Longs Peak (Winter & Spring)

The trip report on this page represents the 19th and 21st times 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
This page contains two trip reports:

1.

Date: February 1, 2024 (Thu)Trip Report #: 670Partners: Lisa Foster, Tommy Campbell

2.

Date: April 12, 2024 (Fri)Trip Report #: 684Partner: Lisa Foster

Route: Cables Route on North Face (winter, M2)

My first winter ascent and second spring ascent of Longs Peak.

Route Overlays

Winter* conditions

* This was the conditions on our winter ascent on February 1, 2024. Conditions in winter can be much snowier than what we experienced in the photo.

Spring* conditions

* This was the conditions on our spring ascent on April 12, 2024. Conditions can vary a lot from year to year.

Summer* conditions

* This was the conditions on a summer day in July 2018. Conditions can vary even in the summer.

Historical Sidenote About the Cables Route

The Cables Route which we used for our ascent got its name from the fact that in 1925 and 1926, steel cables were installed on the slab above Chasm View, which eliminated the need for rope and belays; subsequently, the Cables Route became the standard route to the summit. The cables, and most of the eyebolts to which they were secured, were removed in 1973 in an effort to "naturalize the park". However, a few were left in place for belays and rappels. After that, the Keyhole Route (which I have also done, click link for trip report), which is easier but longer, quickly became the most poplar route on the mountain. 

Historical photo of climbers on the Cables Route. Found in article titled Rocky Mountain National Park: A History on the NPS website.

My Dad's First Backpacking Trip + A Poem About It

I always pass on my trip reports to my parents. My dad was particularly interested in this trip report, since the first "backpacking" (his words) trip my dad did was in 1972 (he was 22 years old at the time), to camp overnight in the Boulderfield on Longs Peak and climb the Cables Route with his friend Deisel. The cables were still present at the time. 

My dad did not have a camera with him, but Deisel did. On a previous climb (July 2022) which had involved downclimbing the Cables Route, I had thought it would be cool to add some photos from their adventure in this trip report, but when my dad emailed Deisel he replied with: "Tell Steph I was so scared of climbing the Cable Route I took no pictures, except on the Boulder Field and at the summit."

But my Cables Route adventures inspired Deisel to write a poem marking the 50th anniversary of their Longs Peak climb. The poem is given to the right.

Sleeping at the Base of Longs Peak

In the Boulder Field, Mid-August 1972

- William Deisel Timmerman, August 2022


It was 50 years ago, as I remember it,

And, truth be told, much of it is not remembered,

When I went to sleep high up in a boulder field,

Woke up in the night under a full moon

To piss, and there I was on the moon, 

The boulders all rounded and white like eggs.  

I thought to myself, I must be sleeping on the moon.  

In the morning humans awoke from between the boulders 

All around us from their cocoon sleeping bags.  

As I looked up to the summit of

Longs Peak, having never climbed a mountain

In my life, I remember thinking this is going to be

Great or sure as hell I am going to die today.

Trip Report #1 (February 2024)

(my first winter ascent of Longs Peak)

Intro

The last week of January 2024 had record-breaking spring-like temperatures in Colorado, with highs near the 70's in Boulder and 60's in Estes Park. The warm weather lasted only a few days, from Monday to Thursday. I was going a bit stir crazy sitting inside working. So when Lisa Foster invited me to join her and her friend Tommy on a winter ascent of Longs Peak on Thursday (they had a third who couldn't make it last minute), I was all in.

This climb marked my first winter ascent of Longs Peak and my 19th time to the summit of Longs Peak (all previous ascents had been in the summer, via various routes, including multiple times via the vertical face of the Diamond). But for Lisa, who had done over 200 (!) ascents of Longs Peak, this climb marked her 50th month (!) in a row summiting Longs Peak. (She actually holds the record for consecutive months, having surpassed legendary climber Jim Detterline’s record of 30 months long ago. Quite impressive. Especially since for a good proportion of the year conditions can be rather gnarly on Longs.)

We climbed the Cables Route on the North Face of Longs, which is the most common ascent route in the winter. This route is the most direct of all the moderate routes on Longs Peak, and is mostly 3rd class apart from a short technical crux (5.4 in summer, usually M2 in winter). It is a popular descent route since you can keep it at 3rd class if you rappel from eyebolts to get past the crux. There was just a little ice on the route and the temperatures were mild, so I felt like I got off easy for my first winter ascent of Longs. Tommy led the roped pitch. We basked in the sun on the summit for almost an hour.

