Northwest Couloir Additions and Corrections

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ericnoel

ericnoel - Sep 6, 2010 4:40 pm - Voted 10/10

NW Couloir

This is a good route page. However, I do take issue with the statement that the route would be a dangerous shooting gallery without snow. In fact we ascended this route and then descended the standard red gully route. Conditions were basically dry though a slight amount of verglass was present. While the NW Couloir is certainly steeper and has more scrambling, it is also much more stable than the chossy red gully. Plus it has fewer people around so less danger of rockfall from other parties. We found it be a good late season route. Just my opinion of course.

BMS914

BMS914 - Sep 3, 2013 4:55 am - Hasn't voted

Re: NW Couloir

I concur - summitted via this route 8/30/2013. No snow or ice, but some piled-up hail was present. Also, water was flowing down the gully in many places making the rock more slippery. There was also some wet moss in spots that was tricky. Rockfall was a concern but not to the point of ruining the experience. Our party of two did not have helmets, though care was required.

I would rate this route exposed Class 3 rather than Class 4 (as the main Crestone Peak page suggests). The climbing was easier than Mount Sill in California I did two weeks before, for example. The climbing in the NW Couloir is sustained for a good 90 minutes. Our descent was via the standard (Red Gully) route, which seemed to go all Class 2 and was much easier.

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