u/paeoniii

Another successful trip to the Tetons complete. Bivied in the Lower Saddle for a few days and climbed the full Exum Ridge to the summit in 5 hours. Blessed with another blue bird summit day. One hour to get back down to the Lower Saddle with two rappels. The morning of the descent was rather smoky and a red sun guided the way. Went to climb Baxters Pinnacle the following day but wildlife closures prevented entry to the area. Spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in String Lake enjoying the views.

Thanks for the memories.

My longtime climbing partner and I hiked up to Hallett Peak this past Friday. We did Better than Love Route and finished on Love for the final pitch.

Conditions were perfect. Upper 50s, no wind jacket needed, and probably could have wore lighter pants. We did it in 5 pitches with some simul on the scrambly sections at the top of the buttress. Then simul linked the pitch to the bolt and the nebulous pitch above that to a good belay for the crux last pitch. Pulling the roof on Love Route was a fun way to finish. Rope drag was honestly minimal the whole way. This was my first alpine climb in RMNP since moving to Estes and I have to say it was stunningly beautiful out there. Stopped at Emerald Lake to soak in the views on the way out.

Approach: 1 hr to the base
Climbing time: 3 hrs
Car-to-car: 6:15

Hiked up the Keyhole route two days later. Been eyeing the Casual Route on the Diamond this season. Longs is calling.

Heading back to the Tetons in less than a month! On my last visit, I climbed full Exum Ridge (5.7 ~2200 ft grade IV) to the summit of the Grand Teton with two of my closest climbing partners. The challenges on this one go beyond climbing, we spent a full day hiking to the base with 35 lb packs, gaining 5000 ft across 6 miles, bivying overnight below the lower saddle. The stars were beautiful and summit day had perfect weather.

The Lower Exum was absolutely freezing until about pitch 3 when we climbed back into sunlight. It was the largest objective any of us had done in a team of three. We took 4 hours on the Lower and 1.5 hours on the Upper to the summit, for 12 total pitches. We free soloed all but the V pitch on the upper to save time and bypass groups that hiked to the Upper. It took 2.5 hours to get down to the Moraines, pack up, and make it back to the car at the trailhead. Blessed with a bright mountain sunset as we headed to Dornans to grab a well deserved post summit meal.

Moving to Estes Park in a few weeks sight unseen and I’d like to cut my teeth getting to know the area on some moderates. What are your favorite must-do climbs of all time in the area under 5.11? Preferably multi-pitch/trad.

Casual Route and Pervertical Sanctuary at Longs is high on the list along with the Loose Ends and Hot Licks on Lumpy Ridge.