RMNP Technical Climbs

Also see the records for trail runs in RMNP, as some of the triathlons (biking/running/climbing) and duathlons (biking/running) are listed there. And the Longs Peak specific page, as well.

Event Type Record Holder Time Date Notes Full Results

Big Three roped team Alan Lester and Dave Crawford <24h ? Yellow Wall on the Diamond, The Barb on Spearhead, and Birds of Fire on Chiefshead. Trailhead to trailhead.

Triple Lindy

The 3 biggest rock faces in the park -
Long's E Face, Chief's Head NW Face,
Mt Alice E Face. roped team Kelly Cordes and Jonny Copp 22h42m 7/24/03 Car (Long's TH) to Car (Wild Basin TH)

On Long's, we climbed the Crack of Delight (a bit cheesy, but better than the N Chimney - still, something farther left would be prouder) to Casual Route (with a bit of Bright Star? hard face climbing down low - Jonny went way too low on the 5.7 traverse) and finishing (above table ledge) with Forrest Finish (4:30, base to end of roped climbing at upper Keiner's). Up to summit of Long's, down the Trough, over to NW face CH. Climbed Path of Fire (start on Path of Elders but continue on the traverse ledge to Birds of Fire and finish with it) (2:50). Scrambled to CH summit, then over to Mt Alice, dropped in, scrambled up ramp to base of Central Ramp and climbed it (probably a bit off route)(1:50). Scrambled to summit of Mt Alice, then down N Ridge and out (with plenty of getting lost - neither of us had hiked that trail before, and we summited Alice right at nightfall).

Base of Long's to summit of Mt. Alice took about 15:40.
reference: personal email.

Kelly's story

Top Five roped team Topher Donahue and Mike Pennings 22h30m 1999 Pervertical Sanctuary on the Diamond, North Ridge of Spearhead, South Face of the Petit Grepon, modified Northcutt-Carter (after rockfall) on Hallet, and Spiral Route on Notchtop. Longs Trailhead to Bear Lake Trailhead. Splits are:

Leave Longs trailhead 3am
summit Longs via Pervertical Sanctuary 7:30am
sumit north ridge Spearhead 9am
summit s. face Petite Grepon 1pm
summit Hallet's Northcutt Carter 7pm
summit Notchtop spiral route 11pm
reach Bear lake parking lot 1:30am reference: personal email.

Five-Point Diamond roped team Topher Donahue and Tommy Caldwell < 24h, probably less than 12 2002 Topher Donahue and Tommy Caldwell climbed five routes in one day on the Diamond, the 900-foot granite wall on Longs Peak, Colorado. Starting at sunrise on Broadway ledge, the two climbed Yellow Wall (5.11a), Pervertical Sanctuary (5.11a), D-7 (5.11c), Curving Vine (5.11a) and the Casual Route (5.10a)—about 32 guidebook pitches of 5.9 to 5.11, all above 13,200 feet. By linking pitches and simulclimbing, they cut the pitch count to around 18, but the day still added up to more than 4,000 vertical feet, including the North Chimney approach. The two rapped from Table Ledge to Broadway after each route, never actually tagging the summit of Longs. reference

South Face of the Petit Grepon solo Josh Swartz 3h?m summer '02 trailhead-to-trailhead time reference: personal email.

South Face of the Petit Grepon team Dean Potter, John Tormalehto
40m summer '99 route only

Mt. Alice - Left Side route team Dean Potter, Jim Belcer
10h summer '99 CTC (car to car)

Blitzen Ridge on Mt. Ypsilon solo Chris Hayhurst 4h21m 7/11/04 CTC

Y Couloir on Mt. Ypsilon team George Bell and Bill Wright 10h ? CTC time.

Spearhead - car to summit via North Ridge solo Kelly Cordes 1h52m
(rt in 3h22m53s) 7/15/03 Glacier Gorge Trailhead to the summit. 0:43 Black Lake (foot of the little pool at lake
level, at black lake outlet right before those long narrow boulders you hop over)
1:22 base of N Ridge (foot of first slab, where talus ends; then rested for a minute or so, scoping the route) 1:52 summit of Spearhead.

Ben Hoyt & Andy Wellman did 3 hour even on 6/15/03: ~10:45am - 1:45pm Bear Lake parking lot - Spearhead summit via 5.8 variation to Spearhead

Notchtop - North Face ice/mixed route solo Kelly Cordes 3h06m

car-to-car 10/02 It was pretty cool, in that the previous day a buddy and I climbed that excellent s ridge rock route, and lo-and-behold, on the way in I saw a sliver of ice coming down thru the rock bands! gave me something to do the next morning... it was totally dry on the
approach and descent, I just boogied in wearing backpacking boots that i can strap my crampons to, carrying just tools, crampons, a shell and some water,
and wasn't heading out to necessarily go super fast, but rather to go hard and just get a workout in. then, at top (the notch from where the descent begins - I didn't scramble up to the summit) I looked at my watch and it was 2 hrs exactly. got the urge, suddenly, to really hustle in hopes of breaking 3 hrs - but came up a bit short.

