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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 19, 2008 - 11:43am PT
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Colorado's iconic mountain scene, the Maroon Bells above Maroon Lake.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 19, 2008 - 11:54am PT
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I heard the north face was skied years ago too. Definitely the no-falling zone.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 19, 2008 - 12:08pm PT
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Long before I knew anything about ropes or guidebooks, I imagined climbing the Bells. And when I started 14er-bagging in high school, a grizzled veteran told me those were the toughest 14s.
In my freshman dorm, I had a poster of the Maroon Bells with yellow aspen and fresh snow. But by then I was learning that among real climbers, the Bells were not in fashion.
I set that goal aside and went on to climb other things. Years later, though, I found myself in Aspen one morning with extra energy and no partners. Friends dropped me off at the lake, promising they'd come back around 4.
I took a few pictures that day, and just recently rediscovered and scanned them.
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WoodySt
Trad climber
Riverside
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Jan 19, 2008 - 12:11pm PT
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Beautiful mountains. I've climbed North twice, South once and Pyramid twice. North and Pyramid are much fun; I wouldn't climb that trash heap South again if forty vigins were waiting for me on top. Come to think of it, what would I do with forty virgins anywhere?
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jan 19, 2008 - 12:34pm PT
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A guy nicknamed Woody shouldn't have too much problem figuring out what to do with 40 virgins. :-)
Nice photos!
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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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Jan 19, 2008 - 12:40pm PT
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There are a few good trails that go through the foothills of the Bells and a few miles in there's some very good bouldering on hard red rock. High ball stuff, too.
JL
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 19, 2008 - 12:45pm PT
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Any photos of that, John? I recall some cliffs along the way, but wasn't watching for boulders at the time. It would sure be a scenic location.
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don coyote
climber
mahogany ridge
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Jan 19, 2008 - 01:01pm PT
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The ski descent off north maroon deserves attention but has numerous successful descents almost every winter/spring.Then you bump it up to pyramid and you've got serious extreme.Then if you want to push the volume up to 11, you've got the descent down capitol.The line taken by Davenport and Beidleman is sick in the worst way.Oh,I almost forgot,this is a Bells thread,there is a reason you see them photographed so much!
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 19, 2008 - 01:06pm PT
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Oh,I almost forgot,this is a Bells thread,there is a reason you see them photographed so much!
Naw, in its heart this is an "Elk Range" thread -- Pyramid, Capitol, Snowmass & the rest are fair game. Got pics or stories?
I titled it "Maroon Bells" just because I like the name.
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don coyote
climber
mahogany ridge
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Jan 19, 2008 - 01:09pm PT
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Sorry Chiloe,I'm not much of a photographer.But,I can look out my window right now and just see the tippy top of capitol from my window!
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 19, 2008 - 01:11pm PT
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Out my window I see trees and snow and a neighbor's red house, but the Maroon Bells are 2,000 miles away. So these old slides have to do.
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don coyote
climber
mahogany ridge
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Jan 19, 2008 - 01:16pm PT
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I suppose it beats a sharp stick in the eye. Nice photo's by the way.Please keep them coming
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WoodySt
Trad climber
Riverside
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Jan 19, 2008 - 01:41pm PT
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Mighty Hiker,
You have more faith in my 66 year old woody than I do. But, thanks for the effort.
We did Capitol in a storm. We did it in a day from Leadville. We jogged in and started up just as the weather went to hell. We'd hunker down under our ponchos as the lightening cells and snow flurries passed over then up and pushed on and repeat. We finally got to the final "knife" edged ridge and waited for a little clearing. A hole broke through the clouds and a beam of sun hit the very top of the peak. My memory is a little hazy here, but we think we heard a voice out of the beam saying something like " Boys, your abject stupidity has impressed me so I'm going to allow you out of this alive. Be damn f%kin careful over the ridge; not everyone makes it. Particularly when it's soaked." Those were the days. We dropped off, jogged back the miles to the truck and back to Leadville.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 19, 2008 - 09:23pm PT
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Made a ski descent of S. Maroon last spring.
Cool photos of your route and surroundings. Looks pretty unforgiving to ski, especially for a guy in a kilt.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 19, 2008 - 09:23pm PT
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WoodySt:
We did Capitol in a storm.
Those high country afternoon t-storms turn things scary in a flash, don't they?
On the morning I started my Maroon Bells hike the skies looked harmless as could be. I'd heard so many stories about the bad rock, though, I was curious to see that for myself.
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TwistedCrank
climber
Ideeho
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Jan 19, 2008 - 10:16pm PT
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Here's a Pyramid climb I did with Fillmore around 1985. One of my fave shorts-and-tshirt summits of all time.
The approach cirque on the north side.
Skirting the west flank and catching the first view of the Bells.
A trail in the sky.
4th Class conglomerate.
The Bells on the other side of the valley.
Found: summit.
Snowmass and Capitol
Aspen to the north.
Fine memories, these.
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philo
Trad climber
boulder, co.
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Jan 19, 2008 - 10:49pm PT
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The north face of North Maroon was first skied in 1957 by Fritz Stammberger. Amoung many other amazing accomplishments Stammberger founded Climbing magazine. If you think of the gear available in 1957 his is a most remarkable feat. If you don't know anything about this remarkable charecter you owe it to yourself to at least google his name.
This is a nice thread.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Jan 19, 2008 - 11:42pm PT
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In 1963 that road was open to all traffic, my stressed out, exhausted parents (on a 2 week vacation form Chicago) parked the country sedan wagon pulling the rented pop-up camper in the vista overlook, I remember some anxious conversation as I slept in the unseatbelted back seat. Fortunately they decided to risk it.
When I woke up the next morning,it was to a view very much like the op's photo that started this thread; this midwestern boy's introduction to western mtns.
A few days later we went to the tetons and my older sibling, chasbro, climbed the grand with exum; starting the whole merry go round. Today, 45 yrs later, we (my two brothers and I) still have one of four of our collective progeny to get up Deto. There is time, she's only 5. It all started with that view of the Maroon Bells.
_I'll dig through mom's kodachromes™ if I can find the right box in the garage.
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