Begin by following the Lake Como Approach to Lake Como then follow the Little Bear Peak - West Ridge and Hourglass Route past the 12,960-foot ridge point and the notch that follows. Turn left off the trail once you see a rock rib jutting out from the cliffs. There is a small black wall
at about 13,100ft. If you're following the official GPX tracks, you'll see this black wall just below the trail. But there is also a prominent trail running further below. If you came across on that lower trail you'll approach from just below the black wall -
1 and
2. Either way, you'll see a prominent hump standing out on top of the ridge and will aim to gain the ridge to the left of that hump by going up to the talus field just above the rock rib.
Above the black wall aim for a gully off to the left of a large talus field -
3. The base of the gully
is at about 13,320ft -
4. Go up the gully and then start veering right-
5. Aim for the low point of the ridge at about 13,550ft. This is the easiest place to gain the ridge but also the most exposed -
6. Part of the ridge can be bypassed on the right but that is not recommended due to the steep and loose rock.
You will only be on the exposed ridge for a few hundred feet but the exposure on both sides will be extreme -
7. It's a good idea to start scanning ahead for the flat-faced white rock that will mark your exit from the ridge -
8. The crux only requires a move or two of class 4 but has extreme exposure on both sides -
9 and
10. It is possible to bypass the crux on the right side but the climbing is equally, if not more difficult, so it is suggested to just stay on the ridge. You'll top out on the crux
at about 13,640ft.
Past the crux you can remain on top of the ridge or stay slightly below on the right side to reduce exposure. Look for the flat-faced white rock on the rock face ahead since the class 2 exit ledge runs immediately above it -
11 and
12. If you miss this ledge you will likely end up facing some more class 4, if not class 5 moves to get off the ridge. At the end of the ridge you will need to do a few class 3 moves to scramble up to where you get just above the flat-faced white rock and then walk along the ledge just above it -
13 and
14.
As you turn the corner to head towards the summit, this is a good place to carefully examine your surroundings so you can find this turn more easily on the way down. This turn point
is at about 13,725ft. Also be extremely careful from here on not to knock rocks down into the Hourglass which you'll soon begin to see on your right. You can then follow a faint trail towards a short wall that will take a couple easy moves to pop up over -
15 and
16. From there follow the path of least resistance and possibly occasional cairns. This will likely lead you to a short gully to go up -
17 and
18. From there work the best line up to the ridge and then turn right to walk up to the summit -
19.
If you were comfortable with the ascent, you can simply reverse your route for the descent. Otherwise you can always descend the standard Hourglass route - just be very careful about the rockfall hazards. The key is finding the cairns marking the turn point you came up at -
20 and
21. After that, carefully regain the ridge then downclimb the crux. The most difficult part is the stretch down the flat rock shown in photo 9 -
9. Then proceed down to the ridge low point to exit the ridge -
22 and retrace the remainder of you route.
GPX Track File
