Climbing Crestone Needle's South Face Route

Ascending Sangre de Cristo 14er Crestone Needle via the south face on August 11, 2022 from the Upper South Colony Trailhead. Standing just east of Crestone Peak, Crestone Needle is a dramatic, steep, triangular-looking pinnacle that rises to an impressive 14,196 feet. Climbing it reflects this, but it's on pretty solid rock for the most part. It was actually the very last Colorado 14er to be climbed. On this occasion, just a week shy of the date I climbed Crestone Peak last year, I ascend and descend via the Needle's easiest route, which is the class 3 south face. The upper part of the route ascends steep gullies and inclines, and presents route variations. One of these, though more complicated, keeps the difficulty at class 3 and crosses from the east to the west gully. The other remains in the east gully but involves class 4 rock. Here, I took the first option. The view clarity at the top was terrific, and afforded probably the best vista I have experienced so far in the Sangre de Cristo Range. In this video I provide maps, and detailed route description of the upper part of the climb from Broken Hand Pass at ~12,900 feet to the top. For more detail and footage of the approach hike below the Pass, as well as more information about the history of the Crestones and the Sangre de Cristo Range overall, and the nearby towns of Westcliffe and Silver Cliff, see my video on climbing Crestone Peak:    • Crestone Peak - Climb to the Summit v...  . Making it up and down this spectacular peak presents quite a challenge in terms of climbing and route-finding, and should be approached with preparation and knowledge. That being said, enjoy the footage! For my climb of the highest Sangre de Cristo 14er, Blanca Peak, go here:    • Blanca Peak - Summit climb via NW slo...  . Here is the table of contents for this video:

0:00 Intro.
0:26 Different views of Crestone Needle and the Sangre de Cristos
1:33 Brief background on the naming and climbing of the mtn., and scenes from the town of Westcliffe
3:07 Directions to the TH, and route overview & explanation
3:53 Selected scenes from the lower approach hike
4:47 Broken Hand Pass to entering the east gully, ~12,900' to ~13,200'
16:30 Lower east gully to the cross into the west gully, ~13,200' to ~13,500'
22:51 The crux: crossing from the east to the west gully, near 13,500', and directions for staying in the east gully
31:03 Ascending the west gully, ~13,500' to ~14,000'
34:42 Ascending the steep ramp, and the summit ridge to the top, ~14,000' to 14,196'
40:07 Scenes at the top
45:12 Descending the summit ridge
46:07 Descending the ramp
47:11 Descending the west gully
47:46 Descending the gully crossover crux
52:20 Descending the east gully
53:41 Returning along select parts of the trail back to the pass
55:22 Final thoughts and reflections
57:01 Final scenes and images of the day

Music selections:
1) "Ode to Joy" (Beethoven) - Cooper Cannell (YouTube audio library)
2) "Let's Do This!" - Nat Keefe and Hot Buttered Rum (YouTube audio library)
3) "A Fallen Cowboy" - Sir Cubworth (YouTube audio library)
4) "The Battle of 1066" - Patrick Patrikios (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: Crestone Needle/routes/South Face
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.
7) For Westcliffe building mtn. & valley mural: Custer County Chamber of Commerce