Download Agreement, Release, and Acknowledgement of Risk:
You (the person requesting this file download) fully understand mountain climbing ("Activity") involves risks and dangers of serious bodily injury, including permanent disability, paralysis, and death ("Risks") and you fully accept and assume all such risks and all responsibility for losses, costs, and damages you incur as a result of your participation in this Activity.
You acknowledge that information in the file you have chosen to download may not be accurate and may contain errors. You agree to assume all risks when using this information and agree to release and discharge 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and the author(s) of such information (collectively, the "Released Parties").
You hereby discharge the Released Parties from all damages, actions, claims and liabilities of any nature, specifically including, but not limited to, damages, actions, claims and liabilities arising from or related to the negligence of the Released Parties. You further agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and each of the other Released Parties from and against any loss, damage, liability and expense, including costs and attorney fees, incurred by 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. or any of the other Released Parties as a result of you using information provided on the 14ers.com or 14ers Inc. websites.
You have read this agreement, fully understand its terms and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect.
By clicking "OK" you agree to these terms. If you DO NOT agree, click "Cancel"...
Unfortunately, it took me quite awhile to get this report in. Hopefully it will be useful for those of you planning it for next year. Oh well, better late then never. We would highly recommend this route as such a great alternative to the traditional Bierstadt/Evans option. It is so much less crowded and really fun class 3 climbing that you don't get going up standard Bierstadt. I am not sure what fun we missed with the famous willows but I would take my chances and say it was more fun.
The drive up Evans road took awhile. We weren't sure what camping was available so we stayed in town. We did find out that there is plenty of room for car camping if you choose to. The sunrise was beautiful and you get a great view of the Alpenglow. The downclimb was not bad although unusual to start that way. The basin was beautiful. The 800 ft climb up the slope to get to the ridge was not too bad but granted we just did the 2800 ft in a mile climb up Maroon. We could see our car shining in the sun on the other side.
We really enjoyed the ridge. It reminded us of the rock on the Crestone Needle. Fun, stable class 3 climbing. It was impressive looking back at Point 13,641.
There was still quite a bit of climbing to do which made covering that distance a little more interesting. We could hear the summit crowd once we got closer but until then, not a soul around.
I think it took us about 3 and a half hours to summit.
Lots of people climbing the standard route this day.
We set out for the Sawtooth pretty quickly. There were a few people on that route.
We opted to take the upper route on that ledge because we didn't like the looks of all the loose ground on the lower route. It is amazing the scale these pictures are on. If you blow up image 16 then you can see a couple of the people near the top that are wearing red and orange. There is a person lower down wearing blue. The sheer rock faces where dizzying to look at!
We actually thought the Sawtooth was even a little more challenging than Maroon. I am not sure if most would feel that way but it is looser and more dramatic to look at. I think it took about an hour and a half to get across.
We continued to have fun working our way up to Evans. We stayed below the ridge crest all the way around. Quite a bit more large rock hopping. It took longer than we thought it would. Almost thought we were missing something.
Then we saw all the cars and people. Amazing contrast.
We were hanging out on Evans summit around 2pm and walked straight down the hill to our car. Beautiful colors this time of year and there were lots of people out there enjoying the awesome weather and beauty as well.
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
We climbed it the next day... I saw your Abyss Lake photo and thought it looked the familiar, water level and surrounding colors, so I had to look at the dates, and yep we were there the follow day.
East Ridge was fun, the Sawtooth was disappointing. But it’s a classic route everyone needs to do.
Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.
Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.
