astroclimber - Sep 8, 2013 8:59 pm Date Climbed: Aug 20, 2013
The Never Ending Southwest Ridge
Views are great but it seems to never end. With Jeremiah Meizis.
Ken Dammen - Aug 17, 2013 12:21 am Date Climbed: Aug 12, 2013
Standard route
Climbed the standard West Ridge route and up the "Hourglass". This was #53 of Colorado #58 14ers. Weather was good and there were only 3 others on the route. I did have one "missile" rock come down near me, but thankfully it avoided me. An orange static canyoneering rope was fixed in place and was in excellent shape. I used a harness and climbing shoes and helmet. Overkill I realize, but it did make me feel a little safer. Fun climb, but it would be very dangerous with a lot of people on route or in poor weather.
SherpaSara - Jun 29, 2013 11:40 pm Date Climbed: Jun 15, 2013
Solo Little Bear
Had the whole mountain to myself on a Saturday...what a miracle!
Fletch - May 6, 2013 12:57 pm Date Climbed: May 5, 2013
Cinco de Mayo
Felt a little guilty stealing a bootpack, but then again, I didn't feel that bad...
I like it on top - Apr 18, 2013 8:25 am Date Climbed: Apr 15, 2013
Little Bear
Some post holing, but overall a great climb and fun day. Wish the cloud ceiling would have risen for a better view but not complaining.
skyward22 - Jan 15, 2013 3:06 am Date Climbed: Jun 3, 2010
hourglass
Fun climb! Got into some gravely mixed scree-ice in the hourglass.
Matt Lemke - Dec 30, 2012 1:48 pm Date Climbed: Dec 29, 2012
SW Ridge in Winter
What a great route! The Mamma Bear traverse was incredible! Not too much snow on the route and we had a calm sunny day. I had just come from Seattle at sea level and had no altitude acclimatization so it was somewhat painful but I pushed through.
triyoda - Dec 19, 2012 1:33 am Date Climbed: Jul 27, 2012
The Glass
Had the mountain to myself. As careful as I was, still sent a few rocks down (no one below). Great peak, I would never climb this with anyone above me.
Climbed the Northwest Face and it was fun! Nice summit. Bailed on the traverse due to time and storms rolling in early on the prior days. The descent of the wet hourglass is intimidating!
Diggler - Oct 1, 2012 7:51 pm Date Climbed: Jul 10, 2012
Great warm-up
After 4 hours of sleep, drove to trailhead from Alamosa (F in motel prep’ing for High Desert Museum interview). After getting to TH sign-in @ 4.44 & parking, realized day pack nowhere to be found. Thorough, frantic scouring of both front & back failed to locate it. Called F & she didn’t see it anywhere around motel either. Finally decided to drive back to Alamosa to see if it had perhaps fallen off of the truck by chance that I’d accidentally forgotten it on top of truck or something. En route saw it lying on roadway I’d accidentally turned onto before correcting self (along w/ camping pot). Had just prayed to St. Antonius for help finding it. No amount of recollection or logic could explain how it could have fallen out of the truck! Grabbed it & headed back to parking (8,000’, 1.8 mi. after turn-off). Left TH @ 5.52. Hauled ass to try to compensate for lost time. Encountered old man muttering to himself shortly before lake. Came across a group of 3 (above me) @ Hourglass & passed on 4th class on L (crux dripping w/ H2O from previous night’s rains). Summited to partly cloudy, but w/ swirling clouds in many places, @ 10.22 (4:30 after leaving car @ 8,000’). Left summit @ 10.33 for Blanca.
Woodie Hopper - Aug 5, 2012 1:49 am Date Climbed: Aug 4, 2012
NW face misadventure
Found a scree slope to the North of the standard route which cliffed-out somewhere on the NW face (South of the summit). I missed the standard route turnoff in the dark. Stuck too high, almost every rock was rotten and pulled out with little effort. This reminded me of pulling books out of a shelf at the library! Very scary, and I'm lucky to eventually climb my way out of several hundred feet of nearly vertical climbing with so much rotten rock. After topping out, I dropped down and summited via the hourglass. Afterwards I took the LB-Blanca ridge (easy after my NW face fiasco) and also climbed Ellingwood Point.
boisedoc - Jul 23, 2012 12:04 am Date Climbed: Jul 15, 2012
hourglass
as advertised. I think this is most difficult colorado 14er. The hourglass was wet and a fall could be fatal. The rope was in good shape and the slings looked good. I used it to come down. I wished I had my climbing harness with me. Even above and below the rope there is plenty of scrambling. I was solo on a sunday so no rockfall risk. Generally, if you stay on route above the rope (go left) there is not too much loose rock.
