Partner's Traverse

Prelude:
There's a ton of supplemental information and existing trip reports on this route, but the reason I'm writing this report is to provide some additional photos and details regarding the crux section; from the saddle between East and West Partner to the summit of West Partner (primarily). I also enjoy writing trip reports for objectives that have been special for me, personally. I had quite a bit of trepidation leading up to attempting the Partners Traverse because of its reputation and completing it felt like a big milestone as I move into more technical terrain. Big thanks to OG @jbchalk, @Kevin Baker, @lordhelmut, and @Monster5 for the existing beta that we read through before tackling this traverse. This year has had a myriad of Gore ridge romps; QRS, LMN, Deluge Linkup, East Thorne to Silverthorne, and Ripsaw Ridge. The Partners Traverse has been my favorite so far. The scrambling is exposed and challenging, but also incredibly solid, fairly intuitive, exhilarating, and just plain fun! We did NOT use a rope, though I could certainly understand why someone would choose to in certain spots. We ended up bringing harnesses, webbing, and a 60 meter twin rope in case we felt the need to repel something, but never did... We never felt that the scrambling was desperate or sketchy and I think a lot of that has to do with just how solid and confidence-inspiring the rock on this ridge is.

That being said, don't underestimate this route and definitely work through some less-committing Gore Range scrambles to get a feel for the type of rock. If you are on the Partner's Traverse, you should be comfortable in 4th and low 5th class terrain without beta because you may find that alternative lines suite your ability and style better! Welcome to the Gore - There is no standard route, good route-finding is rewarded, and you choose your own adventure. That being said, this is a ridge where getting cliffed out isn't very common and staying ridge proper can lead you into some of best ridge scrambling terrain the Gore has to offer! If you get through the downclimbing and feel like the ridge is too much, the saddle is a great spot to bail back into the basin below. Earlier bailouts appear to be possible, but are in long, steep couloirs that are likely filled with loose rock. You can also bypass the crux section - see TR by @yaktoleft13. One thing is for sure, this traverse is a gem, even by Gore standards.

Approach/Route:
Park at Pitkin Lake Trailhead and take the trail just past the 11,000' contour... there should be a large clearing. The clearing is marshy, but crossing along the back edge of the marsh allows for dry and easy access to the South Ridge terminus. There are other approaches up East Partner, but the South Ridge seems to be the most efficient and doesn't add too much additional scrambling. The slope leading up to the South Ridge can be kept Class 1, but you may encounter some brief sections of Class 2 or 3 depending on your route selection. Follow the ridge, which has some brief sections of Class 4 along the crest. A knife edge marks the end of the South Ridge and the beginning of your traverse onto the East Face of East Partner's summit block. There's a number of different routes you can take to the summit. We ended up finding a comfy, Class 4 dihedral that lead us almost all the way to the summit.

From the Summit, route finding is simple - as a general rule of thumb, follow the ridge! Don't use this rule-of-thumb as law. As always, if you scope a route that looks more comfortable to you, then default to your best judgement. There are a few small bumps initially that we passed 5-10 feet below on the right along a large grassy ledge. There's definitely some tricky downclimbing as you go towards the saddle, but there are lots of hands and feet and it's all generally solid! Once the rocky downclimbs transition to grass, it's smooth sailing to the saddle between the two peaks. The next section of the ridge is the crux. The crux section is what makes this route special. For such a short section of the ridge, it hides a lot of towers, knife edges, dihedrals, and one particularly interesting chimney!

The Crux
The terrain gradually becomes more rugged as you approach the crux section, starting with a steep downclimb into a notch. One of the first features you'll come to is commonly considered the "crux" of the route (Class 5.3). The crux is a knife edge that leads to a large crack in a boulder (you can spot this feature on the approach from earlier on the ridge). Allegedly, this portion of the ridge is harder for shorter people, but Gina (5' 5") didn't have any issues. Scoot to the edge of the knife ridge and stretch your legs across the gap - stemming your way down and transitioning to some awkward downclimbing moves as the crack narrows. After the crack, we climbed directly up some red rock that was (again) low 5th class... There are a lot of low 5th class or exposed 4th class up-climbs. I was the primary when it came to scoping out the route and it was definitely a bit unnerving not knowing whether that particular climb went or not. However, every stout up-climb resulted in passable (often easier) terrain. There was 1 tower that we bypassed (didn't look climbable) using a dihedral that descended down and to the left. At the end of the dihedral, we immediately re-ascended up to the ridge, which placed us at one of the more recognizable features - the crack that most people use to traverse a large slab to get back up to the ridge proper. This was definitely the most memorable section of the ridge.