Colorado Climbing Notes, 1934

The past climbing season in Colorado was even better than the memorable season of 1933, if we are to judge a season by the number of first ascents and new routes produced. Indeed, the past season records possibly eighteen first ascents, a good many second ascents, and several significant winter climbs. Geographically the first ascents were distributed as follows : Front Range, one; Gore Range, one; San Juan Mountains, sixteen.

High peak climbing is now definitely a year around sport in Colorado, winter mountaineering often being combined with some really first-class ski expeditions. On New Year’s Day, ascents were made of the 14,000-ft. peaks : Longs, Pikes, and Grays. On January 28th Clerin Zumwalt and Charles Hardin made a successful ascent of the east face of Longs Peak, a thoroughly difficult climb at this time of year. During the early spring Donald McBride led parties to the summits of Bierstadt and Quandary Peaks. These ascents are interesting in that they are believed to be the first complete ski ascents made in Colorado of 14,000-ft. peaks. The San Juan Mountaineers winter expedition of 1934 produced several climbs and trips of interest. Using the recently constructed San Juan Mountaineers shelter hut (A.A.J., ii, 255) as base of operations, ascents were made of Blaine Peak, January 24th, and of Mt. Sneffels, February 7th. The same climbers, T. Melvin Griffiths and Gordon Williams, then made (early in March) a ten-day ski reconnaissance of the north central San Juan. On this carefully planned and well executed trip every attention was given to proper choice of equipment and food with the result that though the party was caught in a terrific storm on the fifth and sixth days out, they were able to complete their exploration with no more than minor injuries. On this trip, three peaks, Engineer Mtn., Wildhorse Peak, and Dolly Varden Mtn., were ascended, for photographic purposes.

The San Juan region experienced much of the climbing activity of the regular summer season. However, some original climbing occurred in other places. A Colorado Mountain Club party visited the Slate Creek region of the Gore Range in July, climbing Peak “Q” for a second ascent and Peak “L” for a first ascent. On July 4th Everett Long, Caye Corr Breitenstein, and Carleton C. Long reached the summit of the Devils Thumb on the Continental Divide west of Eldora, Colorado. This is believed to be a first ascent.

The Needle Mountains entertained several parties in 1934. Two San Juan Mountaineers parties made ascents as follows: July 18th, Sunlight Peak (to establish survey station), John Nelson, Everett Long, and Carleton C. Long; same date, Peak “18” (13,400 ft.), probable first ascent. Nelson and Ev. Long; July 20th, La Montania de las Animas Perdidas (13,767 ft.), first ascent, Nelson, Ev. Long, and C. C. Long; September 2nd, The Index, reconnaissance and partial ascent, T. Melvin Griffiths, Frank McClintock, and H. L. McClintock ; September 3rd, Knife Point (13,200 ft.), first ascent, same party. Of these climbs those of greatest importance are the partial ascent of the formidable Index and the finding of a route—a very easy one in fact—up the hitherto impregnable Animas Mtn. The July party experienced considerable difficulty in descending the almost-never-visited lower reaches of Ruby Canyon.

On July 27th the second ascent of Jagged Mountain (13,836 ft.) was made, by William P. House and Miss Elizabeth Woolsey. Their route was almost entirely different from that used on the first ascent of this highly interesting peak (A.A.J., ii, 257). The same party made an ascent of Sunlight Peak from the north and east.

The Colorado Mountain Club’s Blue Lakes-Sneffels outing saw much interesting climbing. A partial list of the newer climbs follows: July 31st, Gilpin Block Tops, Peak “T 1” (13,408), Peak “T 2,” all three summits (13,553-east, 13,552-center, 13,509-west), all first ascents, Everett Long and Caye Corr Breitenstein; August 1st, Wolcott Peak (13,261), second ascent, C. Long and party; August 1st, Peak “S 3,” possible first ascent, A. C. Bartelt, Robert Blair, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Morath ; August 1st, Peak “TO” (13,749), second ascent, Bartelt and Blair; August 1st, West Dallas Peak, probable first ascent, Bartelt and Blair; August 1st, Dallas Peak (13,875), first ascent, Everett Long and Don McBride; August 1st, Dallas Hump, first ascent, Ev. Long. and McBride; August 2nd, Blue Needle, first ascent, John (Jack) Seerley, Robert Thallon ; August 2nd. Gilpin Block Tops, Peak “T 4” (13,533), first ascent, Dwight Lavender, Charles Kendrick, Jack Seerley, Bob Thallon ; August 3rd, L’Aiguille Woolfe Tooth, second ascent, guides and party; August 4th, Peak “TO,” third ascent, and West Dallas Peak, second ascent, A. C. Bartelt and party; August 4th, Peak “S 6,” possible first ascent, Mr. and Mrs. Russel Briggs, Philip Moore, Robert Blair, and Don McBride; August 4th, L’Aiguille Penguin (12,900), first ascent, Dwight Lavender and Jack Seerley; August 5th, Gilpin Block Tops, Peak “T 3” (13,528), first ascent, William Nagel, Robert Blair, Orval Settles, and Robert Thallon ; August 6th, The Monolith, first ascent, Lewis Giesecke and Carleton C. Long ; August 6th, Kismet, possible second ascent, H. M. Walters and party; August 7th, Woolfe Tooth, third ascent, guides and party; August 9th, Woolfe Tooth, fourth ascent, guides and party; August 9th, Wolcott Peak, third ascent, Don McBride and party.

In addition to the above, one or more ascents were made of Mt. Sneffels, Blaine Peak, and Peak “S 5,’’ and several reconnaissance climbs were made, the most interesting being an investigation of yet unclimbed Purgatory Point (13,536). The most important as well as the most difficult climb appears to be that of Dallas Peak. The elevation figures given above are from the SJM survey (1933).

On September 15th, Chimney Peak on Cimarron Ridge—frequently referred to as “the most difficult peak in Colorado”— yielded its summit to an SJM party consisting of T. Melvin Griffiths and Robert Ormes. This 11,782-ft. pinnacle, absolutely vertical on all sides, was climbed by a chimney and crack splitting the south face of the rock. The climbing offered was uniformly of high difficulty. The rock is well cemented conglomerate presenting firm holds.

Fox Movietone News and the San Juan Mountaineers made a short expedition in October to the Mt. Sneffels region to film a mountaineering short subject. Among other climbs the second ascent of L’Aiguille Penguin was accomplished. Climbers were Charles Kane, Robert Ormes, and T. Melvin Griffiths. Camera men were L. E. Orr and James Porter.

With seventeen summit routes established, there seems to have been little inclination during the past two seasons on Longs Peak to force further variations. Elwyn Arps and Charles Hardin are reported to have climbed the Right Chimney—the so-called Ervin-Blaurock chimney—on the East Face to Broadway and then to have made the first descent of the same chimney.

Local rock climbing continued to increase in popularity during the 1934 season. Colorado’s first rock climbing guidebook was published last spring (as the May issue of Trail and Timberline), and gives detailed descriptions of many of the Boulder region climbs.

Carleton C. Long.