Mountaineering Ethics

[Fast Jimm]

I was hiking with a friend and found that our pace difference was so drastic that I abandoned him in the hotel for a day and went out to do the Loveland/Grizzly/Torreys up and back route alone. That softened me up a little bit but, other than that, we just slogged ahead. I'll never forget descending from Elbert averaging just a little under 1.5 mph and watching him poke around with his poles in an odd zigzag pattern- almost as if he were imagining and following switchbacks in the 3-foot wide trail. I had asked him to build up cardio for a fast-paced week and, instead, he seemed to really hit and bulk the upper body to prepare.

The only time I abandoned him was to climb Peak One after we went to the top of Mt. Victoria in Frisco together and we met up at the trailhead later. He was a strong 44 y/o at the time and it was mid August, but I guess if he got lost or injured, I'd be famous around here.

[medleyjosh]

Isn't this whole supposedly easy Trinchera approach just a way of avoiding the bushwhacking on the SW ridge? You still have to do the "Mama Bear Traverse" from S Little Bear to Little Bear, which I thought was definitely the crux of the SW ridge route. It's been a long time, but I would still definitely call it Colorado class 4 from my recollection. So, I guess you have to decide if paying $1000s is worth it just to avoid a couple miles of bushwhacking. The reluctance to bushwhack to the SW ridge is something I never understand, even though I've had the discussion on these forums several times. And yes, I know technically there might be an upper section of the SW ridge that is not on public lands, but in practice no one seems to care if you do SW ridge from Como Road.

This makes sense. I've wondered how an approach from the south or east from Trinchera could be much "easier." Doesn't appear to be, and especially not for $1k +. Thanks to the others who have pointed to sources. If anyone else knows of a fairytale route that might exist, I'm all ears still, but...

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I think you are going up a totally different ridge: the SOUTH ridge, not Southwest. They are different, and the south by the report, sounds annoying but not as exposed. If it were covered with people, maybe there would still be rockfall danger, but the report doesn't say so.

[CaptainSuburbia]

Isn't this whole supposedly easy Trinchera approach just a way of avoiding the bushwhacking on the SW ridge? You still have to do the "Mama Bear Traverse" from S Little Bear to Little Bear, which I thought was definitely the crux of the SW ridge route. It's been a long time, but I would still definitely call it Colorado class 4 from my recollection. So, I guess you have to decide if paying $1000s is worth it just to avoid a couple miles of bushwhacking. The reluctance to bushwhack to the SW ridge is something I never understand, even though I've had the discussion on these forums several times. And yes, I know technically there might be an upper section of the SW ridge that is not on public lands, but in practice no one seems to care if you do SW ridge from Como Road.

This makes sense. I've wondered how an approach from the south or east from Trinchera could be much "easier." Doesn't appear to be, and especially not for $1k +. Thanks to the others who have pointed to sources. If anyone else knows of a fairytale route that might exist, I'm all ears still, but...

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I think you are going up a totally different ridge: the SOUTH ridge, not Southwest. They are different, and the south by the report, sounds annoying but not as exposed. If it were covered with people, maybe there would still be rockfall danger, but the report doesn't say so.

The SW ridge becomes the SOUTH ridge just before Mama Bear. You do not avoid any difficulties climbing from Trinchera as Eli pointed out. It's probably a little shorter though. There is a ledge system from Mama Bear though that allows you to skip some of the harder parts of the "Mama Bear traverse".