Climbing Maroon Peak's South Ridge route

Maroon Peak is one of Colorado’s most iconic, magnificent, and difficult 14ers. Come along as I ascend and descend the class 3 south ridge route of this complex and perilous Elk Range mountain. Maroon Peak, also known as South Maroon, and its companion, North Maroon Peak, are known together as the Maroon Bells due to their reddish hues and their bell-like shapes. Tens of thousands of people visit this area every year for the spectacular scenery, but for the relatively few who venture onto the heights of the peaks themselves, both the views from Maroon Lake and the serenity of the hike through Maroon Valley provide a stark contrast with the sublime experience of exertion and forbidding airiness that begins once one departs from the main path. A very rugged mountain in a rugged range, it’s standard south ridge route is complicated and goes up and down chimneys, steep and loose gullies, along gravel-ridden precipitous ledges, and numerous challenging pitches. Reaching the top, one is afforded not only a vista of the nearby Elk Range mountains, but also, ideally, a perspective of the more distant ranges of the state. In this video, as always I provide maps and route description, and discuss a bit about the history of these striking peaks. But beware: The amazing quality of these mountains is matched by their lurking hazards, which has for good reason earned them the nickname “The deadly bells.” Come prepared. This is definitely one of the hardest mountains I have ever climbed. Thanks for watching! For all the complete high mtn. climbs on this channel, including CO. 14ers:    • Mountain Hikes and Climbs  .
The contents of this video are as follows:

0:00 Ascending the Maroon Creek road, and different views off the mtn, and its naming and climbing history.
3:41 Route overview and statistics.
4:27 Directions to the Maroon Lake TH.
4:42 Lower approach hike: TH (~9,600') to Crater Lake (~10,100').
9:12 Lower approach hike: Crater Lake (~10,100') to Maroon Peak trail junction (~10,450').
14:49 Upper approach hike: east slopes, ~10,450' to ~13,250'.
27:21 South ridge stretch #1: ~13,250' to ~13,400'. Contour, chimney, chockstone crack, more contouring.
40:51 South ridge stretch #2: ~13,400' to ~13,650'. Lower gully, contour, upper gully.
58:41 South ridge stretch #3: ~13,650' to ~13,900'. Ledge contour, challenging pitch, more contouring, hike up talus, more contouring.
1:10:17 South ridge stretch #4: ~13,900' to the top, 14,163'. Up through more talus, tough moves below the ridge crest, following ridge to the top.
1:23:03 Scenes at the top.
1:27:38 Descending.
1:38:43 Final thoughts and images.

CORRECTION: at 27:52, the map says to turn to the left to get to the chimney. Actually, the chimney is to the right, as you can see in the footage.

Music selections:
1) "Symphony #5, 1st movement" - Beethoven (Youtube audio library)
2) "Salt Creek" - Nat Keefe and Hot Buttered Rum (Youtube audio library)
3) "A Face in a Cloud" - Nathan Moore (Youtube audio library)
4) "Nocturnally" - Amulets (Youtube audio library)

Additional sources:
1) For maps: U.S. Geological Survey - USGS
2) "A Climbing Guide to Colorado's Fourteeners" by Walter R. Borneman and Lyndon J. Lampert. Pruett Publishing, 2nd edition, 1988.
3) "Colorado's Fourteeners - From Hikes to Climbs" by Gerry Roach. Fulcrum Publishing, 3rd edition, 2011.
4) 14ers.com: Maroon Peak/routes
5) For signs: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture - USDA
6) "Colorado's Highest - The History of Naming the 14,000-Foot Peaks" by Jeri L. Norgren. John Fielder Publishing, 2020.