Failure & Success On Colorado’s Most Dangerous Fourteener

Little Bear Peak is well known for having probably the most dangerous section of any fourteener, a narrow gully called the Hourglass, that funnels dislodged loose rock from above directly onto climbers below. To avoid this hazard, on my first attempt of this peak I tried a newly developed route called the West Ridge Indirect, which traverses a ridge above the Hourglass to avoid rockfall danger. However I was greeted with the greatest exposure, and some of the hardest moves, on any fourteener I’ve climbed—too extreme for my comfort level. A few weeks later I made it back to try the Hourglass, and summited! Succeeding after failing the first time always imparts an even greater satisfaction. The light at the end of the 14er journey tunnel is quickly approaching!