The East Face of Longs Peak Photo: Tom Dunwiddie

My Favorite Mountain: Longs Peak George Bell (gibell@comcast.net)

Traversing Broadway in Winter Photo: George Bell (12/21/97)

Longs Peak is located about 40 miles northwest of Denver, Colorado, in Rocky Mountain National Park. At 14,255 feet, it is the northernmost "fourteener" in Colorado, the 15th highest peak in the state, and the 48th highest mountain in North America. Instead of the classic pyramidal shape, Longs is perhaps more akin to a loaf of bread. The summit area is as big as a football field.

Two things distinguish Longs from most other peaks in Colorado: first, it is composed of high quality granite (that has not been broken up into scree). Second, it is a massive and complex peak with many steep walls on all sides (the biggest and most famous being the Diamond). These two factors make for a large number of high quality climbing routes and ensure that there is no easy way to the summit. Although there is a "trail" up the peak it corkscrews around the peak in search of easy terrain, and many places near the top a misstep will plunge you off a cliff.

Richard Rossiter's book, Rock and Ice Climbing Rocky Mountain National Park lists 109 routes for Long's Peak (most, but not all summit routes), which must be a record for a Colorado Peak. In fact, it's hard to think of a mountain world-wide that might have more than 109 routes on it (real mountains, not mile wide cliff bands).

In the summer climbing the peak is extremely popular with 100 people reaching the summit on a busy weekend day, most via the trail. In the winter it is a different story as the peak is often blasted by winds of hurricane force, and there is no terrain more tedious that the boulderfields which surround the peak when covered by a couple feet of snow.

Information Sources

• So you want to climb the Casual Route?
• The official National Park Service web site (contact information and phone numbers).
• An unofficial Rocky Mountain National Park web site (tons of stuff on the Park).
• A guide to exploring and enjoying Rocky Mountain National Park by Estes Park photographer Jesse Speer.
• mountainproject.com info on the Diamond. This interactive web site contains useful beta on many routes. If the link doesn't work for some reason go directly to www.mountainproject.com and navigate from there to Long's Peak.
• I recommend Dougald McDonald's new book: Longs Peak: The Story Of Colorado's Favorite Fourteener.

