This was a trip to climb the North Face route of Longs Peak in winter. In the summer it’s a few 5.4 rock pitches, with 3rd/4th class scrambling to the top, but in the winter, it can become a mixed rock/ice route. Needless to say, it can be very cold and windy, and covered with snow and ice. From the trailhead at 9,405 feet elevation, it is 15 miles round trip, and involves around 5000 feet of elevation gain. I don’t remember the exact weather conditions from back then, but I remember being cold the entire time. In January/February, the average high temperatures (at the weather station at 8,612 feet) are 13oF, average lows are -1o F, and the record low is -45o F. Windspeed average 40-45 MPH, with speeds over 200 MPH having been recorded.
We hiked up to the Boulder Field, a barren rocky plateau at 12,760 feet elevation, set up camp, then started early the next morning.
