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Credits Tk>Did You Know?
The Agnes Vaille Shelter—
visible just down and to the left
of the Keyhole—is a beehive-
shaped stone hut originally built
in 1927. It’s named for the first
woman to summit Longs Peak
via its east face in the winter.
After successfully summiting
the mountain in 1925, Vaille
slipped on the descent, fell
approximately 100 to 150 feet,
and died of hypothermia while
waiting to be rescued.
>If You Go
You can climb Longs Peak
any day that Rocky Mountain
National Park is open; however,
winter ascents are highly
technical, meaning ice axes
and crampons are necessary.
The most snow- and ice-free
time to climb the fourteener
is typically from mid-July to
mid-September, but checking
the forecast before you go
is imperative. You’ll want to
begin your ascent by 3 a.m.
so your party can be off the
mountain—10 to 15 hours
later—before afternoon
thunderstorms appear. A one-
day pass to the park is $20 per
vehicle; a seven-day pass runs
$30 per vehicle. nps.gov/romohe northernmost fourteener in
the Rocky Mountains, 14,259-
foot Longs Peak rises resolute
from inside Rocky Mountain
National Park and stands watch
over Colorado’s Front Range.
Mountaineers the world over
come to the Centennial State
for the singular purpose of
climbing the famed Keyhole
Route, so named for the oddly
shaped notch that lies at the
top of a sprawling boulder ield.
Would-be summiters—who
must navigate narrow ledges,
falling rocks, and a 15-mile
round-trip climb that requires
some advanced mountaineer-
ing skills—will pass through the
Keyhole and scramble the inal
1.5 miles to the top.
LONGS
PEAK
Rocky
Mountain
N.P.CO
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