xpda - Oct 29, 2011 1:07 pm Date Climbed: Jun 27, 2004
Little Bear
Solo
Ted Eliason - Oct 13, 2011 5:21 pm Date Climbed: May 23, 2009
Little bitch
We thought we would get the better of this route with firm snowpack. What we endured was white out conditions, post holing and a 22 hour round trip ordeal. I'd come back to see is this is easier in better conditions if I didn't hate the Como Road so much.
Probably a little crazy as my first fourteener, but I've climbed plenty of fourth- and fifth-class stuff before. Quiet day (only one other party on the mountain) and decent weather for the ascent—overcast, but not windy. Two of us started up a little late from above Lake Como and reached the summit via the hourglass 4:50 later. Started to sprinkle snow flurries on the descent and was raining on our hike out to the vehicle. Next morning we noticed white on the tops of the mountains. Overall, a great trip!
vbeckman74 - Aug 7, 2011 10:41 am Date Climbed: Nov 8, 2005
Heads Up
Great conditions for November. Little Bear is very dangerous. Be aware of parties above you in the hourglass. Softball sized talus will rocket down the chute at about 100 mph. Roped movement might not be a bad idea. There was a fall fatality in 2010.
climbed twice, once via the standard hourglass and onto the blanca traverse, by far the best traverse and probably the best 14er route in CO, if you dont count longs diamond. the second time via a chossy couloir coming up from blue lakes and intersection the hourglass route just below its crux. probably 5.3, but not too exposed; it's a gully. in any case hourglass is trivial after that...
Senad Rizvanovic - Jun 9, 2015 4:19 pm Date Climbed: Jun 7, 2015
Fun climb!Challenging climb in somewhat good conditions, hourglass was in good shape. Good climb.
Fensterschlechter - Aug 16, 2014 4:21 pm Date Climbed: Jul 16, 2011
Little Bear - Blanca - Ellingwood Hat Trick!Perfect weather - started at 6 am from camp above Lake Como. LB by 8 am, Blanca at 10:30 am, and Ellingwood at noon. A stellar day!
MadGrad96 - Nov 1, 2013 8:15 am
Little BearStandard route
astroclimber - Sep 8, 2013 8:59 pm Date Climbed: Aug 20, 2013
The Never Ending Southwest RidgeViews are great but it seems to never end. With Jeremiah Meizis.
Ken Dammen - Aug 17, 2013 12:21 am Date Climbed: Aug 12, 2013
Standard routeClimbed the standard West Ridge route and up the "Hourglass". This was #53 of Colorado #58 14ers. Weather was good and there were only 3 others on the route. I did have one "missile" rock come down near me, but thankfully it avoided me. An orange static canyoneering rope was fixed in place and was in excellent shape. I used a harness and climbing shoes and helmet. Overkill I realize, but it did make me feel a little safer. Fun climb, but it would be very dangerous with a lot of people on route or in poor weather.
SherpaSara - Jun 29, 2013 11:40 pm Date Climbed: Jun 15, 2013
Solo Little BearHad the whole mountain to myself on a Saturday...what a miracle!
Fletch - May 6, 2013 12:57 pm Date Climbed: May 5, 2013
Cinco de MayoFelt a little guilty stealing a bootpack, but then again, I didn't feel that bad...
I like it on top - Apr 18, 2013 8:25 am Date Climbed: Apr 15, 2013
Little BearSome post holing, but overall a great climb and fun day. Wish the cloud ceiling would have risen for a better view but not complaining.
skyward22 - Jan 15, 2013 3:06 am Date Climbed: Jun 3, 2010
hourglassFun climb! Got into some gravely mixed scree-ice in the hourglass.
Matt Lemke - Dec 30, 2012 1:48 pm Date Climbed: Dec 29, 2012
SW Ridge in WinterWhat a great route! The Mamma Bear traverse was incredible! Not too much snow on the route and we had a calm sunny day. I had just come from Seattle at sea level and had no altitude acclimatization so it was somewhat painful but I pushed through.
triyoda - Dec 19, 2012 1:33 am Date Climbed: Jul 27, 2012
The GlassHad the mountain to myself. As careful as I was, still sent a few rocks down (no one below). Great peak, I would never climb this with anyone above me.
rasgoat - Nov 24, 2012 2:56 pm
Nice!Climbed the Northwest Face and it was fun! Nice summit. Bailed on the traverse due to time and storms rolling in early on the prior days. The descent of the wet hourglass is intimidating!
