Meetup group on Maroon Bells

[aliciaf]

I just want to give everyone a fair warning... a Meetup group I'm in is hosting a meetup to climb Maroon Peak Saturday 7/12. There are currently 21 people RSVP'd and I'm unsure of the ability level of the people who have RSVP'd. Warnings have been given about the difficulty of the climb, the current group size and danger by a few different people, but it seems as though the group is still planning on going. I truly hope everything goes well for them.

My husband and I were planning on possibly doing Maroon Peak this weekend (independently of the Meetup group) but changed our minds when we realized this group will be on the route. I just thought others might want to have the heads up as well.

[ameristrat]

That's a big group for the bells. Hope everyone stays safe - I agree with your decision to stay away! Hopefully you guys can find something else fun to climb this weekend!

[Chicago Transplant]

Thank you aliciaf for bowing out and not participating with the group, I know the oversized group thing has been hammered to death on more than one occasion, but it seems this meetup group needs a reminder.

Can you forward on to the others who still plan on going that they cannot have a group that large in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness? Maybe they can voluntarily agree to split their group into 10 on Saturday and 10 on Sunday and the 21st person bows out as you and your husband have? The regs for MB-S Wilderness limit groups to 10 humans, not to mention just the safety issue of having 21 people climbing together on the bells

Thank you!

ALL VISITORS

The following acts are PROHIBITED:

1. Groups of more than 10 people or having more than 15 pack or saddle animals.

http://www.wilderness.net/NWPS/wildView ... ement#regs

[mtgirl]

That's a big group for the bells. Hope everyone stays safe - I agree with your decision to stay away! Hopefully you guys can find something else fun to climb this weekend!

+1. I'd be avoiding that like the plague. Nice of you to give a heads up.

[randalmartin]

That's a big group for the bells. Hope everyone stays safe - I agree with your decision to stay away! Hopefully you guys can find something else fun to climb this weekend!

+1. I'd be avoiding that like the plague. Nice of you to give a heads up.

+1 One reason I avoid weekends on anything with significant rock fall danger or difficulty until after August.

[Kiefer]

I just want to give everyone a fair warning... a Meetup group I'm in is hosting a meetup to climb Maroon Peak Saturday 7/12. There are currently 21 people RSVP'd and I'm unsure of the ability level of the people who have RSVP'd. Warnings have been given about the difficulty of the climb, the current group size and danger by a few different people, but it seems as though the group is still planning on going. I truly hope everything goes well for them.

My husband and I were planning on possibly doing Maroon Peak this weekend (independently of the Meetup group) but changed our minds when we realized this group will be on the route. I just thought others might want to have the heads up as well.

...what I find amazing is that someone actually thought this was a good idea.
Kudos to you for dropping out.

Some peaks simply do not respond well to large groups of people.

BTW: when we were up there last week, I pulled out all the papers inside the tube. It was a wet mess. So if you go, leave new paper.
A pen would be beneficial too. I left the tube.

[tlongpine]

Thank you aliciaf for bowing out and not participating with the group, I know the oversized group thing has been hammered to death on more than one occasion, but it seems this meetup group needs a reminder.

Can you forward on to the others who still plan on going that they cannot have a group that large in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness? Maybe they can voluntarily agree to split their group into 10 on Saturday and 10 on Sunday and the 21st person bows out as you and your husband have? The regs for MB-S Wilderness limit groups to 10 humans, not to mention just the safety issue of having 21 people climbing together on the bells

Thank you!

ALL VISITORS

The following acts are PROHIBITED:

1. Groups of more than 10 people or having more than 15 pack or saddle animals.

http://www.wilderness.net/NWPS/wildView ... ement#regs

This.

[ajkagy]

a bit off topic, but I bet this 10 person group rule gets regularly violated in wilderness areas during hunting season.

[crossfitter]

ALL VISITORS

The following acts are PROHIBITED:

1. Groups of more than 10 people or having more than 15 pack or saddle animals.

So it's okay to have 10 people with 15 horses but not 11 people and no horses? Seems like 15 horses worth of poop on the trail is a bigger distraction than 1 more set of footprints.

[peter303]

I suspect this part of more general regularization prevent over commercialization. Some outfitters may over use trails. Large groups are less safe. All in the name of more profit for the outfitters. Not to much less enjoyment by non-tour groups and ecological degradation. Tour buses are limited in national parks. Some decades its has been horse riding and hunting. Others rock climbing and trail races.

[Chicago Transplant]

I agree that large groups of horses are going to create a lot of damage and will negatively impact the Wilderness experience of others. I guess the horse lobby was a strong one back in 1964 when the Wilderness Act was passed?

Debating the merits of the rules aside, let's hope the large group gets the message and more people follow alicia's lead and back out.

[climbing_rob]

Yikes! How nature says: "Stay Away" (from an old far side cartoon...)

Just out of curiosity, which meetup group is it? (there are so many)