(Note: Although I had never ascended the Cables Route before this trip report, I have descended it several times. Two of these times are documented in trip reports—Kiener's to Cables Route link-up in July 2022 and Meeker to Longs link-up in August 2022—since both these times I solo downclimbed the route rather than rappelled past the crux.)

Our entire adventure took just over 12 hours car to car. It was an awesome day out, the kind of day I wish I could repeat over and over. Thanks Lisa and Tommy for inviting me along!

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

Update: The following month, March 2024, I joined Lisa for her 51st month in a row climbing Longs Peak. We climbed the Keyhole Route. It was technically early spring but conditions were more wintery than on the Cables ascent in February.

Time Stats

CLOCK TIMES:

SPLIT TIMES:

Photos

Approach

2nd-3rd, some snow 

From the Longs Peak Trailhead, hike up to Boulderfield, and from there to Chasm View below the North Face. 

3am meet-up at the Longs Peak Trailhead. All of us live within 20 minutes of the trailhead. Pretty awesome to have this in our backyard.
Eveery mile hiked and foot gained before sunrise is bonus time.
I always notice this large boulder on the ascent to the Boulderfield. Surely it has a name, but I've named it The Spaceship.
Ah, finally we can see. And what a nice view!
Morning alpenglow on The DIamond. The North Face of Longs lies ahead.
Approaching the Cables Route on the North Face of Longs.
View to the west towards Storm Peak and Half Mountain north of the Keyhole feature on Longs. 
Racking and harnessing up at Chasm View.
The spectacular view of the Diamond from Chasm View. A winter ascent at the moment would mostly be a (chilly!) rock climb.
Looking down at Broadway Ledge from Chasm View.
Looking up at the Cables Route from Chasm View. For winter conditions, this is not much snow.
Despite the "warm" weather, it was still quite chilly at 13,000+ feet in the shade. These rechargable handwarmers kept my hands toasty. Plus they are sort of cute in an evil sort of way.

Cables Route on the North Face

5.4 or M2

The technical (5.4 in summer, M2 in winter) section of the route is about 150 feet of right-facing dihedral that starts not far above Chasm View. Otherwise, this route is mostly 3rd class (above the crux dihedral, scramble south up 3rd class slabs and boulders to the summit.)

Lisa making a nice platform at the base of the Cables Route.
The start of the Cables Route. The next 200 feet is the crux of the route - 5.4 in summer and M2 in winter. This could have much more ice or snow after some winter storms.
Tommy approaching the base of the Cables Route.
Steph and Tommy at the base of the Cables Route.Photo by Lisa.
Tommy leading the crux pitch of the Cables Route, with Lisa belaying. This single pitch was the only portion of the route we roped up for.
Lisa following the roped pitch. Lisa and I climbed on separate ropes staggered about 30-50 feet apart.
Lisa just before the crux of the pitch. Tommy is at the belay taking a photo.
We left our ropes and gear on the eyebolt at the top of the roped pitch, since we would just scramble solo to the summit from here.
Lisa at the belay at the top of the roped pitch.
Steph having fun at the top of the roped pitch.Photo by Lisa.
To the top!
Tommy on the scramble to the top. It's 3rd class with snow, but still steep and exposed enough you would not want to fall.
A view back at Lisa and Tommy on the shaded north-side scramble.

Top!

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

On top!
The USGS marker on the summit.
Summit photo: Tommy, Lisa, Steph. Red/orange was the color of the day.Photo by Tommy with Lisa's camera.
It was calm and almost warm on the summit, so we hung out for nearly an hour enjoying the view and the magnificent winter day, and delaying the inevitable return to the shade of the North Face.
Lisa on the summit enjoying the view. Wild Basin below.
Another summit view photo.
Looking down the Homestretch at the top of the Keyhole Route. It does not look as if anyone has climbed Longs via this route recently. In the conditions we had, the Cables Route was a better choice.

Descent via the Cables Route on North Face

Reverse the ascent. Make two rappels from eyebolts to rappel over the crux section.

Beginning the descent back down the north side.
We made two rappels (first a single rope rappel, second a double rope rappel) to get past the crux section.
Rappelling the crux section.
A view to the west from Chasm View at the base of the Cables Route. Lots of gleaming white Rockies out there.

Hike out

2nd, possibly snowy

Hike down the the trail in the Boulderfield, and from there back to the Longs Peak Parking Lot.

