlier. There was 1 person in the hut waiting on 2 of his friends who went up along with 2 others I hadn't seen earlier waiting.

Wind, and cold wind is what this route was today. I would suggest bringing good base layers, winter gloves, a wind jacket and face covering.

Good day overall. Stay safe out there. 

Route: Loft Route
Posted On: 9/7/2021, By: thebeave7
Info: Route is completely snow free (no surprise). Water is still flowing out of the Loft (easy to refill bottles and treat) and there are a few small trickles near the top of Keplingers, though it would be hard to get enough water to drink from these. There is some ice starting to form at the waterfall at the top of the Loft if you take the direct class 5 exit (rather than the class 3 traverse ledge).
Keyhole is basically dry as well until you get back to the Boulderfield, so plan accordingly, 

Route: Keyhole Route
Posted On: 9/5/2021, By: andy_schlichting
Info: Beautiful day for Longs Peak. No weather other than some breezy winds at times. I went with my sister and we are normally very above-average speed-wise on hikes, but this one took us about 11 hours, so you should know that his won't be an easy or quick one. It was her first class 3, but I don't think that slowed us down significantly. Started at 4:30 a.m. and finished a little after 3:30 p.m. Great sunrise past the turnoff for the lake (it was a smoky day and that made for some extra colors, but some tougher breathing). All of the terrain was in good shape aside from a large boulder (I'd estimate it at several hundred pounds) about 20-30 meters below the summit that has been marked with a foil blanket. This large rock looks like it's on verge of falling and if it were to slip, would be fatal to anyone in its path. Talking with others on the route that have done this route recently, we think this fell to its current resting place after a recent storm. It's best to stick to the left of the route on the final summit push to avoid this as much as possible. Besides that rock, the entire route is in great condition aside from a couple of icy spots in the trough as temperatures are dropping well below freezing at night at this time of year and not rising much past that during the day. It was honestly pretty chilly for 2/3 of this hike. I'd say we were chilled/cold up until about rounding the turn past Mt. Lady Washington on the descent--then we got quite hot with our three layers on, which we shed after the turnoff from the lake, and then it was just perfect temps to the parking area after tree line at 11,000 feet. Dress warm with layers.