North Ridge

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North Ridge on The Spearhead

Geography

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Page Type: Route

Location: Colorado, United States, North America

Lat/Lon: 40.25500°N / 105.638°W

Route Type: Technical Rock Climb

Time Required: A long day

Difficulty: 5.6

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Page By: jimi2bmw

Created/Edited: Mar 21, 2004 / Mar 21, 2004

Object ID: 160492

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Table of Contents

Approach

Approach via the Glacier Gorge trail in RMNP. Take the trail, which is typically packed out in winter, to Black Lake. Signs will direct you and the trail is clearly marked. Gain the flat area above Black Lake up a wide slope left of the lake. The North Ridge is the ridge directly facing you as you approach Spearhead. The hike is about 5 miles one way.

Route Description

From the base, scramble up an easy slab and belay at the base of a small chimney. Climb through the chimney systems for two pitches to where the ridge levels slightly. Proceed to scramble the class 4 slabs and series of ledges. Belay from one of the higher ledges with extensive crack systems and solid rock for anchors. Climb up a right facing dihedral to a prominent point looking out across the northeast face. You will notice that you are sitting on a collection of chockstones overhanging the face. From here the climbing gets more difficult and much more exposed. Climb up a thin crack system to a series of small roofs and dihedrals. Although the pitch is exposed and somewhat difficult, there are many opportunities for protection placements. Above this, belay at a small ledge and climb a slot with a crux move just before attaining the summit ridge. Climb the class 4 broken rock to the summit. Descend the west side over broken rock.

Essential Gear

Bring a full set of cams, a set of stoppers and a 60m rope. Do not underestimate the size of the rack you will need by the technical rating. The placements are very variable. Also, bring a few slings to reduce rope drag as the pitches rarely follow strait line. If you approaching in winter, a good pair of snowshoes is essential. However, crampons are unnecessary even for the class 3+ descent over some steeper snow sections.

Miscellaneous Info

If you have information about this route that doesn't pertain to any of the other sections, please add it here.

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