Diggler - Oct 1, 2012 7:51 pm Date Climbed: Jul 10, 2012
Great warm-upAfter 4 hours of sleep, drove to trailhead from Alamosa (F in motel prep’ing for High Desert Museum interview). After getting to TH sign-in @ 4.44 & parking, realized day pack nowhere to be found. Thorough, frantic scouring of both front & back failed to locate it. Called F & she didn’t see it anywhere around motel either. Finally decided to drive back to Alamosa to see if it had perhaps fallen off of the truck by chance that I’d accidentally forgotten it on top of truck or something. En route saw it lying on roadway I’d accidentally turned onto before correcting self (along w/ camping pot). Had just prayed to St. Antonius for help finding it. No amount of recollection or logic could explain how it could have fallen out of the truck! Grabbed it & headed back to parking (8,000’, 1.8 mi. after turn-off). Left TH @ 5.52. Hauled ass to try to compensate for lost time. Encountered old man muttering to himself shortly before lake. Came across a group of 3 (above me) @ Hourglass & passed on 4th class on L (crux dripping w/ H2O from previous night’s rains). Summited to partly cloudy, but w/ swirling clouds in many places, @ 10.22 (4:30 after leaving car @ 8,000’). Left summit @ 10.33 for Blanca.
Woodie Hopper - Aug 5, 2012 1:49 am Date Climbed: Aug 4, 2012
NW face misadventureFound a scree slope to the North of the standard route which cliffed-out somewhere on the NW face (South of the summit). I missed the standard route turnoff in the dark. Stuck too high, almost every rock was rotten and pulled out with little effort. This reminded me of pulling books out of a shelf at the library! Very scary, and I'm lucky to eventually climb my way out of several hundred feet of nearly vertical climbing with so much rotten rock. After topping out, I dropped down and summited via the hourglass. Afterwards I took the LB-Blanca ridge (easy after my NW face fiasco) and also climbed Ellingwood Point.
boisedoc - Jul 23, 2012 12:04 am Date Climbed: Jul 15, 2012
hourglassas advertised. I think this is most difficult colorado 14er. The hourglass was wet and a fall could be fatal. The rope was in good shape and the slings looked good. I used it to come down. I wished I had my climbing harness with me. Even above and below the rope there is plenty of scrambling. I was solo on a sunday so no rockfall risk. Generally, if you stay on route above the rope (go left) there is not too much loose rock.
xpda - Oct 29, 2011 1:07 pm Date Climbed: Jun 27, 2004
Little BearSolo
Ted Eliason - Oct 13, 2011 5:21 pm Date Climbed: May 23, 2009
Little bitchWe thought we would get the better of this route with firm snowpack. What we endured was white out conditions, post holing and a 22 hour round trip ordeal. I'd come back to see is this is easier in better conditions if I didn't hate the Como Road so much.
coolalertguy - Sep 15, 2011 12:46 pm Date Climbed: Sep 13, 2011
First FourteenerProbably a little crazy as my first fourteener, but I've climbed plenty of fourth- and fifth-class stuff before. Quiet day (only one other party on the mountain) and decent weather for the ascent—overcast, but not windy. Two of us started up a little late from above Lake Como and reached the summit via the hourglass 4:50 later. Started to sprinkle snow flurries on the descent and was raining on our hike out to the vehicle. Next morning we noticed white on the tops of the mountains. Overall, a great trip!
vbeckman74 - Aug 7, 2011 10:41 am Date Climbed: Nov 8, 2005
Heads UpGreat conditions for November. Little Bear is very dangerous. Be aware of parties above you in the hourglass. Softball sized talus will rocket down the chute at about 100 mph. Roped movement might not be a bad idea. There was a fall fatality in 2010.
zoomloco - Jul 16, 2011 4:57 pm
the best classic traverseclimbed twice, once via the standard hourglass and onto the blanca traverse, by far the best traverse and probably the best 14er route in CO, if you dont count longs diamond. the second time via a chossy couloir coming up from blue lakes and intersection the hourglass route just below its crux. probably 5.3, but not too exposed; it's a gully. in any case hourglass is trivial after that...
http://zoomloco.xanga.com/732717261/purple-mountain-majesties/