Past Routes

• 7/83 Roped solo of the Cable Route (North Face), continue down to the Loft and then climb Meeker. I descended by glissading the Lamb's Slide. An excellent introduction to Longs. Ascent #1 of Longs and Meeker.
• 6/88 Chris Brislawn and I attempt the Casual Route twice but are rained off.
• 8/92 Arthur Mizzi and I attempt the Casual Route. At the base of the N. Chimney we turn around as the weather is questionable.
• 8/15/92 Ascent of the Cable Route on Longs Peak on a gorgeous day with Esther, Angie, Scott Parrish, Steve, and Pierre. We descend via the trail. Ascent #2 of Longs.
• 8/20/92 Ascent of Diamond (Casual Route) with Arthur Mizzi on a flawless day, after three attempts. Six people ahead of us slow us down but we persevere. We descend via the trail. Ascent #3 of Longs.
• 7/16/94 Climb D7 on the Diamond with Bill Wright ( trip report). Long day with 3 50m aid pitches. Leave Boulder 3AM and return 8PM, descend Cable Route. Ascent #4 of Longs.
• 5/11/96 Climb Dream Weaver on Meeker with Bill Wright. Second time up Meeker.
• 6/1/96 Climb the Notch Couloir on Longs with Bill Wright. Fresh snow makes this scary, we simulclimb almost the whole thing. We are wasted at the notch, but drop down the other side and ascend a ramp to the homestretch, summit by noon (left car 4:30 AM). We descend via the Loft and glissade the Loft Couloir, pegging our Avocet altimeter watches at -600 feet per minute! This is a great way down in the spring. Ascent #5 of Longs.
• 7/26/96 Bill and I climb Pervertical Sanctuary on the Diamond. 14 Hour day. The two 5.10 pitches really wipe us out. Last pitch in a hailstorm. Ascent #6 of Longs (although we didn't tag the exact summit, went down the N Face after the step-around).
• 8/25/96 Stettner's Ledges with Bill Wright, 10.5 hours car to car. Beautiful day, hard snow getting to base of route but my instep crampons save the day. The crux pitch seems much harder than 5.7, maybe even 5.9! We finish with the Hornsby Direct variation and scamper over and simulclimb Kieners, descend via Cable Route. Ascent #7 of Longs and the third ascent in 1996!
• 3/8-9/97 The bold plan with Wayne Trzyna is to climb Alexander's Chimney to a bivy on Broadway, then continue the second day the the summit via Kieners. Alexander's is very thin and scary, takes us an hour a pitch. I am leading the last pitch to Broadway, and take a 20' screamer lunging for a hold as darkness descends. The second time I make it and we find a ledge right there to bivy. Wayne's stove isn't working well and then a blizzard descends. Miserable sleepless night as the wind drives spindrift into my face. Sky clears a few hours before sunrise and I get an excellent view of the comet Hale-Bopp. Weather is good the next day, but we are wasted and the stove does not work so we descend the Lamb's Slide.
• 3/16/97 Another Longs winter attempt (Kieners in one day) but we turn around below timberline due to horrendous winds.
• 12/21/97 Wayne Trzyna and I finally summit Longs via Kieners. It is the first day of winter and the shortest day of the year. 15 hour day, leaving the cars at 5:30AM, summit at 4PM, and returning to the cars at 8:30PM. A perfect, windless day with hard snow conditions, except for the area above the technical pitches. This is post-hole territory and, we simulclimb to protect us in case it avalanches (anchors in rock every 100' or so), this section takes us nearly 3 hours. We descend the Cable Route. Ascent #8 overall and my first winter ascent.
• 7/12/98 Climb Directissima on the Chasm View Wall with Andy Moore. It is my second attempt on the route (the first stopped by rain and lightning). This is a gorgeous route. Quite crowded on the Diamond across the way. Summit Lady Washington just for fun.
• 8/12/00 Run/hike up the Keyhole route as final training for the Pikes Peak Marathon. Leave the parking lot about 6 AM and summit in 2:23. After a five minute break on top, down in 1:54 to finish before 10:30. My friends Kraig Koski and Bill Wright pass me and log ascent times of 1:49 and 2:04, respectively! Ascent #9 and my first time UP the trail!
• 5/24/03 Climb and ski descent of Longs with Andy Moore and Bernard Vachon. We leave one car at Wild Basin and leave the usual Longs Peak Trailhead at 4:45, following the Loft route to the summit, reaching it about 11:00. Ski the Homestretch (marginal), then Keplinger's Couloir. Great ski down the valley to Sandbeach Lake, keep the skis on to about 9700' for over 4500 vertical feel of skiing. Then a long trudge to the car, just over 12:00 car to car. Ascent #10. Trip report.
• 6/1/03 Climb Flying Dutchman Couloir (left of Lamb's Slide) with Warren Teissier, Martin Leroux, John Prater and Lori Kepler. Crux involves a short pitch of mixed climbing. We summit Meeker (#3) and descend from The Loft in a raging blizzard!
• 9/5/05 Climb Keyhole Ridge with Todd Pett. Rather windy day and we barely have enough clothing to keep warm, we stick to the leeward (east) side as much as possible. The wind lessens as we reach the summit, we then descend the N Face.

Future Routes

• An ascent from the south side (Wild Basin Trailhead)
• Kor's Door to Zumie's Thumb or Teeter Totter Pillar
• Dunn Westbay (aid route on Diamond)
• Quadfecta (Meeker, Longs, Pagoda, Lady Washington, all in one day)
• Longs Peak Triathlon (start from Boulder via bike)
• Skyline Traverse
• West Face Route