A view back towards Longs Peak on the descent through the Boulderfield.
A view into RMNP on the hike down.
My water froze. Fortunately, I had brought a thermos of hot liquid, which stayed warm and was nice to drink during the chilly times of the day.
The trail below treeline was hard-packed. Spikes were nice to have for the hike out. My mom had made me this nice bag for my spikes after the original bag blew away in the wind last year. Her bag is much better!
Back at the parking lot. Three of the cars are ours.

Trip Report #2 (April 2024)

(my second spring ascent of Longs Peak and first time in the spring via the Cables Route)

Intro

This was the third month in a row that I joined Lisa for her monthly ascent of Longs Peak (her 52nd month in a row!). It had been a cold but sunny week, and snow was quite stable in the mountains. The forecast was stellar. A perfect time to climb the Cables Route! 

We left the Longs Peak trailhead at 1:30am. It was a touch windy on the approach, but nothing out of the ordinary. By the time we started to climb, the north face was basking in the sun. Snow conditions were perfect (where was everyone?). We enjoyed a long break on the summit. Our entire adventure took just under 14 hours car to car. It was another awesome Longs day with Lisa!

Below are some photos from the climb. Several of them were taken by Lisa, with credit given (it's always great to have a partner who takes photos as well!).

I took this photo of Longs Peak with my telephoto lens the day before our climb. 
Zoomed in on the north face. Conditions looking great.

Time Stats

CLOCK TIMES:

SPLIT TIMES:

Photos

Approach

2nd-3rd, some snow 

From the Longs Peak Trailhead, hike up to Boulderfield, and from there to Chasm View below the North Face. 

Morning alpenglow on the approach.
The north face is a sunny route this time of year.
Nearing the base of the steep snow slope. Photo by Lisa.
Nearing the base of the steep snow slope. Mt. Lady Washington behind.
Looking up the snow slope to the base of the technical section. We cramponned up here and booted up the slope to the base of the technical section. Snow conditions were perfect.
Steph starting up the snow slope. Photo by Lisa.
Looking down the snow slope to the base of the technical section. 
Looking up the technical section of the Cables Route.
I kicked out a platform at the base of the technical section. I sat on my pack looking like a dork and enjoyed the view.Photo by Lisa.
Lisa nearing the top of the snow slope.
Snowy peaks of RMNP to the northwest.
A bluebird day.

Cables Route on the North Face

5.4 or M2

The technical (5.4 in summer, M2 in winter) section of the route is about 150 feet of right-facing dihedral that starts not far above Chasm View. Otherwise, this route is mostly 3rd class (above the crux dihedral, scramble south up 3rd class slabs and boulders to the summit.)

Lisa led the technical pitch. She offered for me to lead it but I wimped out. Next time I plan to lead it.
Mid pitch. 
Steph nearing the top of the pitch. Photo by Lisa.
We left the rope and rack at the eyebolt above the technical pitch and ascended snow and rock to the summit.
We crossed this. I can imagine that under poor snow conditions this part could be a bit treacherous. There is a cliff below you may not survive.
Crossing the snow field. Photo by Lisa.
Crossing the snow slope.
To the summit. Photo by Lisa.

Top!

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

On top. Photo by Lisa.
You have to sit on the summit block and do a hero pose for it to count. Photo by Lisa.
Lisa on the summit.
Haning out on the summit. Photo by Lisa.
USGS marker.
Hmm....Reese's pieces or M&Ms. I went with the Reese's pieces. And then the M&Ms.
View.

Descent via the Cables Route on North Face

Reverse the ascent. Make two rappels from eyebolts to rappel over the crux section.

We rappelled from the eyebolt above the technical pitch.
Beginning the rappel. Photo by Lisa.
Lisa rappelling.
Steph at Chasm View to get a view of the Diamond. Photo by Lisa.
On the way down, I detoured over to Chasm View to take a look at the Diamond.
On the way down, I detoured over to Chasm View to take a look at the Diamond.
View down from Chasm View.

Hike out

2nd, possibly snowy

Hike down the the trail in the Boulderfield, and from there back to the Longs Peak Parking Lot.

A view back at Longs Peak on the hike out of the Boulderfield.
A view back of Longs Peak (and Mt. Lady Washington) just before reentering treeline.
I found Newt sacked out on a pile of clothes when I got home. Looks like he had a big day too.

previous and next adventures

(February 2024)
(April 2024)