Missouri Mountain East Ridge

Colorado peak questions, condition requests and other info.
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goingup
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Missouri Mountain East Ridge

Post by goingup »

I wanted to take the time to forewarn anyone who climbs Missouri via the standard Northwest Ridge route (which has some of the best wildflowers I have seen to date) of the dangers of trying to down climb the east ridge to connect with Elkhead Pass. Gerry Roach rates this ridge a class 4 if you are coming from Elkhead Pass and trying to summit Missouri. And I quote from his book, "this route is so rotten that it is relegated to this author's nightmares." So....knowing this I really don't know what we were thinking trying to descend it once we made the summit of Missouri.

Our original plan was to summit Pecks Peak, then Belford, Oxford and take Elkhead pass or try to ascend the East Ridge of Missouri (we were going to see how we felt and how the weather was) to summit Missouri. I don't really know how things got turned around but we decided to summit Missouri first and do it the other direction (first bad decision). When we got to the top of Missouri we felt good, the weather looked good, and we decided to try and attempt the East ridge in order to "save time." As well hiking up the standard route is very steep with lots of loose dirt and rock so neither of us wanted to descend that way (second bad decision).

As we climbed down the rock was so loose there was no where to hold. I was concentrating so hard I failed to actually look where we were until we had to stop and my boyfriend took off his pack and told me to stay and he would be right back. Then I looked around. I was sitting on this little piece of broken rock 13+ thousand feet in the sky, surrounded by cliffs. Then I looked at what he was doing and he was crossing a probably 10 foot wide scree gully that rolled right off of a cliff about 200 feet down. He was headed to a small break in a rock rib that I can only describe as looking like dried fish flakes. I have never seen anything like this rock. This was the scariest moment for me. He was out of my sight and all I could hear was rocks falling off the cliffs. He came back and said "no, we are turning around." (first good decision) We had to climb back up which was equally as difficult and we did finally re-summit Missouri.

I hope that maybe our experience would deter anyone from making the same mistake. And if anyone has ever made it down this on the right side, how?
Last edited by goingup on Sat Nov 16, 2013 7:04 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Col_Forbin
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Re: Missouri Mountain East Ridge

Post by Col_Forbin »

Last week, when me and a buddy climbed Missouri by the standard route, there was a guy who summited right before us. When we arrived at the summit he was no longer there, and we were wondering whether or not he descended the east ridge, and were slightly concerned as to whether or not he did.
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Re: Missouri Mountain East Ridge

Post by goingup »

You can also drop off of the South Ridge, but if he did that you probably would have been able to see him. There are some super bad ass people out there. So i am sure that you CAN descend the East Ridge. I just think for most it's a bad idea and I wouldn't want to see anyone else make the mistake we did. It looks far more mellow than it actually is.
Last edited by goingup on Thu Oct 10, 2013 12:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Missouri Mountain East Ridge

Post by gonzalj »

Glad to hear that you made it out safe.
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Re: Missouri Mountain East Ridge

Post by Exiled Michigander »

Really glad that you are both okay--this story could have had a very tragic ending. Thanks so much for posting this. I've always wondered if the east ridge was really that bad. It sounds like it truly is the nightmare that Gerry Roach describes.
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Re: Missouri Mountain East Ridge

Post by goingup »

I still am curious about ascending it and would maybe someday want to go back and try.
Last edited by goingup on Fri Aug 23, 2013 7:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Missouri Mountain East Ridge

Post by thebeave7 »

I've done the East Ridge, and climbing up it does not provide one any additional confidence or comfort in the route. It's horribly rotten s**t piled on top of steep slab. The "broken stack of dinner plates" description is very fitting for this route. I'd suggest just NOT using the East ridge and going up one of the many other routes on this peak.

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Re: Missouri Mountain East Ridge

Post by crossfitter »

I had a very near miss on the East Ridge a few years ago. It is every bit as bad as the stories speak of it and then some. The rock literally will break just by touching it. It's a deathwish route, don't do it.
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Re: Missouri Mountain East Ridge

Post by jdorje »

Climbing is more dangerous than descending.


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goingup
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Re: Missouri Mountain East Ridge

Post by goingup »

I feel more comfortable climbing up than I do climbing down. Just my personal opinion, I would rather have climbed up this route than down climbed. However, I think the general consensus is to avoid this route because the rock is so terrible.
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Re: Missouri Mountain East Ridge

Post by Slappy »

A couple years ago my hiking partner and I did the same. We first climbed up Missouri and from the summit we looked at the East Ridge and saw that it looked favorable compared to a descent of 1,000 feet only to re-ascend to Elk Head Pass. We also had read and knew what Roach said about the rock. But off we went. We passed a guy who had climbed up successfully on the way - but the further we went the worse the rock got and the more uncomfortable we became.

We ended up finding a way down off the right side, sliding down some very loose dirt and scree. I don't mean to make light of the situation; it was a bad decision and we were lucky to find a relatively safe way down where we then traversed the side of the ridge over to the pass. We went on to summit Oxford and then Belford and the day ended up being one my absolute favorite days in the mountains.

My hiking partner and I had a long debrief after we finished the hike and to this day, that hike is a reminder of how easily we can make bad decisions that put us in danger. A year later, I followed the story of a father and daughter who made the same decision and tragically did not make it. We were fortunate. Looking back, I remember that day for what could have happened, what didn't happen and the beauty of being on a 14er during the last rays of light.
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Re: Missouri Mountain East Ridge

Post by goingup »

Slappy, are you saying a father and daughter attempted that ridge and did not make it? That is so awful!

It was one of the best days I have had in the mountains too, but every day I am out there is a good day. I am well aware of how bad the decision we made was. We were unable to find that scree/dirt path that led to safety, I believe we were to far into that cliff band. All of the scree run outs we saw led off large cliffs. I have actually talked to someone else who told me the only way out is sliding down some scree gullies, very similar to what you are saying.
Last edited by goingup on Fri Aug 23, 2013 7:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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