Best training routes in CO for Exum ridge

My wife and I are planning to climb the full Exum ridge this summer and are looking to get trained up.  The route is fully within our capabilities, but since we're in our mid forties with jobs and kids, we are thinking it wouldn't hurt to do a few routes that approximate the length, style and long approach of the full Exum.  Any good ideas out there?  Gambit in Eldo and a route on Mt. Toll are on the list (we are based in Boulder).

Cardio and hiking at elevation is likely going to be the biggest impact since you're going to be climbing moderate terrain ("fully within our capabilities") but above 13k feet.

Haven't done the grand yet, but we did a ton of prep for Rainier around rope work, crampon work, and lots of light and fast hikes (lots of elevation and distance). What I regret is not spending more time carrying a heavy pack. The approach to the camp for both Muir and the Saddle camp are pretty similar (5k climbing). All the climbing gear, combined with overnight gear, adds up quickly. 

I’d recommend the ultimate ape linkup in addition to those suggestions.   It is a true test of strength, endurance, navigation, and rations

The UAL begins with a send of the monkey traverse, no more than 1 minute rest at each of the no hands rests.  

From there, take your pads to king conquerer and don’t fall from the top!

now, quickly stash your pads in your car, grab your packs filled with rope, rack, and bananas, and head down to the dome in boulder canyon for a little old school granite trad.

Climb prelude to king king into gorillas delight.  Once complete, all you have to do is run back up to your cars on flagstaff mountain.  

If you can do this, you are certainly ready for the hardest cruxes on the exum ridge!!

Flatirons Linkups

Blitzen Ridge

Lone Eagle Peak car to car 

Wham Ridge

Ultimate ape linkup, I love it!  Never even considered such a goofy (and awesome) suggestion.  It may be a little bit tough to get my wife sold on the idea, but I'll certainly pitch it.  

Sam, excellent suggestions.  I'll put them on the list for sure...for after the ultimate ape linkup of course. 

I have no suggestions for specific routes, however getting to the base quickly and moving efficiently in order to avoid any weather would be my only concern if you are competent for the grade. I barely climbed 5.9 on gear when I did it 12 years ago and found the climbing and route finding to be pretty easy. Getting to the base with correct time management was the hardest part for me. YMMV

Samuel Andree wrote:

Flatirons Linkups

Blitzen Ridge

Lone Eagle Peak car to car 

Wham Ridge

I've found the biggest challenge on the Exum Direct is crowds.  Go mid week.  Get up really early.  Expect to share the route with a bunch of other parties, and know that there are not a lot of places to pass below Wall Street.  

Sam's recommendation of Blitzen Ridge is a good one.  Classic route, and similar in that you'll need to move quickly and efficiently to get it done.  You may find Blitzen to be more fun than Exum due to the lack of crowds.  

I think the best training for Exum would be a weekend trip to Disney Land. Try to find the longest lines and then just stand in them. Getting on the rides is optional, but waiting around for about 12 hours to do something that takes considerably less time is key. 

Just touching on Kai’s comment of starting early during a week day, I did it last summer with my wife and there had to be 50+ people on route at sunrise already on a Tuesday. We were told the guided parties start hiking in from the meadows camp at 3am so we started at 1am from the trailhead and ended up veeeeery barely at the front of the line. That being said the parties were groups of 5-6 each with guides if we hadn’t had been first I would have run around and cut in front at Wall Street or just done the OS. I was in utter disbelief at the amount of people up there we would have been sitting literally all day waiting I think. I don’t think the day of the week matters anymore, start early!

Sunrise from the black face pitch 

Hiamovi Tower is another good Colorado alpine rock route which would be good training.  

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105760785/southeast-buttress

as per crowds, I’ve climbed the full Exum twice and both times not crowded - 1 or 2 parties each time, zero waiting. There are two different starts to lower and the direct Petzoldt into upper Exum is another option if lower Exum is crowded. Good luck. 

