What is the best site for CA 14er's...

[Jwest911]

it looks like most of this content is for CO

[tmathews]

it looks like most of this content is for CO

Yes, it does say "The Home of Colorado's Highest Peaks" on the main page.

[JayMiller]

After a quick search, I didn't find any web sites devoted to California 14ers. Your best bet seems to be summitpost.org.

[San Juan Ron]

Summitpost. A CA 14ers site is needed! SJ Ron :D

[Tripper]

Yeah... while not dedicate to CA 14ers... they are esay enough to find on Summit Post.

http://www.summitpost.org/object_list.p ... _type=DESC" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(only 14er I have - so far - is at the top of the list.... hope to add a CO peak this year)

[mikemullen]

http://home.flash.net/~cfoster2/climbing/alpine/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[smoove]

CO 14ers, they are essentially all day hikes and all walk-ups (and yes, some are harder than others). That's one reason CO is so great. Access. There are threads, ad nauseum, about the difference between class ratings in CA vs CO. In my experience from my years in CA, is that a class 4 in CA means you better rope up, because a fall would be fatal. Here in CO, it's more like well... if you try the hourglass on Labor Day you might get hit by rockfall... so... its a class 4. Not really in CA. As always conditions play a huge part and this is not to discount CO 14ers. They are a serious undertaking.

Sorry to derail off the topic.... I have also read that a Class 4 route in California is typically more difficult than a Class 4 route in Colorado. I will accept that. But to call the Colorado 14ers "essentially all...walk-ups" is quite a remarkable statement. There are several Class 4 and Class 3 routes in Colorado where a fall could be fatal. And I don't think Little Bear is rated Class 4 simply because you might get hit by rockfall in the Hourglass on a busy day. All of these mountains deserve respect and caution--especially the 3rd and 4th class routes. It looks to me as if you haven't actually attempted any of the more difficult 14ers in Colorado yet (or anything beyond a walk-up for that matter), so it's a bit difficult to accept your advice without a grain of salt. I have yet to complete any of the 4th class 14ers here--and I don't plan to offer any advice about those routes until I have that experience under my belt.

[MtHurd]

I climbed mid-Pal solo. Never did I feel like I needed a rope or any gear. It was similar to climbing the final stretch of Kit Carson, maybe a tad harder but not much. The trailhead elevation was 7600 ft., so only 400 ft. lower than the trailhead for Little Bear. Quite a few people have done Little Bear in one day, same goes with Mid-Pal.

While I do think the ratings on the California 14ers are a little harder than Colorado, I don't think it is as much as some arrogant Californians would like you to believe.

[smoove]

Fletch,

I'm in a more Christmasy spirit today so sorry for flaming you a little bit. I don't question anyone's climbing ability based on number of boxes checked. And true, you don't need a rope on any CO 14er standard route. But the 3rd and 4th class routes do require the use of one's hands. Those routes are clearly not walk-ups. I alluded to your checklist simply because you have not checked off any of those peaks yet.

Happy Holidays!

[kaiman]

For info on mountaineering in California, it is worth checking out Climbing California's Mountains by Jay Anderson and Climbing California's Fourteeners by Cameron M. Burns and Steve Porcella, with the following caveats: the first book includes info on other mountains besides Cali 14ers and the second book has great historical information and descriptions on approaches, but the route information itself is bit patchy in some places. Summitpost is also a good recommendation.

Both book authors do a good job of pointing out the differences in the Class ratings in California versus other states such as Wyoming, Utah or Colorado, which is something to keep in mind as others have pointed out.

From what I've seen and heard most of the routes on California's peaks are fairly well traveled, so getting a descent overview and bringing the appropriate maps (and a compass) should get you to the top without issue.

Happy Trails!

kaiman

[thebeave7]

I climbed mid-Pal solo. Never did I feel like I needed a rope or any gear. It was similar to climbing the final stretch of Kit Carson, maybe a tad harder but not much. The trailhead elevation was 7600 ft., so only 400 ft. lower than the trailhead for Little Bear. Quite a few people have done Little Bear in one day, same goes with Mid-Pal.

While I do think the ratings on the California 14ers are a little harder than Colorado, I don't think it is as much as some arrogant Californians would like you to believe.

Yes, damn those arrogant California's worst people ever.

I've climbed a number of the CA 14ers (C1-C3), no ropes needed for those. Anyways, in regards to beta, I think some of the books mentioned above, in addition to Summitpost and RJ Secor's "High Sierras; Peaks, Passes, Trail" book are your best sources of info. As far as I know you aren't going to find a step by step guide to the peaks, but I've never been a big fan of the "show me every 100ft of the route" descriptions. I think it takes away from some of the route finding fun and mountaineering adventure the peaks offer, but that's just me. If you have some specific questions about some of the peaks I may be able to answer them, if I'm not too busy being an arrogant Californian.

Eric

[MarkTS]

Sorry... sorry.

Someone should make a site for WA 14er(s).

On the bright side it would be an easy to do on the content side at least.