Capitol Peak, Elk Range. On July 21 David Michael, Michael Cohen and I climbed a pleasant route on the northwest face and north-northwest ridge of Capitol Peak (14,100 feet), about 1800 feet of sustained but mostly not difficult climbing on generally sound rock. From camp below Capitol Lake (11,700 feet) we took a trail past the lake towards Avalanche Pass. Just short of the pass we headed up the last (most westerly) snow couloir which pierces the bottom 200 feet of the cliffs at the base of the northwest face. Just below where the couloir abruptly ends in a shallow bowl backed with black overhangs, we took to the rock on the right. The initial move from the snow (Class 5) was the most difficult of the climb (1963 was a year of little snow). We then followed for 200 feet a series of steep cracks diagonally upward to the right to reach the lip of the bowl. We were now above the steep lower face and climbing became easier. We ascended ledges 100 feet diagonally to the right and then climbed shallow gullies, bearing left to gain about 500 feet and to reach a broad platform at the base of a snowpatch and above our original couloir. So far our route had been identical with that followed the previous summer by David Michael and myself, but we had then climbed left and had been stopped a few hundred feet higher by increasingly steep slabs. On the present occasion we climbed directly up the snowpatch and then up easy rocks for another 100 feet. Close under the north-northwest ridge we traversed right to reach it about 100 feet above its only conspicuous gendarme. We followed the sharp crest for about 300 feet, and as the ridge steepened below a prominent shoulder, we moved left to reach easier climbing onto the shoulder. Beyond, the route was not obvious. The shoulder abutted against a steep, smooth face, capped by overhangs. Now at two P.M. we took little pleasure in watching a gigantic thunderstorm east of us, the fringes of which brought us hail. When the stoning stopped, David began climbing the smooth face. As he was placing a second pitch, lightning struck the summit some 500 feet above and sparks flew from the piton; David scurried back down the face. Presently the weather improved again and Mike then led the face and overhang in good form. From here we followed wet, slabby, but increasingly gentle rock to the summit, arriving about five p.m. We descended the usual knife-edge route. The history of previous climbs on this face are obscure to us. Carl Blaurock and others did a route, using a fault plane towards the east side. We hear that Harvey Carter and others from Camp Carson climbed a route near the north-northwest ridge. At any rate, we recommend our route, which is roughly comparable to the north face of Blanca in difficulty and duration.

George I. Bell