| West Face via Marble Route |
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| West Face via Marble   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Colorado, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 39.11890°N / 107.0658°W Route Type: Scramble Time Required: A long day Difficulty: Class 3/4
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| Page By: Aaron Johnson Created/Edited: Oct 29, 2002 / Jul 20, 2009 Object ID: 157268 Hits: 2879 Loading... Page Score: 86.4% - 2 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
ApproachDrive to Glenwod Springs via Interstate 70, from the west or east. From the town of Glenwood Springs, head south on Highway 82 toward Carbondale and Aspen. At Carbondale, proceed south on Highway 133, which goes to Redstone and Marble. Stay on this road through Redstone. This is a Scenic Byway, so have your camera handy. At the base of McClure pass, a sign at a switchback will direct you to the town of Marble. Take this left turn.
Marble can also be approached from the west over McClure Pass. 62 miles south of Grand Junction is the town of Delta on Highway 50. Take Highway 92 east from Delta, bound for Hotchkiss and Paonia. 33 miles later at Hotchkiss, take Highway 133 over McClure Pass. About 40 miles later, on the east side of the pass, as you drop down into the Crystal River Valley, a switchback will send the road northward. At this switchback is the turn-out for Marble. Exit here.
Just off the exit, there is a nice campground. I don't remember if it was a fee site, but it is worth your consideration, and it worked well for us.
From the town of Marble, take the jeep road to Lead King basin. You will be presented with two options at an eventual fork. There was a sign at the time we were there. The right takes you along the river to Lead King Basin. This road is murder and too time consuming. Go left, which takes you high for some nice views on easy 4WD road, then switchbacks down to the starting point in Lead King Basin, where the trailhead is located on a switchback. Parking right at the trailhead is limited. At the end of your day, if you are up for it, take the road along the river back through Crystal for a loop trip, but be prepared to have the tar beat out of you.
Route DescriptionFollow the well used Geneva Lake trail northward through the basin (gorgeous!) up over the headwall to Geneva Lake. The trail stays west of the lake. Good camping spots are along this stretch, and more will present themselves along the trail north of the lake. Continue beyond Geneva Lake northward on a good but narrowing trail. The west slopes of Snowmass Mountain are to your right 1 mile north of Geneva Lake.
Above Little Gem Lake, the ever thinning trail stays west of the stream, eventually fading with the tundra as you enter a rocky expanse. Cross to the east side where a great pile of white boulders has been heaped up. At this point, you should be just south and below Siberia Lake, around 11,800 ft.
Hang a sharp right, climbing eastward toward Snowmass. Hours of rock scrambling are ahead. A gully extending from the ridge will become evident as you climb, with a massive pile of rock debris fanning out at its base. Climb up this pile. Loose rock abounds. If the gully has a visible black stained water route at its base, you've got the wrong gully. The ascent gully climbs to the ridge just north of the Snowmass summit in a direct line.
Get on more solid rock as soon as possible by gaining a rib to the right of this gully. The white and grey monzonite boulders are huge and offer many scrambling challenges. Follow this rib all the way to the ridge, always being wary of loose boulders. The gully is loose and exhausting, but some folks may prefer it. This long mile of relentless climbing is fun but demanding.
Scrambling along the ridge to the summit. Photo by Bernard Hohman |
Just below the ridge, look for scrambling options to the summit, less than 100 feet away to the right. Climbing here is on solid but exposed Class 4 terrain to a dramatic finish.
Descending the route. Photo by SP member ephillips |
Return the same route, as gully options from the summit all lead to steep run-outs and cliffs. If time permits, a return down one of the ridge routes would be a feasible loop. Refer to a guidebook, preferable Gerry Roach's, for details concerning these routes. Using this ascent route as a bail route would work well. Be sure to traverse 100 feet north of the summit along the ridge before descending. In questionable weather, returning via the west face gets you off the mountain quickly.
Figure on 7 hours up and down from below Siberia Lake, almost 2300 feet elevation gain in a mile. It's steep! From the camping area west of Marble by the highway, this is a 12 hour day.
Be sure to view my photos. They illustrate the conditions you will encounter on ths route.
Essential GearStandard hiking gear and boots in good condition will do nicely. Gloves might be a good idea since the rock is more abrasive, and you'll be hanging onto it for hours. Due to avalanche and fall danger, this route would not be recommened for winter or spring ascents.
4WD OPTIONS4WD is recommended for the approach to the trailhead. The Lead King Basin approach road is smooth but rutted and requires high clearance in places that would try passenger cars.
The road to Lead King via Crystal is very rough and requires spotting over boulders along the river. 4WD and high clearance is required.
Nearby Scholfield Pass takes you to Crested Butte via Crystal Canyon, but this is a dangerous and narrow road that folks have lost their lives on. 4WD, high clearance and extensive experience is recommended.
A Recommended ResourceFor reference only, check out "Colorado Fourteeners Grand Slam" by Roger Edrinn. This is a great coffee table book on the fourteeners, and very informal in recommending routes. However, he's got a great picture of the Snowmass west face in there that was instrumental in our decision to try this little used but rewarding route.
Miscellaneous InfoIf you have been in the Marble area recently and know of any changes that need to be made to the above text, please post it here. Any and all information is welcome and appreciated!
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Elk Mountains
