Front Range Class III

[Aug_Dog]

Rank these three routes for me in order of (a) difficulty (b) exposure

- Longs, Keyhole

- Kelso

- Sawtooth

Looking to do the Sawtooth this weekend and wanted to know your thoughts. I have done Longs and Torrey's, but not from the Kelso.

Thanks!

[JA_son27]

Easiest: Sawtooth

Moderate: Kelso Ridge

Hardest: Longs (Keyhole)

I think these are all great beginner class III climbs IMO. The sawtooth was so short which is why I ranked it the easiest, by the time I finished it I wondered where it started! Kelso Ridge is a bit longer, but much more entertaining. And Longs I ranked as the toughest just because by the time you get to the technical stuff you have already hiked quite a bit and could be much more tired than the other two. But Longs is the most fun on your list. Just my two cents!

[clemsonmtneer]

In terms of exposure and technical difficulty I'd say:

1) Kelso Ridge (but not by much)
2) Longs
3) Sawtooth

Kelso and Longs is kind of a toss-up, they're pretty comparable in exposure/technical difficulty in my opinion, but Kelso probably has more consistent class 3 terrain. In terms of overall difficulty, I'd say Longs is the hardest, though, just because of the overall length of the hike (about 16 miles, compared to about 8 miles on Torreys) and the weather on Longs is usually harsher too due to its prominence. No snow yet, but probably some ice and verglass on the standard route by now I'm guessing.

Sawtooth is much easier than Kelso or Longs, and if you've done Longs before than you should have no problem with it. It isn't as intimidating as it looks.

[Aug_Dog]

I've also done Lindsey and am quite confident we got into some low class IV staying way right up the gulley. At the notch, we essentially split off right and made our own route up to the false summit.

The Sawtooth just doesn't look that crazy to me, for some reason, so wanted to get your thoughts. Thanks much!

I loved Longs! Too crowded, but the climbing was a blast.

[Cruiser]

Don't miss out on the East Ridge route on Bierstadt. Then if you're feeling up to it you can catch the Sawtooth and Evans or Spaulding. It's a fun trip with little in the way of routefinding difficulties. Totally worthwhile IMO if you're ready to step up the difficulty a bit and want to catch Bierstadt and Evans without dealing with so much of the crowding that plagues their standard routes.

Here's my take on the other 3 you mentioned. YMMV. Longs is a fun trip via the Keyhole. Classic Colorado but it didn't strike me as being particularly hairy, difficult maybe due to the distance, but not too badly exposed for the most part. The Sawtooth is pretty smooth with only a couple of tricky sections that shouldn't pose too great a challenge for most seasoned hikers. It's also an easier hike with less elevation and distance. If you try to remain on the ridge crest after leaving Bierstadt's summit you'll have a lot more opportunities to test your will than if you descend immediately into the area between Abyss Lake and the crest. Kelso Ridge is a fun little scramble with a couple of great oppotunities to gaze off into the void. The knife edge will make you pucker just a bit if you haven't done much other 3rd class stuff. It's also the least strenuous of the routes mentioned. So, Kelso Ridge is the most exposed and serious despite being physically easier. Longs is the most strenuous. The Sawtooth is the easiest from a technical perspective, but adding Evans will make it much more strenuous.

Gotta see if I can dig up a pic of some Kelso Ridge scrambling...
edit: here's one

[Aug_Dog]

Thanks for info, guys. It's a tossup right now for me between Castle-Conundrum and Evans via Sawtooth. This are my last two planned for the foreseeable future, so if you had this as a goal, which would you do first? I have a feeling you all will say Castle-Conundrum because snow will come a week earlier out there? But the Sawtooth is pretty sketchy with snow?

[JA_son27]

Of those two choices I would go with Castle group because of the views of the Bells from the summits. If you drive high into Montezuma basin (what I did) the Castle combo is much easier than the Evans group. Benefits of Castle group over Evans group:
-Less crowds
-Make a nice camping trip out of it
-Views of the Bells are awesome
-Easier (if you drive high into the basin)
-Much more fun (stay high on the Castle ridge)

Of course, if you don't want to drive then that makes your decision much easier! (if you live on the front range)

Whatever you decide have a blast!

[Cruiser]

Castle Conundrum is a cakewalk compared to the Sawtooth with Evans. You ought to have some time left before the snow starts to really impact things though. Get 'em both.

[Aug_Dog]

Castle Conundrum is a cakewalk compared to the Sawtooth with Evans. You ought to have some time left before the snow starts to really impact things though. Get 'em both.

Oh, I will get them both!

:D

I'm thinking I am going to do Castle-Conundrum. It looks like a fun enough dance and I've never been out in that range. I've done Bierstadt, so that's kind of a turn off ... if you will.

[Cruiser]

Now that's the spirit!

[Aug_Dog]

Well, I ended up getting them both!

I loved Castle/Conundrum. We were able to drive pretty high into the basin and we made some fun class III of it.

Evans via the Sawtooth is a GRUELING day. The exposure on The Sawtooth is very real, but I didn't feel incredibly uncomfortable. I just stayed high. Longs was more intense if you ask me. Fun climb. The willows are awful. I was surprised at how easy the gully was coming down. I expected loose stuff, like we encountered on Castle/Conundrum. On Castle/Conundrum, we descended the gully from the saddle of the two and that was a mistake. Glad we made it down safely.

[JA_son27]

Congrats on a good outing!