Longs Peak (Early Spring)

The trip report on this page represents the 20th time I have been to the summit of Longs Peak.

I can see Longs Peak from my living room window, and one of my favorite ways to spend a day is an adventure to the summit. I have put together a "Longs Peak Page" summarizing the routes I have done on Longs Peak. Check it out by clicking the link above.

Category: Colorado (RMNP)Summit Elev: 14,259 ftRock Type: Granite
Date: March 22, 2024 (Fri)Trip Report #: 679Partner: Lisa Foster

Route: Keyhole Route (~14.5 miles, 5100 ft gain/loss, early spring)  

My first spring ascent of Longs Peak.

Intro

In February, I had joined Lisa Foster on a winter ascent of Longs Peak via the Cables Route on the North Face. This marked my first winter ascent of Longs Peak, and Lisa's 50th month (!) in a row summiting Longs. I had a blast, and I told her to keep me in mind for any future Longs Peak ascents. So I was psyched when in late March, she called me and asked if I was interested in making a summit bid on Longs the next day. She had been up there the previous day but had turned around at The Trough due to deep snow. But she wanted to know if I was interested in an early spring ascent of the Keyhole Route with lots of trail-breaking. I was all in. This was worth a PTO day for sure.

This was my 20th time reaching the summit of Longs, and my first spring ascent. I have climbed Longs Peak via the Keyhole Route more than once in the summer, when it is merely a 3rd class scramble, but in the winter/spring it is an entirely different experience. To be honest, I almost bailed out when we reached the Boulderfield, when my hands became so cold and useless that I was worried about frostbite. I had two electric and two chemical hand warmers per mitt too! But Lisa offered to exchange mittens with me for awhile, which was a lifesaver. I rallied and we continued. I am so glad we did. (Thanks Lisa!)

Our entire adventure took just over 17 hours car to car. The way up took 12 hours and the way down took just under 5 hours. Most of the terrain was snow-covered, and the snow was deep at times, slowing down the ascent significantly. We wore snowshoes from treeline to The Keyhole, and crampons from The Keyhole to the summit. It was a gorgeous day and I reveled in every bit of it (except maybe the cold hand episode). 

The following page gives overlays and photos from my first spring ascent of Longs Peak. Enjoy.

(And I am going to buy a pair of mittens more capable of keeping my hands warm at 12,000-14,000 feet in the winter. A couple of hundred dollars is worth keeping all 10 digits.)

Route OverlayS

Summer*,** conditions

* conditions in summer can vary quite a bit, from bone dry to wet to icy

** the conditions we had during this climb were early spring conditions....much snowier, colder, and more technical than in the summer

Map

Map showing all the routes I've done to the top of Longs Peak. The Keyhole Route is in red.

Time Stats

CLOCK TIMES:

SPLIT TIMES:

Photos

Trailhead to The Boulderfield 

2nd

Hike/snowshoe a bit over 6 miles from the Longs Peak Trailhead to The Boulderfield. The Boulderfield is a broad rocky expanse on the north shoulder of Longs Peak below The Keyhole.

Dawn light on the Diamond from the upper Boulderfield.
Looking back at our snowshoe tracks through the Boulderfield.
Morning alpenglow on the Diamond from the upper Boulderfield.
Morning alpenglow on the Keyhole from the upper Boulderfield.
Looking back out as we approached the Keyhole. Pretty morning colors. The peak is Mt. Lady Washington.
Steph on the ascent to the Keyhole. Photo by Lisa.

The Keyhole 

3rd

The Keyhole is a pronounced notch in the northwest ridge of Longs Peak. The Keyhole is the key to the route, allowing access from the east side of Longs Peak to the west side. 

The distance from the Keyhole to the summit is about a mile but it is a time-consuming mile with lots of route-finding, exposure, and scrambling (or snow travel in spring/winter/fall). From here, the route spirals around the west and south sides of the mountain to the summit. The route is marked at crucial spots with painted yellow and red bull's-eyes (mostly buried on the day of this trip report).

Approaching The Keyhole. The wind had blown away the powdery snow leaving a raised pathway of compacted snow from previous tracks (these were actually the tracks from Lisa and her three friends attempting to summit Longs two days earlier).

The Ledges 

3rd

The Ledges are about 0.3 mile long and connect The Keyhole to The Trough. In the summer this is just rock, but in the spring ascent in this trip report, it was snow slopes.

