Exploring the Indian Peaks

A friend of mine just asked for info about a route I did in Colorado's Indian Peaks 10 years ago, and for some reason I actually had saved a topo from back then. The route is the south buttress of Shoshoni Peak, an obscure climb not published in any guidebook. I remember it being very good, and it reminds me how much cool climbing in Colorado just never gets done. The crowds all flock to the Petit Grepon and other classics in Rocky Mountain National Park, and in the Indian Peaks technical climbers stick to just a few well-known climbs, like the North Buttress of Toll and the North Ridge of Navajo. The rock in the Indian Peaks isn't quite as good as the best stuff in the Park, but there's loads of great climbing for those willing to look around.

By the way, the article in Climbing #69 mentioned on this topo describes a steep Jeff Lowe route to the left of this one on Shoshoni. Looked like hard 5.10 or so and very good. But it will have to wait until next year. More snow is expected in the Front Range tonight.