North Maroon: Lost, 1 Rock

[two lunches]

my GPX track is a horriffic mess but i wanted to confirm it looks incredibly similar to sfreytag's

without that rock, i had 0 issues climbing up, but i couldn't bring myself to commit to the downclimb (point of reference: i'm 5'2") so i headed left and i honestly don't even know if i would have called it class 3

[BillMiddlebrook]

my GPX track is a horriffic mess but i wanted to confirm it looks incredibly similar to sfreytag's

without that rock, i had 0 issues climbing up, but i couldn't bring myself to commit to the downclimb (point of reference: i'm 5'2") so i headed left and i honestly don't even know if i would have called it class 3

Excellent

[jfm3]

This forum also makes it possible to determine (approximately) when the rock might have disappeared! I climbed North Maroon in early July 2023. That was a big snow year and the entire route above the top of the second gully was covered in snow in early July. The chimney was filled in and I was able to step from the snow onto the ledge at the top of the chimney (and in reverse on the way down). All that rock was completely buried underneath the snow.

[BillMiddlebrook]

After finding pictures from other reports, the rock was there in July, 2025!

[greenonion]

After finding pictures from other reports, the rock was there in July, 2025!

What’s keeping Bill up at night: Did someone remove that rock intentionally, or did a freeze thaw cycle pop it out? Or how bout a freeze thaw loosening with some accidental dislodging by animal or human??

[Daniel H]

It was gone by July 6, 2026 when I climbed it. Photos from below and above attached. I'm 5'8" and was able to ascend and descend the chimney but it was a full stretch and commitment to reach up to the solid crack handhold with my right hand on the ascent. Had I not known it was there from reading trip reports, it would have been very difficult to find.

[ColoNativeGal]

Hi Bill. I think the rock disappeared sometime in 2025. I recall reading posts about it, not sure if there was a forum post, there might be some CRs and I'm almost positive there was a dot com 14er FB post as well. I had been following it b/c I hadn't climbed N Maroon yet.

I climbed on August 1, 2026. Ascending: the bottom part was no issue (IMO), the upper part was definitely a reach, I'm also 5'7". I felt there were good hand and foot holds, but as Mary mentioned in the comments of your dot com FB post the beached whale was definitely the feeling. A partner grabbed the top of my pack and helped pull me up. My other partner who is 5'9" didn't have the beached whale issue, those extra 2" inches really helped.

Descending is where I ran into an issue. I wanted to do the class 3 bypass, but knew nothing about it. My 5'9" partner said she didn't want to deal with loose rock. As I was facing in and down climbing the upper portion, I did the same thing you did, but with different feet. I had my right foot in the secret pocket hold, my left foot was out to the left along the "wall". As I was stepping down to reach the platform with my left foot and let go of my hand holds, my right foot slipped off the secret hold, got wedged and my entire body weight rolled onto the outside of my right ankle and I fell backwards into my tall partner, she helped break my fall, landed on my butt with my right foot still wedged in the rock.

Hindsight being 20/20, I can't tell you how bad I wish I had explored the class 3 option, it might have prevented my fall altogether, hard to say for sure. A lot of people I've talked to find a different way down than down climbing the chimney. It's been rather confusing to me to understand if on descent looking at the chimney people go climbers right or left to find the easier way down. I hope more people are able to give you good pictures and clear insights.

I appreciate you reclimbing these to update the descriptions and get input from others. This community and this site are wonderful and have helped me so much - thank you!

[bdloftin77]

I hope more people are able to give you good pictures and clear insights.

I appreciate you reclimbing these to update the descriptions and get input from others. This community and this site are wonderful and have helped me so much - thank you!

+1

Yeah, it would be great to have some pictures of the class 3 variation! If anyone's planning on going up N Maroon soon, definitely consider it and bringing back some beta.

I'll post on the facebook group and see if we get any bites.

EDIT: Looks like Bill made a Facebook post this morning

[ColoNativeGal]

This goat here was guarding the entrance to the Chimney. If the class 3 bypass is climber's right on descent, he was blocking our way. Also of note when I climbed, are the rope slings here as an anchor for the guides that bring ropes. A friend of mine climbed the week before I did and was lucky to follow a guide that used a rope to help his clients and her up and down the chimney.

[LifeIsGood]

Just wanted to add one more data point, though this will be of limited use:

I have ascended N Maroon 3 times, always up and down the chimney, but not recently enough to add to this convo. There was always a certain degree of risk there, but it sounds even worse now (though the rest of the route is relatively simple).

I did experience a failed October attempt several years ago, in which the chimney was covered in snow and ice, and therefore impassable without proper technical gear. My partners and I scouted the Class 3 bypass to the right of the chimney, which looked fairly easy, and was easy to find, but it too was covered in ice, and none too inviting.

So then we went over to the THIRD option, which is less than 100 feet to the left of the chimney. This is a single Class 5 move up a vertical wall- it’s brief, and not very difficult, but with terrifying exposure. One of our trio said nope, so I downclimbed the move and we all stuck together. Great day out regardless!

Unfortunately, I don’t have access to any of my pics at the moment, but am curious if others have tried this Class 5 alternate?

Moral of the story is: nobody should underestimate N Maroon, or October conditions.

[greenonion]

Hi Bill. I think the rock disappeared sometime in 2025. I recall reading posts about it, not sure if there was a forum post, there might be some CRs and I'm almost positive there was a dot com 14er FB post as well. I had been following it b/c I hadn't climbed N Maroon yet.

I climbed on August 1, 2026. Ascending: the bottom part was no issue (IMO), the upper part was definitely a reach, I'm also 5'7". I felt there were good hand and foot holds, but as Mary mentioned in the comments of your dot com FB post the beached whale was definitely the feeling. A partner grabbed the top of my pack and helped pull me up. My other partner who is 5'9" didn't have the beached whale issue, those extra 2" inches really helped.

Descending is where I ran into an issue. I wanted to do the class 3 bypass, but knew nothing about it. My 5'9" partner said she didn't want to deal with loose rock. As I was facing in and down climbing the upper portion, I did the same thing you did, but with different feet. I had my right foot in the secret pocket hold, my left foot was out to the left along the "wall". As I was stepping down to reach the platform with my left foot and let go of my hand holds, my right foot slipped off the secret hold, got wedged and my entire body weight rolled onto the outside of my right ankle and I fell backwards into my tall partner, she helped break my fall, landed on my butt with my right foot still wedged in the rock.

Hindsight being 20/20, I can't tell you how bad I wish I had explored the class 3 option, it might have prevented my fall altogether, hard to say for sure. A lot of people I've talked to find a different way down than down climbing the chimney. It's been rather confusing to me to understand if on descent looking at the chimney people go climbers right or left to find the easier way down. I hope more people are able to give you good pictures and clear insights.

I appreciate you reclimbing these to update the descriptions and get input from others. This community and this site are wonderful and have helped me so much - thank you!

Respectfully… when describing descents, don’t use “climber’s”right or left. That will confuse someone. Climbers ascend. Skiers descend. Use the left and right with those in mind for less confusion

[JerJerBinks]

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IMG_20260818_175502.jpg

September 2025. Seems like maybe part of the rock or a different, seemingly smaller rock is present. I ascended and descended the chimney and found it to be harder than I expected it to be. This was after rumours of the rock being gone.