On December 8, 2011, Lisa Foster became the first woman to summit Longs Peak in every month of the year. Her recent ascent was via the North Face route, which is rated 5.4, AI2. While not officially winter yet, few reach the 14,255 foot summit this time of year.
Longs Peak is known for brutal winds, low visibility and frigid temperatures. According to the summit register, Foster’s climbing party was the first group to reach the top since October.
Foster wrote the following on her Facebook page:
“With this December ascent, I have now been lucky enough to climb Longs in every month of the year! Jim Detterline, the expert on Longs Peak, is confident that I am the first woman to do this. Since there's no real way to know that, I am skeptical, but it was cool none-the-less.”
Note: Mountaineers rely on a code of honor regarding their successful summits. Cameras and summit registers help provide proof of an ascent, however, there are times when these tools are absent, leaving a mountaineer with their word as the only proof of an ascent.
Lisa Foster is the guidebook author of Rocky Mountain National Park: The Complete Hiking Guide.
Have fun and be safe out there!
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