theREALCarpeDM - Aug 22, 2016 11:35 am Date Climbed: Aug 22, 2016
Up the standard, rappelled the North face
The start is looser than expected which made that first 10-15 feet feel a little stiffer than class 4. Mainly, one otherwise great foothold moved A LOT, but ended up being fine. Just above that was still pretty loose, too. The chimney is solid, tight, and airy, but not difficult. The north face rap was cool. Added Redcliff afterwards.
1st: 7/5/14 - Standard SW chimney route with Jamie, a little harder than normal due to some lingering ice in parts of the chimney that forced us to either stem or face climb the chimney walls. Rapped north face and then went up Redcliff.
2nd: 9/6/21 - with Scot, SW chimney route. I led this time, the lower wall seemed harder than in 2014, but the Chimney was fun. Also climbed "U4" on the way in.
Sarah Simon - Sep 2, 2013 10:49 pm Date Climbed: Sep 2, 2013
Wast Fork Approach to SW Chimney (left)
Day three of climbing in surprisingly nice weather! Left the pass and did the nasty scree traverse (total suck) and ascended the left side of the SW Chimney. A few moves were a tad awkward with a pack, but the line is absolutely delightful. (sorry to the recent fellow climber whose tricam is now a piece of permapro.). Sweet, scenic ridge run and the notch was a nice way to break up the ridge walk. Watched 5-class chipmunks and gawked at San Juan views from the top.
Trailboss88 - Aug 18, 2013 6:15 pm Date Climbed: Aug 16, 2013
standard route, West fork approach
We underestimated how far the traverse was from West Fork pass to the south ridge. It probably would have been faster to drop down on the trail or use Middle Fork. The climbing was the most challenging I've done on any peak to date. We put in a new rap anchor on the spur to the left of the gully. It provides a clean, fun rappel for a 50m rope. It's tan webbing and a screw link around a chockstone. The main station requires a minimum of a 60m rope. The trip took us 9 hours, with 1.5 hours on the summit and deciding how to rappel.
Alex Wood - Jul 10, 2013 1:03 am Date Climbed: Jul 8, 2013
Matterhorn Creek Approach
Started at Matterhorn Creek because of road closures on the west and north side of Coxcomb due to fires. Summitted Coxcomb in 4:15 minutes from the trailhead and then summitted Wetterhon 4 hrs later. The ridgeline on Coxcomb is awesome! Great peak!
Solo climb of Coxcomb Peak via SW Chimney on a day trip from West Fork TH. Wet rock in the chimney made it interesting. 3 hours from TH to the summit, total 6.5 hours car-to-car. As of Jul. 29, 2012, there were rappel slings on both upper chimney and summit gap pitches. Nice climbing, stellar summit views!
Really fun mountain. Climbed the standard route, rapped the North face, and finished up Redcliff.
pyerger - Aug 16, 2011 1:39 pm Date Climbed: Aug 9, 2011
Coxcomb!!
Spent four days in the Wetterhorn basin. This was an outstanding climb!! Would be a sure classic, if not for the loose rock. Climbed Wetterhorn, and some no name thirteeners, as well! I would call the Coxcomb 5.0/5.2.
Very fun climb 5-6 loose rock and only a couple pieces of protection at 160' I haven't climbed the other variation to the summit.
Liba Kopeckova - Aug 8, 2011 3:36 pm Date Climbed: Aug 7, 2011
north face 5.5
North face: fun climb, loose rock, not much beta for the route, but the actual climb did not appear so hard. The north face of Coxcomb is so huge. We chose a line near its east end, and ended up right below the rap anchors. One pitch - about 54 meters long.
2nd time: 7/17/2017 - even more loose rock than I remembered. What a summit!
Kiefer - Aug 25, 2008 2:11 am Date Climbed: Aug 24, 2008
SW Chimney
An awesome climb!! Saw no one all day. Slings were missing and no bolts at the notch, not that it matters anyway. Looked at Redclif but the weather over Wetterhorn said otherwise. Free climbed out of the notch.
Rapped the chimney as well. Last day of an 8-9 day trip in the San Juans.
SarahThompson - Feb 29, 2008 11:31 am Date Climbed: Sep 15, 2007
Happy Birthday shanahan96
Climbed the standard route with shanahan96. Double rope rap of the north face. Other climbers sometimes report rockfall danger here, but it is actually a great rap if you descend a bit and find the proper anchor. Continued on to Redcliff and then "Fortress".
7/5/14- climbed with mike. sidehilled from the pass below the upper ramparts, no faster, much more tedious. wet rocks and ice in the upper chimney made things more difficult than necessary, but it was still a fine, alpine experience!
different rap straight over the north face cliffs, excellent rappel! better than typical, north face rap.
9/15/07- climbed coxcomb over my birthday weekend. what an awesome idea for a birthday celebration!
very glad to get this peak after being rained off at the alcove during a san juan climbing expedition in august(only failure on that trip).
