FA:  Unknown

Type:  Trad multi-pitch mixed

Difficulty:  50 degree snow,WI 3, M0 (5.4)

Length:  2-5  pitches 1200', Grade III

Season:  December through  March

Description 

The Flying Dutchman has long been overlooked as one of the more classic couloirs in Rocky Mountain National Park and in ideal spring conditions, it's five long pitches of moderate snow along with a pitch of ice climbing combine to make for a route of classic proportions. 

Add the couloir climb onto a 4.5 mile approach and overall 4000' of vertical gain (1100' in the couloir) and this is one of the more interesting ways to reach the Loft saddle.  

From the Loft, one can proceed easily and directly to the summit of Mt. Meeker (13,911') or drop-down a short distance onto Clark's Arrow for a 3rd class route to the summit of RMNP's highest point:  Longs Peak (14,225').

This is a worthy challenge for the experienced mountaineer and ice climber who wants to explore the sweeping north face of the Ship's Prow and this snow and ice filled gash which provides another classic RMNP ascent.

This route can be done most of the year as there is typically less avalanche danger in the couloir itself and an alternative descent of the Iron Gates can keep one out of the more serious avalanche zone that encompasses the east side of the Loft, which is the most common descent path for this and most climbs on this side of Longs and Mt. Meeker.  

That said, The Flying Dutchman couloir is in most ideal shape and in its most moderate conditions in the early summer when the soft snows of winter finally consolidate into a solid form which is best ascended with crampons and tools. 

Otherwise, climbing up to 5.4 can be found when the couloir is not fully snow filled, (Jul.-Nov.) or when the snow is too loose (Dec- April) to be solid enough for ice climbing.  When the couloir is dry in the late summer it would mostly be a scramble up loose rock and perhaps the least aesthetic way to reach the Loft.

Starting up the Flying Dutchman Couloir in May conditions.

Typical conditions in the Flying Dutchman Couloir.

Avalanche Danger 

The route itself is in very tight terrain and only the bottom and first pitch have much risk of slab avalanche danger; often the snow here is firm due to wind hammering but the couloir itself can be full of bottomless fluff which is less than pleasant to climb through and often prone to sluffing on these down-sloping slabs.  In the early fall and winter, when there is little snow except in this somewhat lee/cross-loaded chasm, the danger would be confined primarily to the bottom of the The Flying Dutchman couloir and typically in the Lambslide and Loft areas which are the most common descents from this climb.

That said, the approach to this climb involves hiking the summertime trail to Chasm Lake which as one descends to Chasm Meadows from the Chasm Junction, there is a large slope that is crossed which would be the most likely spot to encounter unstable slabs in the mid-winter.  The Loft area between Mt. Meeker and Longs Peak is typically an area of considerable avalanche danger due to it's lee aspect and moderate angle below and above the cliffs through which the climber's path traverses.

Location 

The approach to The Flying Dutchman is a high-altitude trudge of approximately 4.5 miles from the Longs Peak trailhead.  Winter snows can obscure the trail for much of the way to the base of the route at Chasm Lake and GPS and/or advanced map and compass skills could be necessary to follow the path and more importantly, to find one's way back to the car.

From the Longs Peak trailhead at approx. 9,400' follow the summertime trail to Chasm Junction at 11,540' and then traverse down to the meadows where the ranger cabin sits and where the permanent bathrooms are located.  Gain the bench on the east side of Chasm Lake to either cross the ice-covered lake, or walk around either shoreline to reach the broad base of what eventually narrows down into a constricted, north-facing couloir.  

This is the last couloir on the left just before the Mills Glacier and the obvious Lambslide Couloir rise up along the base of the lower east face of Longs Peak.  The top of the couloir joins the Lambslide for another 200' horizontal of scrambling up to the wide expanse of the Loft.

 Partway up the Flying Dutchman in May snow conditions and the crux ice section in ideal November conditions.  Photos by Dan Gottas and Jeff Shafer.

Rescue services will take a while here and contacting "911" resources could be the crux of an adventure gone bad.  Winter conditions can quickly kill an exposed and immobile person, especially one who is bleeding or broken.  Emergency and bivy gear should be considered along with communications equipment in any alpine winter backcountry adventure.  Tell a responsible person where you are going and when you plan to return so that they might initiate a search for you and contact the National Park Service who coordinate all rescues in Rocky Mountain National Park.

This route can be done in 5 to 6 pitches or just one if the crux ice/mixed section is all that requires a belay.  For the final ice flow, belay on the left in solid cracks down 40' from the ice under a small headwall.  

A long pitch with an anchor on the left in solid rock will make for an easy transition into mellower snow where this route meets the Lambslide Couloir.

There is some avalanche risk where the Flying Dutchman meets the Lambslide Couloir and this risk should be assessed before starting up the climb.

Descent

From the Loft saddle, descend to the east down a sandy path toward the eastern edge of the Loft then head southeast to find cairns approximately 200 yards to the south of the lowest point of the Loft where it funnels into a steep snow slope.  

The cairned path stays southeast of this funnel snowslope, then east then back north to link into the "traverse ledges" which can be the crux of the day. 

The traverse of these slopes when they are snow covered can be very precarious as the snow is often steep, unconsolidated, and contains a deadly "terrain trap" as a 400' cliff sits at the bottom of these slopes and more than one skilled climber has taken the last ride of their life over this big drop.  Once past the exposure and into the gulley central, glissade or plunge step down to the valley bottom and at the Ranger Cabin pick-up the trail back to the trailhead.

The slopes in salmon are often threatened by avalanches and when they released in 2003, the resulting slide wiped out the stone and cement structure a mile downhill.

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