Martha Couloir Mt Lady Washington Guide
Martha Couloir is a mixed snow/ice/rock couloir located on Mt Lady Washington in Rocky Mountain National Park. This couloir is a classic due to the great climbing and aesthetically pleasing look that it has. The line itself is only about 700-800 vertical feet but at times is extremely narrow, only allowing for one climber to pass through at a time. Once climbers top out on the line, they face another 300-400 ft of scrambling up to the summit of 13er, Mt Lady Washington. Although Martha could be climbed without protection, most parties will want to bring a small rock rack and some ice screws. I would also highly recommend bringing ice tools for this line.
Martha Couloir Mt Lady Washington Quick Facts
Virtual Trail Guide: Martha Couloir Mt Lady Washington
Martha Couloir Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)
Distance: 9-10 Miles RT
Elevation Start: 9,374ft
Summit: 13,281ft
Total Elevation Gain: 4,023ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 7-9 Hours (Depending on snow conditions and other parties in couloir)
Difficulty: Difficult (depending on snow levels) What does this mean?
Class: Class 5 – What does this mean?
Season: February – May (This route generally melts out sometime in June)
Avalanche Risk: Martha Couloir presents a large avalanche risk, even in spring months. As the snow melts and warms, rockfall also becomes a serious concern. However, this line is fairly protected from the sun for most of the day. Due to the complicated nature of the terrain, please understand the conditions and risks before heading out.
Snow Climb Grade: WI2 + M2-M3, 40-50 degrees on average
Directions to Martha Couloir
Trailhead: Longs Peak
Getting Here:
From Estes Park: Take CO7 for 9 miles until you reach Longs Peak Road on your right. Continue on for 1 mile until you reach the TH.
From Boulder/Points South: Take US36 for 40.9 miles until you reach Lyons and the junction with CO-7. Take a left here and continue on for 14.8 miles until you reach Longs Peak Road on your left. Continue for 1 mile until you reach the TH.
Regardless of your direction, you can enter Longs Peak Trailhead into your favorite navigational device.
Parking: The Longs Peak lot will get more popular the later in the season you decide to climb this line. However, since you likely will be arriving early, parking should not be an issue in this large lot. There are also several bathrooms at the trailhead.
Fees: $30 for a single day Rocky Mountain National Park Pass, learn more here.
Summary
Camping: Although you are in Rocky Mountain National Park, camping for this line is very difficult. Although frowned upon, you likely could get away with spending a night in your car at the TH if needed. If this is not an option, you will likely be driving a bit to find another camping spot.
Dogs: LOL – please do not bring your dog up Martha, it would be absolutely bananas.
Make it a Loop: Most parties will climb the Martha couloir and then descend either the Northeast or East slopes down back to the standard Longs Peak Keyhole trail based on snow conditions up high.
Climb X Factor: Conditions
This is extremely obvious, but anytime you are climbing snow or ice – the conditions you have will be dependent on: snow level, melt, temperatures, how many other parties have climbed it etc. For us, we had two other parties in front of us, very solid snow and almost no mixed climbing. Due to conditions, my climbing partner, Nick, could have climbed this entire route without roping up. Since ice and rock climbing are not strengths of mine, we ended up building three anchors and very minimal protection along the way. However, on a different day, we may have used more protection due to more rock being exposed.
Hike Tip(s): Descent Route
Once you are done with the climb and have tagged Mt Lady Washington, there are two ways to head down back to the trailhead. I would HIGHLY recommend following the route that has the most consolidated snow on it. Ideally, having some other tracks to follow. If you choose to just “bomb” down the east slopes, the type 2 or type 3 fun could be VERY high. The descent here is 100% a case of, more distance = faster if conditions are better. Don’t just assume that the East slopes descent is the way to go.
Best Views: From far away, you look at Martha and wonder “how does that go?” But, once in the line, it’s so badass looking with narrow passages and massive rock walls looming above you. The views behind you of Mt Meeker (link) are amazing and then summit views from Mt Lady Washington are equally impressive. This line looks great. As a bonus, the sunrises in this area tend to be absolutely spectacular.
Martha Couloir Climb Route
Gear Needed
- Winter Backpack
- Hiking/SkiPoles
- Headlamp
- Climbing Helmet
- 70 Meter Rope
- Light Rock Climbing Rack
- Ice Screws
- Two Ice Tools
- Crampons
- Crampon Bag
- Snowboard Boot Crampons
- La Sportiva Mountaineering Boots
- Gloves
- Gaiters
- Optional: Avalanche Gear: Beacon, Probe, Shovel
- Optional: Snowshoes
- Optional: Skis or Splitboard
- Optional: Goggles
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod, Selfie Stick, GoPro 360, Drone, Insta360
- *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
