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Stettner's route on East Face of Monitor Peak

Original Post
Tim Stich · · Colorado Springs, Colorado · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,520

In 1947 the Stettners climbed this broken up but rather impressive looking wall. There's a good picture of it behind the cash registers at Neptune's in Boulder. Yet no one has put an ascent down on mp.com.

Any second ascentionists out there? Surely it can't be because of the rock quality. ;-) I mean, the Fisher Towers see many repeats.

Would love to hear any rumors, lies, etc.

Dougald MacDonald · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2002 · Points: 842

I walked under it this September. Super-impressive climb for the era, but frankly it just doesn't look that good. Jeff Achey did a story for Climbing mag some years ago about rock climbing in this group. Bottom line: pretty grungy. Too bad, because there are stunning lines all over the place.

Dougald, Colorado MoJo

Dan Mottinger · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,785


Here's a partially blurry (dropped camera on trip) picture of the face. I agree with Dougald that the faces in the area look enticing but the rock quality is poor enough to not make it seem worth it (did some of the easier peak summit routes up to 5.7 and those were exciting enough).
YDPL8S · · Santa Monica, Ca. · Joined Aug 2003 · Points: 540

I personally know that a group from Gunnison did it in the mid 70's. The route they climbed was really hard and rotten. I know that Tom Pulaski was one of the climbers, and I'm thinking maybe Jimmy Newberry and Scotty Gilbert. Phil Broscovak might know or could ask Jimmy or Tom.

Phil? stop lurking on super taco and answer this question! :-)

In fact, I think that this picture that Phil put on MP on the Gunnison home page is taken from that trip and might even be from the top of Monitor.

Edit - probably not Monitor since the dog is up there...doh!

Scotty Gilbert, Tom Pulaski and Jimmy Newberry. Courtesy of the Jim Newberry collection.

Tim Kuss · · Durango, CO · Joined Jun 2009 · Points: 198

I did the Stetner Route with Peter Jamieson in the late '80's. A novel thing to do but not really worth it. It is a remote place to lug climbing gear and the rock in the Needle Range is indeed enticing and rotten. Good for peak bagging and getting away...
Tim Kuss
Durango

Bill Duncan · · Glade Park, CO · Joined Mar 2005 · Points: 3,410

I scoped this face out a number of years ago, and recall thinking that it was a hell of an approach for something that really doesn't inspire you when you see it up close. If you're seeking a remote adventure and that's all, then perhaps it would be worth it, but that seems to be its primary asset: remoteness.

-mn · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 30

We did a route back in the 90's - my bro and I - to the right of Stettners, up the main part of the face. Started up the typical eolus gravel but around mid height there were two good pitches - a wide corner then fingers over a bulge,10d. Someone botched a retro bolt placement on the "140ft.lead", and it's sticking out half way.
It's probably still up there. The routes to the right of Stettners are a little better but still pretty grungy - adventure climbing!

aaaaron Denberg · · Big Horn, WY · Joined Jul 2011 · Points: 0

I climbed the East face in 1999 with Bob Dergay. I believe we did the "1976 route" as described in Rosebrough's San Juan guidebook. True the rock is poor quality, but it is a great and incredibly beautiful alpine adventure. Just getting your gear to the base is tough. There are four routes listed in Rosebrough's guide, and they all converge below the famous 140 foot lead. Here, you can see the next belay about 30 feet above you, but you have to traverse out and right at least 60 feet before going up 20 feet and traversing back left. After I turned the corner, a solid looking chunk of the wall, about 4 feet by four feet, simply turned into powder and fell away.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Colorado
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