Capitol Peak is considered one of the toughest hikes among Colorado’s mountains over 14,000 feet in elevation, but some of its neighbors in Pitkin County remain more deadly.
Two hikers have died at different places under different circumstances on Capitol Peak this summer, so experts note that there’s no single factor that can be blamed for the tragedies.
“The bottom line is none of the Elks is easy and all of them have inherent risks,” said Lloyd Athearn, executive director of the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, a nonprofit that works to preserve Colorado’s big peaks.
Hikers and climbers face a number of objective and subjective factors affecting their outings, he said. Subjective factors are ones they can control — such as getting an early start to minimize hiking when storms are more likely and having the skills and experience to complete a technical route. Objective factors cannot be controlled — such as loose rock giving way.
Some of the more technical routes in Colorado’s 14ers exist in the Elk Range. Castle and Conundrum Peaks are easier to scale and haven’t proven statistically likely for incidents, but Maroon Peak, North Maroon Peak, Pyramid Peak, Snowmass Mountain (the 14er, not the ski area) and Capitol Peak are among the most treacherous for incidents and fatalities, Athearn said.
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