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"...
It has been getting harder to find routes for the Longs Peak Project (climbing Longs by a different route each month). I hoped to get one more "summer" climb in October, before the snow really flies. The weather was incredible the last few days of September, and it was a bit of a nail biter to see what would happen by October 1. Fortunately, the good pattern held!
Justiner & I ended up climbing an unjustifiably obscure 5.2 route that goes right up the center of the West Face, providing about 900' of really nice, moderate scrambling that skips the entire Trough, Narrows and Homestretch sections of the Keyhole Route. This route is listed as Van Diver's West Wall in Rossiter's guidebook, but beyond his brief description I was unable to find a single mention of it on the entire internet. To correct this, and in lieu of a full trip report, I put up a route description on moutainproject.com. Justiner also posted a nice recap on his Instagram.
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
A new route TR! And a 5th class one at that. Nice, congrats. Hey, a couple of questions: Did you do it in boots? I assume so, just wondering about the feasibility of a winter ascent. More edging vs. smearing? Unroped? Again, congrats and thanks for posting.
I used approach shoes, Justiner used trail running shoes. Footwear is a very personal choice. We were soloing. If it was wet/icy I'd want a rope. Seems like generally good pro. It can be darned cold back there in winter!
I think this would be a viable, if not adventurous winter route, as you follow a huge crack/flake system to the top. Lots of pro placements, although I don't think we were concerned about scoping out best places to belay - but they're certainly there. The steepness is pretty similar to say, the Third Flatiron, and the holds have a similar feeling... EXCEPT of course that ever-present huge crack that'll just gobble up larger cams. In other words, you can sew this one up.
The unknown really is how snowy/icy the route gets. The West Wall may be too steep for snow to accumulate in anything but deep inside the crack, and sunny enough were ice isn't going to form thick. I'd like a recon before committing ;)
Your comment about the route getting sun after 11am caught my interest, hence the winter questions. The NW Couloir is nearby and was a great winter route, was curious about this line. For sure I'd want to ease into it...or if too spicy just run away! Thanks again and congrats.
We soloed the NW Couloir in February with Microspikes. I'd say this is way more serious - the NW Couloir has about 25' of 5th class which is pretty secure. This has a few 100' of 5th class. But, yeah, as Justiner says you could easily protect this route. We found that the NW Couloir was surprisingly protected from WIND, which is a big deal in winter on Longs. Don't know if that would be true on the West Face. I look forward to your report!
wish I could of joined Peter. This one definitely looks worthwhile. Way to go out there and just do it you guys.
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.
