Class 3

[AlexeyD]

Airplane gully for Navajo Peak.

Eh...if climbing up a 1000-vertical foot garbage chute is your thing, I suppose...

[CO Native]

For 14ers I would start with Wetterhorn as it is a shorter section of class 3 and the views are hard to beat. Then maybe onto Kelso Ridge.

The OP asked for minimum exposure on their first class 3. Wetterhorn does not fit that bill. The exposure on the final pitch is substantial.

Wilson Peak has some fun class 3 terrain and the exposure is fairly limited.

[pbakwin]

I'd define class 3 as where you might use your hands for balance (vs. pulling up on hand holds). Most fit people will find class 3 easy. Exposure is essentially the whole thing. For example, I'm very comfortable with exposure, and am able to walk down the Homestretch on Longs without use of hands, while I observe most people scooting on their butts because the exposure frightens them. So, to the OPer I would recommend practicing exposure, not necessarily class 3.

[justiner]

Bear Peak = 20 feet containing Class 3 sections
Keyhole = 1.2 miles containing Class 3 sections

I really wouldn't call Bear Peak Class 3, but I've had partners freeze up at the start of the scrambly bits, so what do I know.

The definition is still highly subjective, given a large amount of factors that different people may find more challenging than others. Maybe ratings shouldn't be used like that. Personally, I use them just to get the general feel of an area, comparing it to other routes in similar areas. A simple rating system used to describe complex surface conditions is going to have shortcomings.

There's a good saying that the true crux is between your head - so what is it about a specific route that makes you uncomfortable? If it's not emulated on a practice route, it may not help you as much when you get to the route you're really interested in. Exposure is a great example of a mental state that really isn't about the difficulty of the route, but the perceived risks of flubbing it up. Thinking about that while on route is a great way to make yourself nervous, and thus perform worse. Being comfortable with a route then isn't going to be about having some sort of technical savvy (we're not talking about a tricky overhanging super technical climb) - although that may help, it's about controlling your fears and anxiety levels to just be comfortable. Lots of ways to do that, and it's a mind-over-matter technique you can use on anything from a hot first date to a job interview. A mantra can help. "No Big Deal". Or I sometimes sing really awful, earhole songs, and make sure I tell everyone on route about this song stuck in my head, which inevitably leads them to get it stuck in their head.

There's whole books in the climbing world about being in the right mental state to do hard climbing. The take home is that even if you're strong enough to do the moves, your mind stops you from committing. Dial that down from 5.13 to Class 3 (which may have just as much perceived and objective danger honestly) and the strategies to overcome them are the same.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Rock-Warriors ... 0974011215" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[LarryM]

Wetterhorn - yeah, no. My girlfriend and I have a backpacking trip planned for late June near there, and we specifically ruled out Wetterhorn. We're considering Matterhorn, though - I've seen it described variously as class 3 and class 2+.

Thanks again all for the great advice.

[TravelingMatt]

I'd define class 3 as where you might use your hands for balance (vs. pulling up on hand holds).

This is why West Coast climbers laugh at us.

[Jim Davies]

Jim Davies is running slow in responding. Here's responses to similar question ...
beginner class 3
Favorite 13er Scrambles
Intro to class 3

I'll be sure to reference your post the next time this comes up.

[AlexeyD]

The problem is, sometimes it's NOT just in your head. Sometimes it's really exactly what it looks like: if you F up the move, you're dead. Period. Now, is it likely to happen on class 3? Probably not...but it does, and people get killed this way all the time, unfortunately. Wet, icy, off-route, loose rock, or just a careless mistake. Not trying to scare anyone...but that's the reality of it. And no, being nervous and thinking about it doesn't help, but on some level, "not thinking about it" requires you to deliberately lie to yourself, in order to keep you safer. Ironic eh?

[Jim Davies]

I'd define class 3 as where you might use your hands for balance (vs. pulling up on hand holds).

This is why West Coast climbers laugh at us.

And we laugh at them because they're living in a $2000/month 1-bedroom apartment five hours from the trailhead, which is a 10 mile hike from the nearest summit and requires a permit with a 6-month waiting period.

[justiner]

There's a difference between lying to yourself and being comfortable in a situation you've put yourself in.

Being overly pessimistic of a situation and the outcome is something I consider essentially the same mental technique, just flipped around. Say you're faced with a situation with objective hazards. Say you didn't enter that situation on purpose. Which one is going to be more helpful? Would you rather have your internal chatter be, "If I F this up, I'm dead", or, "I'm not going to F this up". What's even better is not thinking of it as an , "if/then" problem, but simply: "loose rock over here, ice over there: what else we got?"

Knowing when you haven't accepted the responsibility of the risks you put yourself in is a big part of it, and I'm not condoning skipping that sort of step. If I'm thinking, "I'm gonna F this up", I don't try it. Not in the right mental state. That's cool. I've learned that technical climbing is a game of consciously testing that type of mental state in a safe as you can make it way. Some of that is mental control and reading up on trip reports - including accident reports. But a lot of it is getting out there and finding where your comfort zone is, and extending it.

[jaymz]

+1 to the mentions of Father Dyer and Kelso Ridge. Then move on to the Tour d'Abyss, keeping it all pretty close to Denver. In that order would be a good progression of easier to more difficult/exposed. I did it the opposite, and found FD quite underwhelming.

[AlexeyD]

If I'm thinking, "I'm gonna F this up", I don't try it. Not in the right mental state. That's cool. I've learned that technical climbing is a game of consciously testing that type of mental state in a safe as you can make it way. Some of that is mental control and reading up on trip reports - including accident reports. But a lot of it is getting out there and finding where your comfort zone is, and extending it.

This, I couldn't agree more with. Backed off from Capitol just before the knife edge for exactly this reason...I was (literally) sick that day, remnant flu or something, and realized while starting the downclimb of a rather icy backside of K2 that I AM very much in the state where i could fall off and die. Planning to come back and get it this summer...hopefully in good health and dry rock.