Beginning The Ledges. In summer, this is just a trail through rock.
The clouds were moving quickly in and out as we traversed The Ledges. Shortly after the last picture was taken, the views opened up.
Steph on The Ledges. Photo by Lisa.
Some of the red and yellow markers of the summer trail were present on rocks poking out of the snow.
Looking back at the last part of The Ledges as we neared The Trough.
Let the wallowing begin! Photo by Lisa.

The Trough 

3rd

The Trough is a long gully on the back (west) side of Longs Peak that extends all the way down into Glacier Gorge and it passes by the upper reaches of Longs Peak 0.3 miles from the The Keyhole. Climb The Trough for 550 feet to the west ridge of Longs Peak. Even in the summer, The Trough is often filled with snow and may require crampons and ice axe. In the spring ascent in this trip report, we booted up through sometimes deep snow. It was a good workout.

The Trough is the obvious trough of snow leading up and left.
Steph entering The Trough. Photo by Lisa.
Looking up The Trough.
Looking down as we booted up The Trough. Snow was deep at times so it was a nice workout. I like a good mindless slog.
Lisa nearing the top of The Trough.
Steph at the top of The Trough. Photo by Lisa.
As we ascended The Trough, we basked in views of Chiefs Head and Spearhead.

The Narrows 

3rd

The Narrows is a slender shelf located at the top of The Trough. In the summer you scramble across on broken ledges, then around a rib to the base of The Homestretch. In the spring ascent in this trip report, we decided to rope up for most of The Narrows, since the snow was steep and a fall would be fatal. We found occasional protection in rock outcrops.

The start of The Narrows.
Rime on rock above The Narrows.
Rime on one of the painted route markers.
Lisa on the first part of The Narrows.
The view from The Narrows: Keyboard of the Winds, Pagoda, Chiefs Head, and more.
Due to the high consequence (probably death) of a fall from The Narrows, we roped up for this section and found occasional gear placements in rock outcrops. Even though the snow was in the sun, temperatures were cold and the snow was in great condition.
View back of The Narrows. Photo by Lisa.
Lisa leading the roped Narrows pitch.
The final section of The Narrows.

The Homestretch

3rd

The Homestretch is a steep ramp on the south face of Longs. It leads to the summit. In the summer, it can be a bit slick or icy. In the spring ascent in this trip report, we booted up through deep but stable snow. 

The Homestretch. We booted up ths unroped. Looks like another wallow!
A view back at Lisa ascending The Homestretch. Can't complain about the views!
The final section. We were nearly at 12 hours of nearly-constant trail-breaking since leaving the car at 1am, so this final part seemed a tad endless. I found excuses to take a few breaks as I kicked steps up.

Summit

The top of Longs Peak is 14,259 feet. The highest summit in RMNP. Enjoy the view! We had the summit to ourselves.

The summit.
View.
USGS summit marker.
Lisa on the summit block.
Summit photo. Photo by Lisa.
Steph enjoying the summit. Photo by Lisa.

Descent

Reverse the route.

This sign is at the top of The Homestretch.
Belaying The Narrows. We decided to rope up for this section both on the ascent and descent.
The Narrows.
Going down The Trough took a few minutes. Much more enjoyable than the ascent!
Going down The Trough took a few minutes. Much more enjoyable than the ascent!
View of McHenrys and Arrowhead across the way.
The Keyhole. Storm Peak behind.
The Keyhole. Note the stone shelter. I believe this shelter was built in memory of hiking pioneer Agnes Vaille who lost her life to the mountain in 1925 after becoming the first hiker to make the Longs Peak ascent in winter. 
A view back at Longs Peak while descending the Boulderfield. Windblown snow had obscured our tracks from the morning, so we had to break trail yet again.
Wind blown snow on the descent. on the slope just below the Boulderfield.
Cool textures in the snow.
Nearing Granite Pass. Another example of a raised pathway due to powder being blown away from the compacted snow under tracks.
A view back at Longs Peak and Mt. Lady Washington just before reentering treeline.
Back at the Longs Peak parking lot.
When I got home, it looked as if Newt had had a big day too.
I did sustain a bit of temporary frostbite damage from my cold hands experience. For 3 weeks I could not feel the tip of my middle finger on my left hand. After a couple of weeks the skin began to peel off. This photo was taken 2.5 weeks after the climb.

previous and next adventures