Most difficult 14er and why?

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Which 14er is the most difficult?

Capitol
22
26%
Little Bear
19
22%
Mt Wilson
1
1%
El Diente
0
No votes
Sunlight
1
1%
Crestone Needle
1
1%
Pyramid
2
2%
N Maroon
4
5%
Maroon
2
2%
Longs
1
1%
Sherman
32
38%
 
Total votes: 85
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Wentzl
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Re: Most difficult 14er and why?

Post by Wentzl »

dpage wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 9:14 pm Sherman and Cap are tied. Come on people we can do better. Sherman isn't going to win this election on its own!!!
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Re: Most difficult 14er and why?

Post by Salient »

Shermapangma... A 14er that feels like you're on an 8000er. It really doesn't get anymore difficult than this, folks. Capitol & Little Bear don't even compare.

To quote Surf N Turf (2013), "The five-member team complete, we threw ourselves into training. We asked many questions on the 14ers.com Facebook group. We traveled to Texas to learn rope work from the master himself. We completed acclimatization climbs to Denali, Aconcagua and Makalu. Those three years flew by, and before we knew it we were waving goodbye to our loved ones at a Park and Ride in Morrison. I didn't feel ready, but I'm not sure anyone can feel ready for something like Shermapangma. All we could do was try our best."
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SamWerner
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Re: Most difficult 14er and why?

Post by SamWerner »

hellmanm wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 7:36 pm I'm disappointed that Sherman isn't winning this poll by a landslide.
Sherman isn't steep enough for landslides
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Re: Most difficult 14er and why?

Post by supranihilest »

Sherman because it's so boring you'll have to use every ounce of your energy not to want to bash your brains in with one of the trillions of rocks that make up that pile.
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Re: Most difficult 14er and why?

Post by Barnold41 »

I almost avoided Sherman last lap around from Dyer. Retrospectively, I should have just gone back down Dyer after Gemini. I didn't even do Sheridan that time...
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Re: Most difficult 14er and why?

Post by timisimaginary »

i think Bross is the most difficult one, legally speaking.
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Re: Most difficult 14er and why?

Post by Salient »

timisimaginary wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 10:01 am i think Bross is the most difficult one, legally speaking.
Mostly just difficult depending on your moral compass. I doubt you would get caught and have legal action enforced for walking a few feet over the line on a commonly climbed mountain. I assume the landowners pretty much expect people to ignore their boundaries to be honest.
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Re: Most difficult 14er and why?

Post by Scott P »

I'm surprised Sunlight doesn't have more votes. I haven't done it yet, but it seems like a lot of people either fail on that one or claim the summit without really summitting.
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Re: Most difficult 14er and why?

Post by Above_Treeline »

BillMiddlebrook wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 6:49 pm I need to take up wood working
Hey it's winter kinda slow gotta talk about something.

Definitely rather hike than do tool stuff
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Re: Most difficult 14er and why?

Post by Jorts »

Scott P wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 10:25 am I'm surprised Sunlight doesn't have more votes. I haven't done it yet, but it seems like a lot of people either fail on that one or claim the summit without really summitting.
For me, the subjective rating of overall difficulty comes down to a combination of route finding, RT length, sustained difficulty, and crux move difficulty. Sunlight is easy for the first 3 (if using Chi Basin for RT length anyway). The crux summit block is arguably the hardest short combination of moves of all the 14ers (I can't speak to the Elks yet). I found both Wilson and Little Bear to be hairier and thus more difficult.
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Re: Most difficult 14er and why?

Post by Scott P »

Jorts wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 11:08 amFor me, the subjective rating of overall difficulty comes down to a combination of route finding, RT length, sustained difficulty, and crux move difficulty. Sunlight is easy for the first 3 (if using Chi Basin for RT length anyway). The crux summit block is arguably the hardest short combination of moves of all the 14ers (I can't speak to the Elks yet).
I agree with you. I'm just surprised it didn't get more votes since it had a high failure rate. I do wonder how many people climbing the 14ers didn't summit on this one though.
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Re: Most difficult 14er and why?

Post by Salient »

Scott P wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 1:02 pm
Jorts wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 11:08 amFor me, the subjective rating of overall difficulty comes down to a combination of route finding, RT length, sustained difficulty, and crux move difficulty. Sunlight is easy for the first 3 (if using Chi Basin for RT length anyway). The crux summit block is arguably the hardest short combination of moves of all the 14ers (I can't speak to the Elks yet).
I agree with you. I'm just surprised it didn't get more votes since it had a high failure rate. I do wonder how many people climbing the 14ers didn't summit on this one though.
Too add on to this, I do wonder how many people climbing the 14ers didn't summit Mt. Bross though.
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