Hallett Peak — Culp-Bossier (III 5.8)
Don’t be fooled — and don’t get into an argument — with the locals who call Hallett Peak “Hallett’s” Peak. They’re talking about the same thing, regardless of the drunken pluralization that goes on at Ed’s Cantina. By any name, Hallett is a Park anomaly — a short approach (two miles), gneiss, and north facing. It’s also one of the best alpine “crags” around. Though hardcore locals romp up (and down) the buttress in a few hours, first timers will find a Hallett ascent surprisingly intricate.

Your backdrop is Emerald Lake and its ever-fluctuating spectrum of greens — from Kelly, to forest, to evergreen, and back to its namesake, as the wind barrels off the Continental Divide, dragging clouds across the sun and whipping up wavelets of psychedelic algae.

The seven-pitch Northcutt-Carter used to be the preferred route up the 800-foot face, but after a quarter of it cleaved off in 2000, turning what had been a Fifty Classics 5.7 into 5.10+ X, the race was on for a new favorite. Enter the Culp-Bossier.

The eight-pitch Culp-Bossier leads as oneof the most sustained 5.8s in RMNP. It’s also a well-earned route; many have bailed trying to find the vague dihedrals that link its blanker face sections, hence the teeming, tantalizing (but off-route) bail webbing. Spicy for the grade (as all routes on Hallett are), the Culp-Bossier demands a strong head and creative gear skills for the more nebulous stretches. After you top out, a short hike down the peak’s broad eastern ridge, two rappels, a bit of fourth class, and a scree-filled gully take you quickly back to your pack. If you catch a rare storm-free day, you could even do two Hallett climbs (try the Love Route next)… or, better yet, beat the crowds to the bar.