14ers.com • Peak Condition Update

Peak:	Coxcomb Peak (13er)
Route:	Standard Route Southside
Range:	San Juan
Posted By:	desertdog
Date of Info:	06/25/2020
Date Posted:	06/25/2020

Details
We approached using the west fork trail near Ridgway. The upper part of the basin had some snow fields. I used spikes, but only because my approach shoes don't work well on hard snow. You could get by without traction or maybe avoid the snow all together. No snow on the route. We climbed the chimney system on Coxscomb's south side and rapped down the face on its north side, then walked up Redcliff for a double header. Photos (click for slideshow):

Details

We approached using the west fork trail near Ridgway. The upper part of the basin had some snow fields. I used spikes, but only because my approach shoes don't work well on hard snow. You could get by without traction or maybe avoid the snow all together. No snow on the route. We climbed the chimney system on Coxscomb's south side and rapped down the face on its north side, then walked up Redcliff for a double header.

Photos (click for slideshow):

Comments or Questions

angry	Nice! 06/25/2020 08:37 This is on my summer to-do list.
HikerGuy	Thanks for the update! 06/25/2020 09:17 Also on the summer to-do list. What length rope(s) did you use for the north side rap?
desertdog	Angry and HG 06/25/2020 10:19 Rose YouÃ¢‚¬„¢ll love it! A little loose but not too bad. Make sure you use the West Fork approach. Great car or tent camping. R Hiker Guy We used two 60ms. The rap anchor is in good shape. Well worth it rather than going back. Especially if you are adding Redcliff.
Jakomait	one? 06/25/2020 10:55 You did just one 60m rap on the N face? Nice! I'm surprised it wasn't longer than that from what I remembered. When I did it, I only had a single 40m tag line and retraced the S chimney to get down and scrambled around to Redcliff. I saw a mountain of tat around a big block up top but had no idea if there was a mid anchor.
HikerGuy	Trailhead? 06/25/2020 11:47 I had read somewhere that two 60s were required for the north rap, thanks for confirming. When you say West Fork approach, is that the same as the Wetterhorn Basin Trail along West Fork Cimarron River? How is that road to the end, is it Subaru-able or does it require a true 4wd? Thanks again!! Can't wait to climb this one.
desertdog	Hiker guy 06/25/2020 12:00 Yes that is the TH I meant. You could make it most of the way on the 4wd. You will come to a water crossing that I think would stop you. I drive a 4Runner and it was no problem for me. When you cross the water itÃ¢‚¬„¢s pretty rough on the other side. IÃ¢‚¬„¢ve seen some SubaruÃ¢‚¬„¢s do some amazing things though. That is maybe a mile or less from the TH so not a deal killer. Plenty of camping spots there as well. A very pretty area!
desertdog	Jakomait 06/25/2020 12:07 We carried two 60s and that worked perfect. We ended up the scree slope at the base of the cliff and worked our way down to the Redcliff saddle. We were trying to figure out how we would have gotten to Redcliff if we did what you did. It looked rough down there!
HikerGuy	Great info 06/25/2020 12:25 Thanks for the great info. I have a billy goat of truck, but I'm not comfortable driving it long distances anymore, she's getting long in the tooth, so I usually drive my Santa Fe which has great clearance and not much else. Looks like parking at the river crossing adds 1.4 miles RT, so not bad at all and I will probably go with someone who has a 4Runner or two that can get to the end.
G-regJennings	Precipice Peak 06/26/2020 06:12 This is great info, thanks. Have you ever attempted Precipice Peak north of Redcliff?
desertdog	G-regJennings 06/26/2020 06:57 YouÃ¢‚¬„¢re welcome. You should give these a go. IÃ¢‚¬„¢ve not done Precipice Peak. I was just look8ng at it though. I think itÃ¢‚¬„¢s pretty straight forward.