Route: LB West Ridge Direct to SLB Posted On: 2022-09-02, By: daway8 Info: First went up West Ridge Direct on Little Bear (class 5 variant that avoids the Hourglass) then took ridge direct to South Little Bear. For both ridges I stayed on the very top probably 90-95 percent of the time. West Ridge chimney was surprisingly small (tiny compared to the one on the Citadel and felt easier too). Didn't get ugly until about 13,800ft where there's an option to bypass if you swing over to the top section of the Hourglass (which I did on the way down). South Little Bear staying on the ridge top mostly felt class 3 or less, albeit at times very narrow and highly exposed but just before this 14er sub-summit there was a class 5 overhang that could probably have been avoided by dropping down a bit but it has excellent holds and wasn't bad after figuring it out. Both of these ridges run over the standard Hourglass route so great care must be taken not to knock rocks down on people but I'd say 90 percent of the rocks were very stable - it's that other 10 percent you have to be careful of. Managed both peaks with only knocking down two small rocks and neither where they posed danger. Will add more details in an upcoming trip report. |
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Route: SW Ridge - LB Blanca Traverse down standard/como Posted On: 2021-09-20, By: Makbrad Info: Route was completely dry on Saturday. The bushwack wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated. SW ridge up South Little Bear then took the Little Bear Blanca traverse. Descended standard on Blanca and down Lake Como road to 8000 ft. Car to car and a superb route. |
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Route: SW Ridge Posted On: 2020-06-23, By: Wentzl Info: Yeah, just had to add this to get all the Sangre range up to date! From SW Ridge, no snow. Summer conditions. Nice hike. Traverse to LB and traverse to Blanca also summer like. No snow. |
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Route: Hourglass Posted On: 2018-07-05, By: supranihilest Info: "South Little Bear" is in summer conditions just like its parent peak. There are a number of different options to climb it (some combination of ridge scrambles, ledge scrambles, and dirt "trails") and the rock is actually somewhat solid. Beware where it is not though, and climb accordingly. All rockfall traversing to "South Little Bear" goes into the Hourglass. |
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Route: SW Ridge Posted On: 2018-01-15, By: JtheChemE Info: SW ridge to SLB and Mamma Bear traverse are in excellent dry condition. Any snow present does not impact the route. You could probably do the SW ridge from Tobin in gore tex trail runners and microspikes. |
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Route: Hourglass Posted On: 2016-08-02, By: spiderman Info: Climbed from the hourglass route. Near the top of the standard/shredded ropes there is a blue rope heading up and to the right. That rope is also shredded and "tied" together at many spots. Good for a handhold but don't trust it with your life. We climbed up that right side of the gully and then traversed for 45 minutes to Mamma Bear. Insights: no need for ice ax. No need for harnesses or rappel device since the ropes are too shredded. Did climb with trail runners; left our climbing shoes in our packs. Total climbing time from 2wd TH: 12h. It might be faster to do Mamma Bear from Lake Como side than the direct/private property issue ridge. |