Arrowhead

Other routes I've climbed on Arrowhead:

Airhead (5.11d, 5p) • Arrowplane (5.11a, 6p) • Artemis (5.9+, 4p) • Bequeathed (5.10d, 6p) • Full Metal Jacket (5.10c, 3p) • Godfather, The (5.11b, 5p) • Goldfinger (5.11d, 3p) • Raindance (5.9, 6p) • Refugium (5.10a, 5p) • Ripsaw (5.7-5.9, 4-8p) • Shoshone (5.10a, 4p) • Warhead (5.10a, 5p)

Category: Colorado (RMNP)Summit Elev: 12,660 ftRock Type: Granite
Date: June 20, 2021 (Sun)Trip Report #: 473Partner: Nate Arganbright

Route: Ripsaw (5.7-5.9, 4-8p)

A ridge adventure with okay climbing and spectacular position.

Intro

Ripsaw ascends the complete Northeast Ridge from the shoulder above Solitude Lake to the summit of Arrowhead. Nate and I thought this route was so-so with some nice stretches of climbing mixed with unmemorable 4th class. With simul-climbing we climbed the route in 4 roped pitches. I also somehow missed the 5.9 finger crack of Pitch 3 (I accidentally climbed right around the First Tower) so the route docked down to about 5.7. But the views are spectacular, there are no crowds, and it's a nice round tour of Arrowhead.

Ripsaw is the sixth route I have done on Arrowhead and certainly not the last.

The following page provides a trip report for the adventure. Enjoy!

Time Stats

Glacier Gorge Trailhead to base of route: 2 hours 37 minutes
Climb route to summit: 4* hours (*includes about a 1 hour pause to check out the steep walls of granite above Ledge One)
Descend South Ramp and hike back to trailhead: 3 hours 8 minutes
Total car-to-car (includes breaks and exploration): 10 hours

Route Overlay

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

2nd

Hike the Glacier Gorge Trail and take the path up to Solitude Lake. Hike talus to a high point on the shoulder of the Northeast Ridge.

Lots of work for the trail crew this year.

Glacier Gorge gets its fair share of downed trees due to winter winds. As this photo shows, the roots are shallow due to the slabby bedrock.

Crossing the creek just after we cut off the main trail and headed up towards Solitude Lake.

Nearing Solitude Lake.

View of Arrowhead on approach.

Solitude Lake.

Pitches 1&2

5.7 & 5.5

(We simulclimbed.)

PITCH 1: 5.7. Friction up a beautiful slab to where it fades into a narrow dihedral. Go up and right and belay on a good ledge.

PITCH 2: 5.5. Go up and left to a big sloping ledge beneath a steep wall with a conspicuous finger crack.

Looking up Pitch 1 from the base of the route.

Pitch 2 terrain. First Tower described for Pitch 3 seen above.

Pitch 3

5.9

(We somehow missed this pitch by climbing right of the tower as part of the Pitches 1&2 simulclimb. Darn it!)

Climb the finger crack to a short of notch, then go straight up to the top of the First Tower and belay.

The First Tower can be seen above. The finger crack climbs this tower.

Looking back at First Tower. The fingercrack is on the other side. You downclimb this side at the start of Pitch 4.

Pitches 4-6

5.6, 5.7, 4th

(We simulclimbed.)

PITCH 4: 5.6. Downclimb into a notch, then climb to a ledge at the base of a nice hand crack.

PITCH 5: 5.7. Jam the hand crack to a step in the ridge, and climb a finger crack to the top of another pinnacle.

PITCH 6: 4th. Scramble to the top of the Second Tower.

RAPPEL: Rap 80 feet to a big notch in the Northeast Ridge.

Looking back at First Tower. Downclimb this side at the start of Pitch 4.

Notch described in the Pitch 4 description.

Second half of Pitch 4.

The steep handcrack of Pitch 5. This was fun 5.7 climbing.

Above the handcrack on Pitch 5.

Nate belaying at the top of Pitch 6.

The rappel anchor just past the top of Pitch 6.

Pitch 7

4th

(There is some looseness so probably a good idea to stay roped up for this pitch.)

Climb up through some blocky DNF terrain. Belay at a spot on the right side of Ledge One.

Jumbled terrain of Pitch 7, as seen from the rappel just after Pitch 6. We climbed left of center to start off, and then moved up the center of the photo.