Starting at Loveland Pass

Miles 7.28

Elevation Gain: 4,452

Moving time: 4 hours

This report is intended to assist you with route finding on Black Mountain. That being said, there will be very few words, and hopefully the photos help you scramble this ridge and summit a fun mountain.

Personally, the mountain seemed class 3 with maybe one or two class 4 moves - however, you could easily add some spice and make this harder if you wanted to. If you don't want to, I felt that route finding was not too difficult, and you could easily keep it class 3/easy 4. On the ridge, I got cliffed out once (super easy to back track a few feet), and then dropped too low on the way back (easy to tell because the rock quality turns bad pretty quickly).

The yellow line is the route I took up, and the red line is something I tried on the way down, or thought the line would go pretty easily (I'm about 90% confident in my drawing skills - I drew them when I got home... but, next time I will draw them right after taking the photo.

View of the ridge. Quite picturesque - looks worse than it is.

I didn't get photos of the very beginning... If you cannot make it to the photo below by yourself, you shouldn't be on this ridge.

My first (and last) cliff out below... Stay lower and to the right

Looking back at the notch you just dropped into (cool shot of Grizzly)

Once you wrap around and head left towards the ridge, you can take either of the two lines (whatever looks more fun to you)

Drop down into another little notch and straight up and over. I think the picture makes it look scarier than it is - see the next photos for reference

I didn't feel the need to face the rock going down. But look back at where you came from.

After the little climb up, you come around this little corner (it is looking back where you came from)

After getting back onto the ridge, look to your right, and you will see a little gully - Climb down this a few feet and then go left. (Gully is class 3/4)

Below is where you take a left, drop down into the notch, and the last scramble to the summit awaits.

Looking back at the route that took you into the notch.

'

So, the yellow takes you up some class 3 slab (I took this line. The red, I did not try, but looked like an easier route)

Looking back at the notch, and an idea of the slabby rock you will be going up/down.

Turn left at the top of the slab and jump back on the ridge.

Back on the ridge, and you can see the remainder of the route. Going up, I took the yellow line, and on the way down, I went straight over. The red line to the left looked like the easier option.