North Maroon Peak

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 10/1/2024, By: DiamondCutter
Info: It was icy and slick along the ridge leading to the crux but it was somewhat manageable without spikes. I tried to find a bypass around and only saw a feasible option to the left of the crux which was dry but steep and exposed low-mid class 5 climbing. I also ventured right of the crux for about 50 yards or more but didn't see any good options and it was only getting snowier and icier the further right I went. So returned to the crux, but once I got to the top I encountered more snow and ice. I opted to turn back. The mantle move to get on top of the chimney seemed a little sketchy and a fall there would be a pretty bad situation. I assume above the crux has a little more snow and ice but maybe it could still be manageable (not ideal) without spikes. Since I didn't make it past the top of the chimney, I'm not sure how rigging an anchor would go but another post mentioned they rigged one with paracord this weekend and left it there. FWIW, I spoke with someone who went up after me, and he took a steep low class 5 bypass to the left of the chimney and turned back on the ridge as he was just put for a scouting mission. He explained there a couple of options to the left of the chimney, one options is climbing the headwall arete, which is what I think he took, and the other option is briefly going down and back up the gulleys facing south/southeast (each are located at the notch just left the chimney) but when I was looking at those options I didn't like them, this is where YMMV. 

Route: Bells Traverse
Posted On: 9/16/2024, By: willcubswin
Info: My climbing partner and I climbed the bells traverse yesterday along with a few other parties, including one guy who finished the 14ers yesterday! All of the parties were really helpful and great to have on the route with us yesterday. Conditions were perfect for us yesterday, and we used this incredibly helpful and well-written trip report from jeffh7 for most of our beta: https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=21822 It did rain on us on the way down, which meant that it snowed on the peaks. I imagine that this will take a day or so to melt off. When we were coming up the last part of North Maroon, we encountered a man coming down who was starting the traverse in reverse. It seemed like he had limited beta on descending the three difficulties, but he continued on anyways. One of the other parties asked if he had a rope for rappelling, which he did not. If this is you (or you know this person), please respond and let us know you made it out okay. We'd really appreciate it! 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 9/8/2024, By: madmattd
Info: We ran into some scattered verglass in the morning on ascent starting from just above the chimney to just below the summit. It seemed to have all melted by the time we descended, and didn't provide much issue on ascent, but that time is coming! Otherwise full summer conditions. There is a fairly good-condition rope slung around a boulder above the chimney with a (rigging, not climbing) link in it that in theory could be used to rap down from. I also scouted the bottom of the bypass area and saw some semblance of rap gear above near the bypass but I didn't climb up to inspect it, and it's not on the exact bypass route. We both climbed the chimney on ascent, I down-climbed the chimney while my partner opted for the bypass on descent. I think my height advantage made the downclimb a bit easier, but it's really the first move to get into the top that is semi-committing as mentioned in various reports. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 8/29/2024, By: Jay521
Info: Very minor moisture and isolated muddy patches but all in all, great conditions 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/27/2024, By: sfreytag
Info: Lots of hail and moisture from the Chimney to the summit from the last few days. Pretty muddy up there. Hail and flowing water in the Chimney made it pretty awkward especially with wet shoes on the way down. Took Chimney up and Class 3 bypass down as a result. Class 3 option was way better in my opinion. I'd definitely recommend that up and down. Also cairns on the final summit push lead to some harder terrain. If you stay left and lower there is an easier route that zig-zags to the summit. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/22/2024, By: Cruiser
Info: Full on summer conditions. No snow to avoid at the base of the chimney anymore. A 14er first for me today, as I was just climbing out of the chimney I turned the corner and saw three people roped together descending from the summit. I think the guy in the back must have been a guide but who knows? 

Route: Bells Traverse
Posted On: 7/16/2024, By: ergergel
Info: What an incredible day proverbially "ringing the bells!" My three climbing partners and I started at 1:30 am up South Maroon. There were two very short snow crossings that were easily navigable without spikes and otherwise it was snow-free. Route finding was more straightforward than expected but I certainly appreciated all of the studying. The traverse was completely snow-free. As one hears/reads the rock was certainly quite loose. Very glad to be a climber - I truly wouldn't recommend anyone do this unless they have climbing experience. Again, route finding was fairly straightforward due to extensive studying of the available resources online. For the descent off of North Maroon, the only unavoidable snow we encountered was just at the base of the 4th class chimney downclimb. It just makes exiting the chimney slightly more challenging but is quite small. We definitely took time to locate the correct gully and their exits, etc. As people say there are often cairns leading different ways - so take time to choose which to follow. For reference if it's helpful - 1:30 am start, S Maroon summit about 7 am, traverse took two hours, and descent to 11,950 on N Maroon took about two hours. 12 hour day including stops, a visit to Crater lake to see the view, etc. Please reach out if you have any questions - I did so much research before attempting these and am very grateful for all of the available information online! 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/13/2024, By: Mzapo
Info: Snow now clear in the boulder field. There is snow right at the base of the chimney that is worth mentioning. It's not a lot but makes the 18ft ascension slightly sketchier with wet boots, especially if you're like me and don't specifically rock climb often. Getting down the chimney is the harder part as there are patches of snow near the top of it as well. There is snow present for about 50ft of ridge line shortly after the chimney ascension you can walk through. No traction needed. I think the steepness of the second gully should not be understated, it's steep loose rock. We experienced some vertical climbing towards the top of it requiring a bit of coordination. Cairns are useful and easier to identify going down then up. Second gully does take extensive time to navigate down safely so just plan accordingly. Helmet recommended. Water is running high at the river crossing, a somewhat skinny juvenile pine is used for crossing. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/9/2024, By: cjmurk2
Info: I went up North Maroon on the 4th. The approach is nice if you can be dropped off really early ( I was dropped off at Maroon Lake at 4am) No snow until the first Boulder field- Footprints were fine to follow but I did strap on my helmet during these traverses on boulder fields. No ice axe or spikes wanted until after both gullies and you can do it without. Someone made footprints in the snow fields north of the 2nd gulley. I missed the Chimney on the way up and ended up doing loose class 4 but the area is dry. On the way down there is a really cool snow cornice that makes a tunnel as you exit the steep last decent gulley. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 6/29/2024, By: Joey_parm
Info: A few snow crossings / ascents / descents between the talus field and "1ST GULLY", then a few more on the ridge from above the "2ND GULLY" to the summit. Technical climbing sections had a fair amount of wet rock, so just watch your footing. Personally, I was glad to have my axe and spikes for the snow - as a slide down some of those would not be a fun time. Although they were not technical. A few folks coming down from the traverse appeared to have been moving quickly without an axe and possibly without spikes. So look at the pics and make the call for yourself based on your experience and comfort level. 

