Longs Peak (did you wear a helmet?)

[Voshkm]

But it was my first 14er, and since we are confessing, I wore cotton. I wouldnt do either if I returned.

[andrew85]

No, but when I did it the trough was still frozen and I had crampons so rockfall wasn't really an issue. My general rule of thumb has been:

Class 1&2: No
Class 3: Depends, but haven't felt I needed it yet (Longs & Sawtooth)
Class 4+: Yes

If space is a concern, I used this Edelrid foldable helmit for Capitol and Pyramid and it's worked pretty well for me so far. My only criticism is that it's pretty snug and it only seems to be offered as an adjustable one-size-fits-all configuration, but it does the job and it's a minor complaint given the convenience of just being able to slide it into one of my backpack's pockets.

[chicagostylehotdog]

Sit is a huge hassle to try and pack (3) helmets into a single suit case. Having said that, I will be finding a way.

You don't have to pack helmets if you wear them while travelling. Great way to embarrass your kids, too. Double bonus!

[MonGoose]

Class 3 = Helmet.

[rob runkle]

Sit is a huge hassle to try and pack (3) helmets into a single suit case. Having said that, I will be finding a way.

You don't have to pack helmets if you wear them while travelling. Great way to embarrass your kids, too. Double bonus!

[Presto]

Climbed Long's 7 times (in the 80's and 90's) and never wore a helmet. The first time it was our 2nd 14er (had only done Gray's before that). 6 times via the keyhole route and 1 time via the cables route. However, there's certainly more "traffic" on that mountain nowadays.

[hootenatty]

Count me in with the folks who did the Keyhole route as their first 14er, and did not wear a helmet. I definitely would now, though.

[specmiata37]

Longs was my first 14er and didn't wear a helmet the first time. Have climbed it 8 more times and worn a helmet ever since that first time. You learn with experience. Once again class3 and above = helmet. On Longs have experienced rockfall in the trough and bumped my helmet once on a overhanging rock.

[HikerGuy]

Ditto. First time solo, no helmet. Second time with my niece, I made sure we wore helmets. Too many morons kick rocks down in the trough and none of them yell rock. If you are going to be on a Longs route that has other parties above you, wear a helmet.

[chicagostylehotdog]

Longs was my first and I was helmetless. I have done it a total of three times, all helmetless, with the latest being in 2013. That was before I really started getting into class 3/4 scrambling. I would wear one now. On the bright side, each time I hiked it I summited before (or right at) sunrise and was back below the trough before I ran into much traffic, so I was (unintentionally) mitigating the risk of rockfall due to other parties.

[CORed]

I didn't use a helmet on any of my 3 ascents via the Keyhole route. That said, the Trough is the section that might make you wish you had a helmet. It is usually full of people, many of whom are not experienced climbers, and there's quite a bit of lose rock there. It is mostly low enough angle that rocks kicked loose don't go too far or too fast, but if a rock takes the wrong bounce it can pick up some speed. Due to the rockfall hazard, I think the Trough might actually be the most hazardous part of the route, at least on a summer weekend when it's crowded.

[Megan]

I finally hiked Long's for the first time on Saturday (with my helmet) and saw two NPS park rangers heading up the trough without helmets. I didn't get a chance to ask them about it but it definitely surprised me.