Event	Type	Record Holder	Time	Date	Notes	Full Results
Big Three	roped team	Alan Lester and Dave Crawford	<24h	?	Yellow Wall on the Diamond, The Barb on Spearhead, and Birds of Fire on Chiefshead. Trailhead to trailhead.
Triple Lindy The 3 biggest rock faces in the park - Long's E Face, Chief's Head NW Face, Mt Alice E Face.	roped team	Kelly Cordes and Jonny Copp	22h42m	7/24/03	Car (Long's TH) to Car (Wild Basin TH) On Long's, we climbed the Crack of Delight (a bit cheesy, but better than the N Chimney - still, something farther left would be prouder) to Casual Route (with a bit of Bright Star? hard face climbing down low - Jonny went way too low on the 5.7 traverse) and finishing (above table ledge) with Forrest Finish (4:30, base to end of roped climbing at upper Keiner's). Up to summit of Long's, down the Trough, over to NW face CH. Climbed Path of Fire (start on Path of Elders but continue on the traverse ledge to Birds of Fire and finish with it) (2:50). Scrambled to CH summit, then over to Mt Alice, dropped in, scrambled up ramp to base of Central Ramp and climbed it (probably a bit off route)(1:50). Scrambled to summit of Mt Alice, then down N Ridge and out (with plenty of getting lost - neither of us had hiked that trail before, and we summited Alice right at nightfall). Base of Long's to summit of Mt. Alice took about 15:40.	reference: personal email. Kelly's story
Top Five	roped team	Topher Donahue and Mike Pennings	22h30m	1999	Pervertical Sanctuary on the Diamond, North Ridge of Spearhead, South Face of the Petit Grepon, modified Northcutt-Carter (after rockfall) on Hallet, and Spiral Route on Notchtop. Longs Trailhead to Bear Lake Trailhead. Splits are: Leave Longs trailhead 3am summit Longs via Pervertical Sanctuary 7:30am sumit north ridge Spearhead 9am summit s. face Petite Grepon 1pm summit Hallet's Northcutt Carter 7pm summit Notchtop spiral route 11pm reach Bear lake parking lot 1:30am	reference: personal email.
Five-Point Diamond	roped team	Topher Donahue and Tommy Caldwell	< 24h, probably less than 12	2002	Topher Donahue and Tommy Caldwell climbed five routes in one day on the Diamond, the 900-foot granite wall on Longs Peak, Colorado. Starting at sunrise on Broadway ledge, the two climbed Yellow Wall (5.11a), Pervertical Sanctuary (5.11a), D-7 (5.11c), Curving Vine (5.11a) and the Casual Route (5.10a)—about 32 guidebook pitches of 5.9 to 5.11, all above 13,200 feet. By linking pitches and simulclimbing, they cut the pitch count to around 18, but the day still added up to more than 4,000 vertical feet, including the North Chimney approach. The two rapped from Table Ledge to Broadway after each route, never actually tagging the summit of Longs.	reference
South Face of the Petit Grepon	solo	Josh Swartz	3h?m	summer '02	trailhead-to-trailhead time	reference: personal email.
South Face of the Petit Grepon	team	Dean Potter, John Tormalehto	40m	summer '99	route only
Mt. Alice - Left Side route	team	Dean Potter, Jim Belcer	10h	summer '99	CTC (car to car)
Blitzen Ridge on Mt. Ypsilon	solo	Chris Hayhurst	4h21m	7/11/04	CTC
Y Couloir on Mt. Ypsilon	team	George Bell and Bill Wright	10h	?	CTC time.
Spearhead - car to summit via North Ridge	solo	Kelly Cordes	1h52m (rt in 3h22m53s)	7/15/03	Glacier Gorge Trailhead to the summit. 0:43 Black Lake (foot of the little pool at lake level, at black lake outlet right before those long narrow boulders you hop over) 1:22 base of N Ridge (foot of first slab, where talus ends; then rested for a minute or so, scoping the route) 1:52 summit of Spearhead. Ben Hoyt & Andy Wellman did 3 hour even on 6/15/03: ~10:45am - 1:45pm Bear Lake parking lot - Spearhead summit via 5.8 variation to Spearhead
Notchtop - North Face ice/mixed route	solo	Kelly Cordes	3h06m car-to-car	10/02	It was pretty cool, in that the previous day a buddy and I climbed that excellent s ridge rock route, and lo-and-behold, on the way in I saw a sliver of ice coming down thru the rock bands! gave me something to do the next morning... it was totally dry on the approach and descent, I just boogied in wearing backpacking boots that i can strap my crampons to, carrying just tools, crampons, a shell and some water, and wasn't heading out to necessarily go super fast, but rather to go hard and just get a workout in. then, at top (the notch from where the descent begins - I didn't scramble up to the summit) I looked at my watch and it was 2 hrs exactly. got the urge, suddenly, to really hustle in hopes of breaking 3 hrs - but came up a bit short.