“Zach, we already thought of a name,” said my fiancée, Syd Knadler, as she manteled onto the summit plateau of Four Gables (ca 12,720’). “Shits and Glitters!” On top, Syd and Sara Green grinned as their face paint sparkled in the sun. As this was their first-ever first ascent, it only felt right for them to be in charge of route naming.

Following the six-mile approach from the Horton Lakes trailhead, we established Shits and Glitters (800’, 7 pitches, 5.10a) on July 6, ascending clean panels of granite on the southeast aspect of the peak, with some scrambling to connect the lower and upper headwalls. [This face leads to the top of Four Gables; most technical routes on this massif climb the large east face leading to a higher point known as Four Gables South.] The best climbing came on the final pitches, with excellent cracks on a steepening shield. While the lengthy, nontechnical descent to the south and east took away the smiles of the glitter gals, I hope they’ll only remember the good parts and will be game for another adventure soon.  

— Zach Lovell