Having successfully climbed several of the nearby Sawatch peaks, I wanted to do some exploring farther afield. I targeted the San Juans and specifically, Mt. Sneffels, as our next objective. According to Gerry Roach, the standard route on Mt. Sneffels is “a good route for someone who has climbed many easy Fourteeners and wants a taste of what the harder ones are like”. Which is exactly what I was looking for. This was my plan. Unfortunately, when my wife heard that when climbing Sneffels it is recommended that you wear one of these…

…the love of my life decided it wasn’t HER plan. Ok, so it was also going to be my first solo climb.

The Sneffels standard route is well documented so I’ll try not to repeat too much of what’s already been said but I’d like to offer my impressions of Sneffels from someone who’s previous experience is climbing the gentle giants of the Sawatch for anyone in the same boat. And of course, some pictures, because dang, what a beautiful place.

I drove from Salida the afternoon of Monday, Aug 23 and spent the night in Ouray for an early morning start the next day. Tuesday morning I headed up County Road 361 at 6:00 a.m. just as the sky was beginning to turn light. Discretion being the greater part of valor, I opted to park at the small parking area with the bathroom 1.2 miles up the 4WD section of the road and hike the rest of the way in. Beyond this point the road gets seriously steep and gnarly and I figured it would be better to hike than to risk a broken vehicle this far from home.

Besides, the scenery in Yankee Boy basin is of the jaw-dropping variety so hiking a couple miles up the remaining 4WD road was actually a nice warm up for the climb proper.

The moon was just setting over Gilpin peak as I started hiking.

The west face of Potosi Peak still in the early morning shadows.

The sun just starting to hit the top of Stony Mountain.

The upper trailhead at the end of the road. From here it’s 1.2 miles to the summit, a steep, rocky 1.2 miles.

Start of the actual trail, approaching Blue Lake Pass on the left and Sneffels' SW ridge on the right.

There it is, the Lavender Col, first section of the actual climb. If you're like me and like to hike with poles, put them away at this point. The Lavender Col is steep. Steeper than anything I've climbed so far. You're going to want to use your hands.

Halfway up the Lavender Col. For best traction, stay on the rocks to the left. From our experience climbing South La Plata I learned that rocks are grippy while steep gravel, like the lighter dirt to the right in this photo, tends to involve a lot of miserable two steps forward, one step back. Aim for the largest rocks you can comfortably step over because the small and medium ones have a disconcerting tendency to move.

Looking back down the Lavender Col with Gilpin Peak in the background.

At the top of the Lavender Col looking back at the saddle with Sneffels’ neighbor, Kismet Peak.

Second part of the climb, the gully. I really enjoyed this section. You're up high between two rock walls and the the rocks you're on are bigger and more stable. It's not class 5 but it feels like climbing rather than hiking.

Looking back down the gully to the Kismet / Sneffels saddle and Yankee Boy Basin.

Almost to the top of the gully.

Top of the gully looking down the Snake couloir on Sneffels’ steep northwest face. It's way above my pay grade but looking down this thing my inner skier got all tingly.

Yankee Boy from the top of the gully.

The next problem to solve, the famous V-notch.

A closer look.

Now I’m not normally afraid of heights but I’m not ashamed to say, the V-notch freaked me out. There are good solid handholds but the whole thing just feels awkward and off-balance. For one, the notch slopes down toward the exposure to your immediate left, which they never show you in pictures. Well, here you go. You fall, and it’s a 20-foot drop to sloping rock and then probably another 100 foot skid/bounce down the rocky gully you just climbed. That’s going to leave a mark, a lot of marks.

I arrived at the notch alone and spent several minutes trying to figure out the best combination of right foot, left foot, right hand, left hand moves to get me through the thing. My prior rock-climbing experience gained from indoor climbing gyms with a rope and plastic ducky and starfish handholds did not prepare me for this. Everything I tried left me feeling off-balance and extremely aware of the air below my feet. After about five attempts on my own I began to face the reality that I might not be able to summit Sneffels. I sat down dejected, contemplating my next move.

Me, surveying the notch.

After several minutes, some of the people I had passed coming up started to arrive at the notch. First was a young guy I had met at the upper trailhead. I told him I was stuck. Would he mind going first to show me how it’s done? He said sure, and proceeded to wedge himself in the notch and then using his two arms, basically did a pull up until he was standing in the notch. Ok, cool. Let me try that. Unfortunately, my massively ripped cyclist upper body is only good for holding on to handle bars. There was no way I could do that move. He offered to give me a hand up from above but I declined because I knew if I couldn’t get up it myself there was no way I would be able to get back down. I thanked him and wished him luck to the summit.

A few minutes later, others started to arrive and I watched in humiliation as every single one, young and old, short and tall stepped, pulled, lifted and wedged themselves through the V-notch.

Tex, part dog part mountain goat, watching his owners climb the notch. Thank dog Tex didn't climb it. That would have been too much for me to handle.

Finally, one couple came along and I told them my problem. They were sympathetic. The guy said he was kind of afraid of heights but had been in similar situations so said he’d give it a go. He showed me the move that worked for me. Basically, step into the notch and push your left butt cheek against the left rock to stabilize yourself, grab the upper hold with your right hand, pull up, and step up with your other foot. It worked! With my butt pressed against the rock, the feeling of falling went away and I was able work myself the rest of the way up. The famous butt cheek stem and pull, invented by Sir Edmond Hillary, if I’m not mistaken.

So, dude with the beard wearing a blue wind shell, if you happen to be on this site, thank you again for the pointers and helping me get to the summit of Sneffels!

View of the notch from above.

My rock-climbing coach leading the way up the last pitch to the summit.

Some 14ers have summit logs, most of the ones we’ve done so far have not. Sneffels has a collection of logs kept in an old ammo case. I don’t know who toted this thing up there or how long it’s been there but it’s very cool. I spent a few minutes reading the names and entering my own in the log.

I love summit views and Sneffels has some of the best in Colorado. The San Juans are an amazing place.

Telluride ski area over the ridge to the south.

The Wilson group.

Dallas Peak. Tip of the hat to those of you that have climbed this beast.

The Blue Lakes

Huge valley and the town of Ridgeway to the north.

Teakettle and Potosi.

Kismet Peak

It was a sunny, mostly windless day on the summit. There was a fun group of people up there including one young girl who, with the climb of Sneffels, had just completed all 58 Colorado 14ers. We all gave her a round of applause. Lunches were eaten and then it was time to head back down. Several of us (especially me, I think) were concerned about the downclimb through the V-notch. But it turns out once you know the move to get up, going down isn’t that bad.

Yankee Boy basin was even more eye popping in the midday sun. As I arrived back at the upper trailhead the Jeep guys were just working their way up the road. You could hear them grinding up the basin in low gear.

It was a great trip and a challenging climb. The V-notch was definitely a learning experience that stretched what I thought I was capable of.

One of the interesting things about this route is that due to the steepness of the terrain all around you while you're climbing, you never actually see the summit of Sneffels until you are practically standing on it. So after returning to my car and driving back down to Ouray, I made a side trip through Ridgeway and up to Blaine Basin to get the classic north face shot of the mountain. Worth it.