The Tour de Abyss has been on my list for years, ever since I first did the sawtooth in 2019. I decided it was finally time to prioritize it as a class-3 “warm-up” for this summer. I will expand more later in this trip report, but this route was much harder than I anticipated, especially the down-climb off PT 13,641. It was frankly exposed and scary, and I would humbly propose that at least one of the “risk factors” for this route should be changed.

We started at around 6:15 am at the first road switchback at around 13,300 feet as per the route description. The gully was loose and obnoxious but went pretty quickly. Crossing over the basin was easy and we soon found ourselves on the steep tundra to gain Bierstadt’s east ridge.

The first couple obstacles on the ridge were fun, easy climbing. We were prepared for the crux of the route: a prominent point on the ridge that would require some ledge traversing and a down climb off the top. The ledges were fun, exposed, and contained very solid rock. We had to resist the urge to switchback toward the ridge too early but the route was relatively straight forward.

We gained the ridge and worked our way to the top of Point 13,641. There was some fun scrambling along the way with some considerable exposure (to use the terminology on the website), but nothing too freaky. Winds were calm, and I was confident the down-climb wouldn’t be too bad. I was wrong.

I should preface this by saying that although I am no expert in alpine scrambling, I have completed a dozen or so unique class 3 scrambles, mostly on the 14ers. Of note, I have scrambled Crestone Peak, Wilson Peak, Wetterhorn, Kelso Ridge, and Lindsey’s NW ridge. My brother is a 14er finisher and was on the route with us. I say all that so that nobody can accuse us of being complete noobs. I have never done such an exposed down-climb or felt such intense exposure on a climb before. I sincerely don’t want to sound dramatic and I’m sure much of this is subjective. However, I also sincerely believe that this part of the route is much more challenging than the route description gives it credit for; specifically in regards to exposure and route finding.

We looked around for a bit and re-read the route descriptions (and screenshots of a trip report from 2019 where someone struggled with the descent), and didn’t see an obvious and safe way down. Descending off the left side looked particularly heinous: down-sloping slabs without obvious holds over massive exposure. It is hard for an image to do justice to it, but these slabs were not very inviting and the exposure was much higher than anticipated.

After some deliberation we made a group decision to descend immediately right off the top. That left us with a move facing in and making a large step over a gap to slightly safer terrain on the other side. I think this was the most exposed move I’ve ever made and it was terrifying to watch my wife do it. We slowly made our way back to the ridge crest and continued on, slightly shaken (at least I was lol).

All this to say, I strongly believe the exposure rating for this route should be changed from considerable to high. In my experience this route embodies the “A fall could result in serious injury or death. Moving through the area will require some scrambling or short technical moves” language on the website. When I look at other routes I’ve done with the “considerable” rating, I see the Sawtooth, Castle/Conundrum, Sneffels, and Missouri (?!) among others. The exposure on the Tour de Abyss is a step up from these. I am worried someone will see the “considerable” exposure on this route and think it’s a good idea as a first class 3. One could also make the case that the route finding should move from considerable to high, but that one is less clear because of the subjectivity of route finding.

The rest of the route was tedious. Lots of boulder hopping, tundra stomping, and scrambling. Once through the sawtooth traverse, it seems like you should be very close to the summit of Blue Sky. But alas, you are not, and there’s lots more plodding in front of you.