Route: Trigger finger couloir up to West face ski
Posted On: 6/8/2024, By: slawrence2011
Info: After my failed attempt Thursday due to soft snow, I started at 1:30 from the TH. It was helpful having tracks to follow all the way up to the base of the col. Still never froze, but fortunately it was clear, so I felt like I could feel warm air radiating out of the snowpack. Felt hot in one layer in the middle of the night! Trigger finger has a bergschrund with a several foot gap between snow, and also very narrow there. My first attempt at stepping high knocked the snow down on the R side, so I had one more try. I stepped as high L as I could, weighted the axe as much as possible, and chimneyed, and it held. That won't go for much longer. Unfortunately, I think that is also the spot where N face traverses to the main face, so that was the biggest reason that seems out to ski, unless willing to do a straight line jump. W face traverse to summit was challenging because snow was very saturated, even though no sun. There was a couple inch crust, and then everything below that was wet. Hadn't expected that with much better conditions on the NE aspect. I almost gave up, but I did very careful trenching about 10 ft away from each rock section, then snow was much better away from rocks. Summited just before 11 to light snow and wind picking up. Downclimbed 100 feet below the ridge just SW of the summit (my route connected to final moves of traverse, probably class 3, a little snow at the bottom of the chimney though). Great ski, only issue was trapdoor conditions down low anytime I got close to rock. Had to descend to 11k to gain what I thought would be buckskin trail, but never found it (see my comment on previous N Maroon cr). From the top of Buckskin, managed to ski to 11k where the N face route connects to that side of buckskin, with linking snowfields. Back to TH at 645. 

Route: North Face
Posted On: 6/6/2024, By: slawrence2011
Info: Made an attempt on N Maroon today. Made it to 12,4 below the N face, the N face looked discontinuous, so I tried to access the N facing couloir L of gunsight. By the time I was almost there, I was sinking 12 inches, and turned around at 8:30. Started at the TH at 3:30, back at 12:30. Continuous snow starts around 10,8, right before you leave the buckskin pass trail and cross the creek. I have been aware of the avy warnings, so I am going to make another attempt tomorrow starting at 1:30. Snow was decent until the sun hit at 6, but it is so E facing, it was wiped out rapidly. Looking like clear skies tonight. 

Route: Gunsight Couloir from Snowmass Creek TH
Posted On: 3/12/2024, By: Will_E
Info: Pretty good conditions on N Maroon today, I started around 9:30 Monday night. Normally there's a skin track for a few miles from the TH, not today, I was trenching from the start. Much better snow this year than on last years attempt, I made it to the basin about 2 hours faster (my route was a little better too). Snow in the couloir felt pretty good, no issues getting up or down. Hardest part of the day was getting around Gunsight Tower. Not sure what the norm is for the handful of people that have done this route, I used a steep section of nearly vertical snow, it worked okay, but was a bit unnerving. As I was coming down it looked like it might be possible to go over the top, but I didn't try it. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 10/9/2023, By: Jonathan Deffenbaugh
Info: Mixed climbing conditions. Definitely bring the full arsenal for this one (i.e. helmet, ice axe, trekking poles, micro spikes and crampons). Had the micro spikes on during the Boulderfield and gully sections. Both gullies were dry except near the top of the second gully by the notch. Followed the route description with exception to the crux chimney section, quite a bit of snow in there. Instead went around to the left and climbed from the south side of the towers facing the sun, then crossed over to the right side at the top of the chimney. To note, once youre on top of the second gully near the notch section at the ridge line, would recommend having your ice and crampons handy for the last 700 ft to the summit, especially at the crossover section on top of the crux chimney, whereas trekking poles are a nice to have for ascending/descending the main two gully sections. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 9/27/2023, By: EJHannah
Info: Beautifully crisp fall day today! The trail is almost entirely in summer conditions still, with some snow patches from ~13.4k to ~13.8k. The crux chimney is dry, but the ground beneath and leading up to it is snowy and got my boots all slick. Ended up throwing on spikes for the ascent and descent of the chimney to play it safe. Forgot to take photos of the chimney, unfortunately.