Humbled on Little Bear - what are my next steps?

[daway8]

Let's be careful not to confuse routes:

West Ridge Indirect: exposed ridge section is no longer than the final stretch of SW Ridge between LB and South LB. Has one or two moves of class 4 at the crux. The crux itself is very solid.

West Ridge Direct: extended time on the ridge proper with a few brief moves here and there that push into class 5. Exposure is severe and sustained. SW Ridge has you on a ridge for a notably longer time but most of it is much less exposed.

My point is not to say that SW Ridge is equally as risky as the other routes - I'm just pointing out that it's not a panacea for problems on Little Bear. All routes have their advantages and disadvantages and picking a "winner" comes down in large part to personal preference and which set of risks a given climber is more comfortable with.

[kushrocks]

Don't beat yourself up over this. There is nothing wrong with turning around.

100% you learn far more about yourself and your abilities and what you need to work on by turning around when you are uncomfortable than pushing past a zone you feel unsafe about. That takes the fun out of it and if we aren’t having fun anymore then what’s the point? I agree on keeping your plans for Pyramid. Let us know how it goes.

[MichelleLW]

Echoing that I would encourage you to go ahead with Pyramid. I did Little Bear as my second to last 14er - I had no intention of climbing it if I wasn't going to finish - after having done the other three traverses and a good amount of class 3, 4 climbing. I also ascended the WRI and felt the same as you; I did not feel that I could descend the terrain I was climbing up and was deeply uncomfortable. Ultimately I continued on and we descended the hourglass. It was easier climbing, but I hated every minute of being in it, exposed to rock fall (we witnessed a large rockfall on the way up, with no one in the hourglass). It's honestly still the decision I feel the most mixed about from all of my climbs - I don't think I would have made that choice if I weren't so close to finishing the 14ers and it was beyond my personal risk tolerance. So I don't have a good answer as to where to go for Little Bear specifically - as others have pointed out there are significant risks for any of the routes up that mountain. But I can tell you I didn't feel that way on any other mountain (traverses excepted of course), and especially not on Pyramid, which I did much earlier in my 14er *journey* and enjoyed thoroughly.

[late]

Thank you all for so many thoughtful (and gracious) replies, so quickly! My partner was really supportive - but I still felt like I let myself and him down a bit, even if I did the right thing. All of the suggestions and encouragement are deeply appreciated, and have made me feel even better about the decision.

Veori: I love suggestion 1 - I have a few trad climber friends I might be able to recruit. Suggestion 2 - that downclimb freaks me out! I'd love to think I could handle the traverse some day, but if I'm having issues going down steep class 3 I'd be a liability on that thing!

sean: Appreciate the perspective on progression! And the suggestions for what to go for next.

Monster: I like the idea of a formal course with CMC or CMS. Never considered a guide before. I've done some anchor building but everything was in the context of sport climbing, some purposeful training might be perfect.

kyra: Thanks for the encouragement! I avoided the butt scoot at all costs on LB this weekend and it was scary but definitely the correct choice for the steep stuff. It's reassuring to hear that sentiment from someone who's bagged them all and skied a bunch of them too.

ramp: Man, I wish my first post on this forum could have been celebratory. But I'd rather learn from my experience and get solid advice - maybe someone else out there had a rough weekend and seeing this will encourage them too. The accident a few weeks ago was definitely looming large in my mind, and I almost wish I'd gone for the Hourglass instead. I might have actually made the summit - but I think I'd have missed out on the learning experience.

daway: Thanks for chiming in - your TR's always keep my stoke high when life keeps me out of the mountains! And I relied heavily on your reports for WRI, which were super helpful. I've been climbing at Whetstone for years, and I'll definitely be putting in some deliberate downclimb time now to get the muscle memory built up. I think pulling plastic is helpful but in a limited way - I climb 5.12 and V5/6, but the stakes are so low in a gym. Even a V0 gulley problem on Little Bear is terrifying to retreat! I've been lucky to have good partners so far - but always at a similar skill/experience level to my own. This outing was my first time climbing with someone vastly more experienced than me - hopefully I can convince him I'm capable of a summit for the next one!

gubber: It was definitely my proudest chicken-out moment, that's for sure. Sometimes it just isn't your day - but dang, I was moving so well and my energy levels were so high. It wasn't an easy call to make. I'll be back.

jfm/clibmnow/monster: I actually pitched SW ridge to my partner - he's coming back from a big injury so the mileage+8000ft of vert ruled it out. I'm super intrigued by this route and curious about the downclimb section between South LB and main summit. I wonder if I could re-attempt LB via this route with success at my current comfort levels. But in the end, I want to have the skillset and experience to handle WRI, regardless. I need to grow from this!

kush: You are so correct - failure is how we grow. And fun is the point, even if Lake Como Road is involved!

michelle: That makes me feel a lot better! I considered the "only way out is through" approach, but worried about feeling sketchy at the crux and producing a nightmare situation for others.

PLAN: Tons of excellent advice, and I'm seeing a general consensus. I think I'm going to tackle Wetterhorn or one of the Crestones next, and try to finish the summer with a trip to Pyramid if that goes well. I'm going to bug some trad climber pals to see if they'd patiently belay me as I struggle DOWNWARD on some low-fifth class terrain. And I'm looking into CMS classes, or just hiring a guide - my rec budget for the year went to approach shoes and new tires for the dirt bike, so maybe a 2027 line item!

You're all great folks - it feels great to receive so much support and encouragement.

[deepdarkseas]

I had the exact same experience as you on this peak last year--got to the crux on WRI and did not feel comfortable finishing it, and turned around. This was after having no problems on Capitol's knife edge. Perhaps the crucial difference was the knife edge being flat and the WRI crux requiring an upclimb, as has been said here. I returned a few weeks later and summited via the Hourglass, which I was much more comfortable with. But I only had 1 or 2 people above me on the mountain that day and encountered no rockfall issues.

I don't have anything to add to the above in terms of advice, just wanted to share that you're not the only one. That's why I've been supportive of both Hourglass and WRI being recommended as 'official' routes, making it clear that you either have to pick the poison of extreme exposure or extreme rockfall danger. Little Bear is just a bear ( ) of a climb no matter what route you choose (not to mention the interminable Lake Como Road approach). I personally don't plan on climbing this mountain again, unless the SW Ridge somehow becomes more accessible in the future.

And yeah, Pyramid was hard, but it felt significantly less severe than WRI crux. Could have just been because it was my finisher and I had extra motivation. Good luck out there, you're doing great!