Incredible views - especially of Wetterhorn. Technical part is short but steep and exposed. Fairly short approach but rock's on the loose side here. Started snowing just after I got off the rock!
jeremy werlin - Jul 2, 2007 10:54 pm Date Climbed: Jun 17, 2007
still snowy in late june 2007
SW Chimney. Loose as a goose. Helmets and MUCH care. Ice, running water on 4th class approach. No fixed slings for short rappel into notch. Some good slings for rappel back to start. West Fork Pass trail still had a lot of snow. Drifts in the forest down low and most of the trail once you start climbing out of the Valley towards the pass had snow. We detoured straight up to the saddle between Coxcomb and Redcloud, bivied, then made a slightly hairy traverse (big cornice all along the east edge of the saddle) around to the south side of Coxcomb and the route. Great fun. No register on top that we could find.
It has been hotter than heck here so the snow is melting FAST.
seth@LOKI - Jul 20, 2006 2:02 am Date Climbed: Jun 17, 2001
Summit not flat!
Climbed with Zach Marquis. Ice made it a bit scarry, especially at the gap. Saw a marmot shimmey down a crack just below the gap. Impressive climbing for a fat guy!
Route Climbed: Southwest Chimney, descent via North Face Date Climbed: July 24, 2005
What a peak! The climbing was a delight once we got off the loose junk below the alcove. Coxcomb scared the daylights out of us when some weather moved in on us, though. We made a more expedient descent by rappelling 200' off the north face to quickly take us to the Coxcomb/Redcliff saddle. There is some serious rockfall danger during this rappell, so I can't recommend it unless you're in trouble.
Route Climbed: SW Chimney Date Climbed: August 9, 2003
An incredible day, an incredible climb on an incredible mountain. Remember to bring your own slings for the rappel into the notch (as well as for backing up the rappels back to the base of the summit block).
Route Climbed: Southwest Chimney Date Climbed: July 19, 2003
We had a beautiful day, no lightening till late that evening. I was kind of nervous about the exposed ridge walk so didn't even sign the register, just tagged the summit and headed back. This is one of those rare Colorado peaks that isn't climbed much!
theREALCarpeDM - Aug 22, 2016 11:35 am Date Climbed: Aug 22, 2016
Up the standard, rappelled the North faceThe start is looser than expected which made that first 10-15 feet feel a little stiffer than class 4. Mainly, one otherwise great foothold moved A LOT, but ended up being fine. Just above that was still pretty loose, too. The chimney is solid, tight, and airy, but not difficult. The north face rap was cool. Added Redcliff afterwards.
chicagotransplant - Jul 6, 2014 10:24 pm Date Climbed: Jul 5, 2014
Southwest Chimney1st: 7/5/14 - Standard SW chimney route with Jamie, a little harder than normal due to some lingering ice in parts of the chimney that forced us to either stem or face climb the chimney walls. Rapped north face and then went up Redcliff.
2nd: 9/6/21 - with Scot, SW chimney route. I led this time, the lower wall seemed harder than in 2014, but the Chimney was fun. Also climbed "U4" on the way in.
Sarah Simon - Sep 2, 2013 10:49 pm Date Climbed: Sep 2, 2013
Wast Fork Approach to SW Chimney (left)Day three of climbing in surprisingly nice weather! Left the pass and did the nasty scree traverse (total suck) and ascended the left side of the SW Chimney. A few moves were a tad awkward with a pack, but the line is absolutely delightful. (sorry to the recent fellow climber whose tricam is now a piece of permapro.). Sweet, scenic ridge run and the notch was a nice way to break up the ridge walk. Watched 5-class chipmunks and gawked at San Juan views from the top.
Trailboss88 - Aug 18, 2013 6:15 pm Date Climbed: Aug 16, 2013
standard route, West fork approachWe underestimated how far the traverse was from West Fork pass to the south ridge. It probably would have been faster to drop down on the trail or use Middle Fork. The climbing was the most challenging I've done on any peak to date. We put in a new rap anchor on the spur to the left of the gully. It provides a clean, fun rappel for a 50m rope. It's tan webbing and a screw link around a chockstone. The main station requires a minimum of a 60m rope. The trip took us 9 hours, with 1.5 hours on the summit and deciding how to rappel.
Alex Wood - Jul 10, 2013 1:03 am Date Climbed: Jul 8, 2013
Matterhorn Creek ApproachStarted at Matterhorn Creek because of road closures on the west and north side of Coxcomb due to fires. Summitted Coxcomb in 4:15 minutes from the trailhead and then summitted Wetterhon 4 hrs later. The ridgeline on Coxcomb is awesome! Great peak!
strudolyubov - Jul 30, 2012 1:26 pm Date Climbed: Jul 29, 2012
SW Chimney route soloSolo climb of Coxcomb Peak via SW Chimney on a day trip from West Fork TH. Wet rock in the chimney made it interesting. 3 hours from TH to the summit, total 6.5 hours car-to-car. As of Jul. 29, 2012, there were rappel slings on both upper chimney and summit gap pitches. Nice climbing, stellar summit views!
utclimber - Jul 29, 2012 6:48 pm Date Climbed: Jul 3, 2012
Coxcomb and RedcliffReally fun mountain. Climbed the standard route, rapped the North face, and finished up Redcliff.
pyerger - Aug 16, 2011 1:39 pm Date Climbed: Aug 9, 2011
Coxcomb!!Spent four days in the Wetterhorn basin. This was an outstanding climb!! Would be a sure classic, if not for the loose rock. Climbed Wetterhorn, and some no name thirteeners, as well! I would call the Coxcomb 5.0/5.2.
