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The west face of Longs Peak would bask in eternal obscurity were it not directly above the Trough on The Keyhole route. Yet, for the thousands of people who pass beneath this massive wall every year, it is seldom climbed. The wall appears steep and difficult from Glacier Gorge, but upon closer inspection, it proves somewhat less imposing. The west face is about 600 feet high, entirely above 13,000 feet, and offers excellent climbing in a truly spectacular setting. The approach is long, and the wall is cold in the morning (usually), but don’t let this stop you. Points of Identification: The Northwest Rib marks the far left side of the west face. A series of steep right-facing dihedrals stretch up the wall to the right of the Northwest Rib and a deep inset or trough lies to the right of these dihedrals. Two narrow columns reach up the wall to the right of the inset. For practical purposes, these are referred to as Column One and Column Two (left and right). To the right of Column Two, and just above the Trough, is a flat, triangular buttress pointing up towards the center of the wall. Above the triangle, a crack and left-facing dihedral reaches up the wall to a slight break in the ridge crest (see West Wall p162). This point is not even halfway across the west face! The right side of the great wall becomes shorter due to the steep incline of the Trough, which runs along its base. Take note of two left-facing, left-leaning dihedrals in the upper right side of the face. Beyond these, the wall is steeper, and terminates with the southwest ridge, which is above the top of the Trough. Approach: Reach the west face via The Keyhole, or by hiking directly up the Trough from Glacier Gorge. Descent: 1.) Follow Keyhole Ridge to the summit plateau and hike down The Keyhole route. 2.) Down climb (very carefully) Keyhole Ridge to The Keyhole (5.6). 3.) A safer option is to shortcut the summit, and diagonal down across the north face to The Cables rappels (2 x75’).