Snowmass-Capitol ridge

[oldschool]

You know I'm in Kiefer!

I have scoured pictures and Google Earth for a way off the summit without that rappel. When we were up there I walked out and looked for any weakness and didn't find one. Incredible we found that old piton, which kinda tells you the otber parties that attempted going out there didn't find any other way down either.

Keep me in the loop Kiefer.

Mike

[DaveLanders]

There was a trip report on fourteenerworld in the early 2000's by Hassan Bergstrand (spelling uncertain). He climbed Capitol from the basin SE of Avalanche Lake. I think part of his route was on a side ridge that joins with the main Capitol/Snowmass ridge at about 13.6 or 13.8k. I looked at the 14ers.com trip report but I can't tell if the rappel is before or after where Bergstrand would have joined the main ridge. I don't remember him describing any climbing harder than low 5th class but 5.6 is low 5th class for some people

[justiner]

Honor would be all mine.

[Wentzl]

Kiefer, nice write up on the traverse.

How did you manage the 40m rappel with a 60m rope?

[CaptainSuburbia]

[justiner]

What a strange video, some of my photos are in there

[oldschool]

What a strange video, some of my photos are in there

Some of mine are also, from the TR I put up in 2010.

[XterraRob]

Those are some really great TRs. They're some of my favorite on the site, after of course Shermapangma.

Hahahahahahaha the best.

[d_baker]

Rock trundling at 5:50.
I wonder where that footage came from?
Along with the roped climbing photos, because Mike and Kiefer, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall seeing pitches like that when you guys had posted the report.
I don't see Noah's report on here anymore either.
And the music on that video, geez....

[oldschool]

Nope...no roped pitches like that. Very weird video. Not sure what the goal or purpose of the video is.

Haven't looked for Noah's TR's in years. Not sure why they wouldn't be there.

Mike

[spiderman]

I took a wrong line from Snowmass to N Snowmass. It was theoretically a class 2 scramble, but every fridge-sized boulder moved when looked at. That ridge is truly nasty and nobody travels on it to knock loose the worst offenders. Way too much potential for something weighing a ton or more killing you. No thanks.

[oldschool]

I took a wrong line from Snowmass to N Snowmass. It was theoretically a class 2 scramble, but every fridge-sized boulder moved when looked at. That ridge is truly nasty and nobody travels on it to knock loose the worst offenders. Way too much potential for something weighing a ton or more killing you. No thanks.

True. Going in our team knew the risks and the general "pile of rubble" that the Elks are. We all paid attention so we would not knock off the worst offenders, which we didn't.

If I may however......as you said "potential for something weighing a ton or more to kill you" kinda sounds to me like driving a car or truck on almost any road on almost any day. I find the way we all look at risk to be a fascinating subject. I found myself no more at risk doing the traverse than driving my truck or motorcycle, rock climbing, or for that matter...just living. I do appreciate your viewpoint and understand how others see risk differently than I do.