Red Peak, Red Diamond Ridge (5.5)

The wonderful rugged ridge between East Red and Red has a few short 5th-class section. I did it with Bill Briggs in 1995, and then three more times since then (with Katie Larson, Bob Salazar, Jim and Carol Koegel, Joe Kramarsic, Byron Lemay). There have been rumors of a tunnel connecting the two valleys. It has never been found.

Notes from 1995: Start at the Ryan Gulch Trailhead and climb to the four corners. Go straight across on the marked trail that crosses two small rocky areas and traverses a bit along an aqueduct to a bridge over Willow Creek [the trail was rerouted in 2025]. Shortly after the bridge, you will come to the Gore Range Trail at a sign [no longer accurate because of the rerouting in 2025]. Cross the trail and bushwhack uphill, staying close to the edge of the valley, until you reach the large East Red Bowl. From there continue along the left-hand ridge to the summit of East Red. Observe the cross (miner’s marker) on the small bump just east of the summit. Time: About 3.5 hours.

Then start picking away at the ridge. You will very soon come to a steep dropoff which will cause you to backtrack to find a route on either the north or south side. After this, some north-side traversing will bring you to the low point of the ridge. Rope up here for the two steep pitches. The first can be done as a 4th class pitch up a gully on the north side, but it is more elegant to climb the 5.5 pitch that goes up very close to the ridge crest. This brings you to the base of the “red diamond”. There are at least three ways to ascend this to its top, all at about 5.5. The most elegant is to climb the exact ridge crest.

From the top there is a steep knife-edge descent to a notch, and from there the rest of the route is 3rd and 4th class scrambling on good rock. If the snow reaches high into the north side couloirs an ice ax can be helpful at the crossings.

First ascent: Unknown, but Bill Briggs and I did it in July 1995. We found some ratty pieces of rope at the crux area.