Longs Peak, Northwest Couloir (4th)

Longs Peak

Route:

Northwest Couloir

4th

Another moderate route up Longs, with a unique hole crawl-through.

The trip report on this page represents the 33rd time I have visited the summit of Longs Peak.

Region: Colorado
Elev: 14,259 ft
Rock type: Granite
Type: 
Date(s): August 23, 2024 (Fri)
Partner(s): solo

Route Overlays

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Map

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Intro

At the time of this trip report, I had climbed Longs Peak 32 times by various routes. One route I had not yet climbed was the Northwest Couloir. This route climbs a steep rocky gully that starts about midway between the Keyhole and the left edge of the west face. The route involves tunneling through a cave at one point. Enos Mills climbed this route in 1896, but found signs of a previous ascent.

This was my 33rd ascent of Longs Peak (and 15th in 2024!). I thought this route was a nice alternative to the slighly longer and more crowded Keyhole Route.

I descended via downclimbing the Cables Route on the North Face. It was pretty wet, but shorter than taking the easier/dryer Keyhole Route.

This page gives a route overlay and photos from my climb.

Time Stats

Longs Peak Trailhead: 4:10 am
Base of Northwest Couloir: 7:03 am
Summit: 7:58 am
Longs Peak Trailhead: 11:00 am
TOTALS: 3:48 up, 3:02 down (car-to-car: 6:50)

Photos

Summit!

The top of Longs Peak is 14,259 feet. The highest summit in RMNP. Enjoy the view! 

Comments Pertaining to this Page / Trip Report

Useful beta. Updated route information. Corrections. Historical notes. Interesting facts. No fluff please.
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