The Stettner brothers Joe and Paul put up one of the most enjoyable alpine rock climbs in the park in 1927 when they rode their Indian motorcycles out from Chicago and put up the hardest rock climb in Colorado at that time on the lower east face of Longs Peak. This is a truly great rock climb with historical importance, a fantastic setting, and high quality climbing on solid rock – I have done it many times with numerous partners. However, no time was better than the time John and I did it together with the Window Route on the far left side of the Diamond. To make the whole enterprise historically accurate we (well, me, anyway) rode motorcycles up to the Longs Peak trail head from Denver.


We walked to the lake at the base of the east face and set up camp. Early the next day we got across the hard-frozen snow fields at the base of the face and started up the Stettners Ledges. This route entails climbing five or six pitches in cracks and corners up the left side of the lower east face. The crux is on the fourth pitch in a dihedral that overhangs on one wall, but is well protected by fixed pins. Although the crux moves are rated 5.7 in virtually all of the guide books and route descriptions, there are a couple of variations to the original crux that are both rated 5.8 – and are easier than the original route! This was very high caliber rock climbing when it was originally put up and the Stettner brothers were just major dudes. Anyway, John and I paused for water and a snack at the top of the route, then traversed across Broadway to the base of the window route on the left side of the Diamond Face. Several pitches of crack and face climbing in the 5.7 range took us to the yawning gap behind a pillar that gives the window route its name. short descent from the base of this window took us to a ledge system traversing left to another series of dihedrals and cracks that top out on Kieners Easiest a couple of hundred feet from the summit. All told this was about 12 pitches of 5.6 through 5.8 climbing on solid, well protected rock that climbs the entire east face of Longs Peak.


John and I have certainly done harder alpine rock routes, and bolder ascents in both Colorado and California, but this was probably as much stupid-assed fun as we have ever had in the high country, and remains one of our favorite climbs together ever. That said, it was a long walk off the summit and back to the trail head and we were both pretty beat. I do remember the ride down the mountain and back into town as one leaving the deliciously cool late afternoon mountain temperatures and descending into the July heat of summer in the city.