Rockclimber77 - Aug 9, 2011 2:08 am
coxcomb North faceVery fun climb 5-6 loose rock and only a couple pieces of protection at 160' I haven't climbed the other variation to the summit.
Liba Kopeckova - Aug 8, 2011 3:36 pm Date Climbed: Aug 7, 2011
north face 5.5North face: fun climb, loose rock, not much beta for the route, but the actual climb did not appear so hard. The north face of Coxcomb is so huge. We chose a line near its east end, and ended up right below the rap anchors. One pitch - about 54 meters long.
2nd time: 7/17/2017 - even more loose rock than I remembered. What a summit!
Kiefer - Aug 25, 2008 2:11 am Date Climbed: Aug 24, 2008
SW ChimneyAn awesome climb!! Saw no one all day. Slings were missing and no bolts at the notch, not that it matters anyway. Looked at Redclif but the weather over Wetterhorn said otherwise. Free climbed out of the notch.
Rapped the chimney as well. Last day of an 8-9 day trip in the San Juans.
SarahThompson - Feb 29, 2008 11:31 am Date Climbed: Sep 15, 2007
Happy Birthday shanahan96Climbed the standard route with shanahan96. Double rope rap of the north face. Other climbers sometimes report rockfall danger here, but it is actually a great rap if you descend a bit and find the proper anchor. Continued on to Redcliff and then "Fortress".
shanahan96 - Sep 23, 2007 10:43 pm Date Climbed: Sep 15, 2007
the birthday cake peak!7/5/14- climbed with mike. sidehilled from the pass below the upper ramparts, no faster, much more tedious. wet rocks and ice in the upper chimney made things more difficult than necessary, but it was still a fine, alpine experience!
different rap straight over the north face cliffs, excellent rappel! better than typical, north face rap.
9/15/07- climbed coxcomb over my birthday weekend. what an awesome idea for a birthday celebration!
very glad to get this peak after being rained off at the alcove during a san juan climbing expedition in august(only failure on that trip).
jamie
Andinistaloco - Aug 27, 2007 2:54 am
summer '07Incredible views - especially of Wetterhorn. Technical part is short but steep and exposed. Fairly short approach but rock's on the loose side here. Started snowing just after I got off the rock!
jeremy werlin - Jul 2, 2007 10:54 pm Date Climbed: Jun 17, 2007
still snowy in late june 2007SW Chimney. Loose as a goose. Helmets and MUCH care. Ice, running water on 4th class approach. No fixed slings for short rappel into notch. Some good slings for rappel back to start. West Fork Pass trail still had a lot of snow. Drifts in the forest down low and most of the trail once you start climbing out of the Valley towards the pass had snow. We detoured straight up to the saddle between Coxcomb and Redcloud, bivied, then made a slightly hairy traverse (big cornice all along the east edge of the saddle) around to the south side of Coxcomb and the route. Great fun. No register on top that we could find.
It has been hotter than heck here so the snow is melting FAST.
seth@LOKI - Jul 20, 2006 2:02 am Date Climbed: Jun 17, 2001
Summit not flat!Climbed with Zach Marquis. Ice made it a bit scarry, especially at the gap. Saw a marmot shimmey down a crack just below the gap. Impressive climbing for a fat guy!
ChuckHeywood - Sep 5, 2005 6:42 pm
Route Climbed: SW Chimney Date Climbed: Sept. 3, 2005Fun!
RyanS - Jul 25, 2005 1:28 pm
Route Climbed: Southwest Chimney, descent via North Face Date Climbed: July 24, 2005What a peak! The climbing was a delight once we got off the loose junk below the alcove. Coxcomb scared the daylights out of us when some weather moved in on us, though. We made a more expedient descent by rappelling 200' off the north face to quickly take us to the Coxcomb/Redcliff saddle. There is some serious rockfall danger during this rappell, so I can't recommend it unless you're in trouble.
Ryan Kowalski - Feb 19, 2004 2:33 pm
Route Climbed: SW Chimney Date Climbed: August 9, 2003An incredible day, an incredible climb on an incredible mountain. Remember to bring your own slings for the rappel into the notch (as well as for backing up the rappels back to the base of the summit block).
peakwolf - Sep 7, 2003 4:07 pm
Route Climbed: Southwest Chimney Date Climbed: July 19, 2003We had a beautiful day, no lightening till late that evening. I was kind of nervous about the exposed ridge walk so didn't even sign the register, just tagged the summit and headed back. This is one of those rare Colorado peaks that isn't climbed much!