Pikes Peak Hero Traverse to Railroad Couloir

May 28, 2022
Pikes Peak 14,115'
Railroad Couloir

Laura and I wanted one last day at altitude to help us acclimatize before heading to Denali in less than a week. We chose a short, easy day and took advantage of the late spring snowfall here in Colorado that filled the often out of condition railroad couloir on Pikes Peak. As in the past weeks, I chose to drive the road and access the snow climb via the hero traverse. The snow was in okay condition and the climb was short. We were bummed out when at the top we had to climb directly under the recently built viewing platform and tourists looking down on us. Overall a fun and short day at altitude is exactly what we wanted and exactly what we got. Railroad is a fun climb, although slightly easier and less steep than Y couloir I climbed just a few weeks ago.