Very solid beta on the crowds.  Our plan is to shoot for doing the first pitch in the dark.  I'll totally check out the direct petzoldt as a workaround if the lower Exum ends up as a big traffic jam.  

Honestly every time I've climbed the Grand in June we had most of the mountain to ourselves. 

Buddy and I did full Exum in June 2021. Conditions were perfect, just a little snow to crampon up to the lower saddle. We were the only ones on the Exum that day.

Endurance is more important for climbs like this than almost anything else. Go on some long runs at altitude, weighted pack carries, etc. 

Long alpine routes in RMNP; sharkstooth, kors door, etc.

Reading this thread makes me glad that I did the route way BITD, when we didn’t have to deal with crowds. I did 4 different routes on the Grand in the ‘70s and never encountered another party on the mountain.

You are fortunate coming from CO with the opportunity to acclimatize at home—even while at home. Coming from the east coast that was a major issue. Before leaving the east, we ( or at least I did) climbed multiple routes as efficiently as possible in the Gunks ( again much less crowded than today), sometimes in mountain boots and wearing a pack ( much to the amusement of some of my peers—one Jim Donini in particular). Once in the Tetons we started on lower routes, such as Guides Wall. We then packed up and camped at the Platforms, doing a route on Disappointment ( Irene’s, but any if the others would be just as good). Then giving ourselves a full day to move up to the Meadows or Lower Saddle, prior to Iaunching out on the climb itself. Though there was still a fair amount of altitude gain on the day of the  climb, we didn’t encounter any alt-related issues and our fitness was fine. ( However on a later trip we did have significant altitude impacts on the North Ridge, despite having saving spent the previous week around Haystack in the Winds—always unpredictable.) 

Not sure if such a schedule is possible during these days of reserved campsites and crowds almost everywhere. Too bad.

Fitness will be the most important factor.  Hike a lot with a loaded pack to prepare.  Figure out the approach to the base of pitch one in the daylight.  Trying to do it in the dark, if you haven't been there, is a sure fire way to lose time.  If you don't have a lot of alpine experience\efficiency then you might consider just doing the Upper.  The last time my wife and I did it we summitted at 8:30am and  had the mountain to ourselves.  There was a pile of folks behind us.  We were back down by 11:00 am just in time watch the mountain get pounded by rain, hail, sleet and high winds.  Study the descent and exit routes.  Going down is the most dangerous part.

I second the difficulty in finding your way in the dark up there if you are unfamiliar.  Its a long damn approach. One idea: Alpine start day one, set up tent, scout the route to the route.  Start in dark early day two.  You could place a few lil pieces of 3M reflective tape to guide your way in the dark and collect as you go.  A Super time saver, that.  Its very hard to do car-to-car if you dont know where youre going, gauranteed to waste hours in the dark and end up behind other folks. The Grand is a dadgum circus.    

Summiting 14ers or 13ers in the weekends before will help speed you up considerably.  

Kieners and Keyhole Ridge are pretty great jaunts for length and speed.  Do a night ascent up Kieners and down N Face for practice, and a speed ascent up Keyhole and down Keplingers (hitch back from Wild Basin) the following weekend.  Pagoda has great practice routes.  Sharkstooth in a day.  Blitzen is bitchin!!

keyhole ridge on Longs peak  is a good one.. its a looong hike with lots of gain.. and then a few pitches of moderate climbing at 13k+

The climbing on the Exum ridge is very casual especially the 2nd half.. you'll need to practice simu-climbing or soloing easy 5/4th class if you want a chance at getting this done in a reasonable time. Do not underestimate the approaches.. once you hit the meadows it is steeeeeeep and unrelenting your probably look at close to 16 miles round trip. I would consider camping somewhere along the way.

Maybe consider Ellingwood Ridge on La Plata? Long and continuous scrambling up to 14K.

I would think the approach and climbing on the ellingwood arete (crestone needle) would be a good one.