N. Maroon Compared to Wetterhorn & Crestone Needle

[ajstack]

I have plans to hike North Maroon this weekend and was wondering how it compares to Wetterhorn and Crestone Needle. Those are the only other Class 3's that I have done. I am just looking for opinions and advice.
Thanks so much.

[TravelingMatt]

With 58 14ers there are 1653 possible "compare peak A to peak B" threads. What will be the last one posted, and when? Put me down for "El Diente vs. San Luis" on September 16, 2018.

[12ersRule]

Your math is terrible, TravelingMatt, there are 57! Or 57×56×55.... possibilities, considerably more than 1753.

North Maroon, in a nutshell, you are on your guard a lot longer. It is looser.

However, scrambling wise isn't any tougher than Crestone needle. Careful on route finding on the way down off north maroon for sure.

[JChitwood]

Wetterhorn and Crestone Needle have great rock, spectacular positions, and are delights to climb. Both make a lot of climbers favorite peak lists. N Maroon might have been the hardest 14er for me. It is off the charts steep and incredibly loose, the only thing it has going for it is that it's shorter than Maroon. I am impressed by climbers that go up the Bells and Pyramid multiple times, seems like a ton of rock fall risk that can catch up with you eventually. Hiking out after climbing Thunder two weeks ago I said I would never climb a peak in that valley again. Well, maybe if my 10 year old son takes to climbing in a few years. I'd have to think about it hard, though.

[denvermikey]

Looks like you have not been properly introduced to the rotten rock in the Elks yet. Well that is going to be your biggest difference. Both Wetterhorn and Crestone Needle have scrambling but have great solid rock.
When I was first starting in the Elks, I remember somebody's description as walking on broken dinner plates. Not too far off.

[madbuck]

Your math is terrible, TravelingMatt, there are 57! Or 57×56×55.... possibilities, considerably more than 1753.

No, Matt's right: 58-choose-2 combinations. A good joke with solid maths!

Your maths (a permutation) would be the total number of ways to order the entire list.

[kaiman]

I have plans to hike North Maroon this weekend and was wondering how it compares to Wetterhorn and Crestone Needle. Those are the only other Class 3's that I have done. I am just looking for opinions and advice.
Thanks so much.

North Maroon is harder, looser, and more exposed than either of the Crestones and certainly has much more lengthy and sustained climbing then Wetterhorn (assuming you climbed all of those by their easiest/standard routes), although it is less difficult than South Maroon. Prepare yourself for a couple thousand feet of steep loose gulleys, easy but narrow exposed traverses, and a short Class 4 chimney at the top.

If you haven't spent any time climbing in the Elks before learning about the nature of the rock, you might consider climbing Pyramid first before launching into North Maroon, you'll get the same experience but on an easier scale that will prepare you for the Bells.

Kai

[12ersRule]

Your math is terrible, TravelingMatt, there are 57! Or 57×56×55.... possibilities, considerably more than 1753.

No, Matt's right: 58-choose-2 combinations. A good joke with solid maths!

Your maths (a permutation) would be the total number of ways to order the entire list.

I knew that! Just wanted Matt to show his work.

[TravelingMatt]

I knew that! Just wanted Matt to show his work.

Geez, and in the other thread I'm told I'm bad at math. If only you people knew.

[scootmanjones]

Careful on route finding on the way down off north maroon for sure.

I hear that route finding on the way down off North Maroon is tricky, but mostly from those who did the traverse. Is it still tricky for those who ascend the standard route as well? And are there "oh sh!t" spots if you get seriously off-trail that are like missing the avenue on Kit Carson or missing the cross-over on Crestone Needle?

[handonbroward]

If only descending N. Maroon and you have never been up before, you could definitely potentially end up in the wrong gully, which has been deadly before. That being said, the other 2 (I think) gully options are N. Maroon are climbed from time to time by people who have huge balls.

Other than that, yes, the rock is loose, it is the Elks. Steepness-wise, if you slip in the main gully, you are going to fall 1000+ feet. Dangerous though? Meh, not so much. Maybe it is just because the looseness doesn't bother me as much, but I thought that N. Maroon was pretty tame. There is definitely exposure, there is definitely risk, but I think that a lot of the hype surrounding it is strictly due to accessibility.

If you are aware of what you are getting yourself into, you are fine. 90% of the incidents that occur on the Bells are due to ignorance, inexperience or unpreparedness, not freak accidents or the mountain itself striking down those unworthy of its summit.

[unclegar]

If you haven't spent any time climbing in the Elks before learning about the nature of the rock, you might consider climbing Pyramid first before launching into North Maroon, you'll get the same experience but on an easier scale that will prepare you for the Bells.

I would even suggest starting with Castle/Conundrum then Pyramid then N. Maroon. I recall Castle being more stable but still with some looseness. A guy behind us used a large rock for handholds when coming down toward the Cas/Con saddle and it tipped over on him and broke his arm. In the Elks, I would certainly push/pull on each and every handhold before putting my full weight on it. I would also suggest using a different rock for each hand if possible. I had the rocks I was standing on all go out from under me and down the gully until out of sight but I had good hand holds so was able to avoid going down with them.