Other climbers: Emily Sharpe — not yet · Shawn D Keil — 1 of 2 (Broken Hand Pk)
Crestolita + Broken Hand Peak — combination day (Sangre de Cristo)¶
At a glance — recommended day
3.9 mi · 3,015 ft gain · Class 3 · 2 peaks · ~4 h drive
Researched: 2026-05-31
NOAA weather link: Crestolita + Broken Hand Peak Weather
CalTopo research map: https://caltopo.com/m/6TKA0RH
Status in DB: Both 0 ascents (unclimbed). Crestone group context: Crestone Peak, Crestone Needle, and Humboldt Peak are all ✓ done — these two are the remaining ranked satellites of the South Colony / Cottonwood cirque.
Note: the recommended route was distilled from 21 recorded GPS tracks of real trips (recorded trips) — all layered on the interactive CalTopo research map.
Peaks covered¶
| Broken Hand Peak | "Crestolita" | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation (LiDAR) | 13,575' | 13,264' |
| Lat / Lon | 37.95671, −105.56665 | 37.9549, −105.57561 |
| Class (standard) | 3 | 2 (south face) |
| CO Rank | 205 | 431 |
| Prominence (LiDAR) | 649' | — |
| Range / Wilderness | Sangre de Cristo / Sangre de Cristo Wilderness | same |
| County | Custer & Saguache | Custer & Saguache |
| 14ers.com peak page | 10629 | 10665 |
| LoJ peak page | 258 | 524 |
| peakbagger | pid 5910 | pid 32622 |
| Peak DB id | 258 | 524 |
The two summits are 0.6 mi apart along the ridge SW of Crestone Needle — a natural, well-established pairing.
Why these two together: this is a standard combination, not a forced pairing. Of the trip reports that hit either peak, the majority do both in one outing:
- whileyh (2025-06-11) — Crestolita + Broken Hand, the cleanest example of the exact combo
- Alyson Kirk (2014-08-21) — Crestolita + Broken Hand
- Furthermore / Derek Wolfe (2011-04-16) — Crestolita + Broken Hand (winter)
- Marmot72 "Broken Hand Wrap Up" (2023-08-19) — both, finishing the Sangres 13ers
- josephnephi (2025-09-06) — both as part of the full Crestone-group mega-day (Crestone Peak E/W + NE Crestone + Needle + Broken Hand + Crestolita)
- supranihilest "Crest of Spring" (2023-05-06) — both via snow couloirs
Combos (ranked 13er+ rule): Each counts as a true ranked-partner combo for the other (13,575' and 13,264', both ranked). The wider Crestone group (Peak/Needle/Humboldt) is already done, so this pairing is the efficient way to clean up what's left in the cirque in a single approach.
Recommended plan — South Colony Lakes approach ⭐¶
The closer, more efficient approach for the pair (Marmot72 chose it over Cottonwood explicitly). Both peaks sit on the ridge above the South Colony basin, reached via Broken Hand Pass (the same saddle used on the standard Crestone Needle route).
Combo stats:
| Source track | Distance | Gain | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| whileyh 2025 (LoJ 17727) | 14.3 mi | ~7,083' | Started low (8,400') — fuller road walk |
| Alyson Kirk 2014 (LoJ 1075) | 11.6 mi | ~6,372' | Higher start |
Expect roughly ~11–14 mi and ~6,400–7,100 ft depending on how high you drive the South Colony 4WD road and which approach variant you take. This is a big day, well over the 4,000 ft "short day" threshold — plan it as a full alpine outing, not a half-day.
Route sequence (South Colony → Broken Hand Pass)¶
- From the South Colony 2WD/4WD lot, follow the South Colony Lakes trail toward the lakes / Crestone Needle junction
- Ascend to Broken Hand Pass (~12,900'), the saddle between Crestone Needle and Broken Hand Peak
- Broken Hand Peak (13,575', Class 3): from the pass, take the standard Class 3 line to the summit (NW/west side off the pass — not the south ridge, which is a hard technical variant; see Other considerations)
- Crestolita (13,264', Class 2): the two summits do not connect at easy class via the direct ridge — that ridge is the 4th–low-5th "Analemma/South Ridge" traverse. For the non-technical pairing, return toward Broken Hand Pass and gain Crestolita via its Class 2 south-facing summit gully (drops from the summit; per the 23274 author it "allegedly goes at Class 2," adding some mileage/gain). This means some up-and-down rather than a clean ridge link.
- Return over Broken Hand Pass to the South Colony trail
Honest caveat: the cleanest easy-class way to bag both may actually be from Cottonwood Creek (full reasoning in Other considerations).
Crestolita route notes¶
- Easiest line: supranihilest — "the easiest route is the Class 2 south face from Cottonwood Creek (the approach is harder than the climb of the peak)." There's also a south-facing summit gully that reportedly goes Class 2 from the Broken Hand Pass side.
- NE couloir / north couloirs: moderate snow lines into early summer (Furthermore April, supranihilest May) — axe/crampons, couloir experience. Easy to spot conditions from Broken Hand Pass.
Getting there — drive + approach¶
| Drive from Boulder | 3h 58m via Google Maps (199 mi, origin: 1162 Peakview Circle) |
| Primary trailhead | South Colony Lakes 2WD lot (~37.97592, −105.50657, ~9,880') |
| 4WD continuation | South Colony Road continues ~2.5 mi of rough 4WD to the upper lot (~11,000'). Marmot72 took a stock '18 Subaru Forester to ~¼ mi below the upper lot with careful driving — "smooth easy sections and rough rocky sections, almost always on inclines." |
| Alternate trailhead | Cottonwood Creek (longer, rougher approach from the Crestone/west side) — preferred only for the Crestolita south face as a standalone or for the north couloirs |
Gear & season¶
- Best window: mid-June through September for the standard Class 2–3 lines (snow lingers in the couloirs and on N aspects into early summer)
- Snow season: the north couloirs on Crestolita are a legitimate spring objective (Furthermore April, supranihilest May) — bring axe/crampons and couloir experience
- Rock: Sangres conglomerate — the Crestone-group rock is famously grippy when dry, but loose blocks exist; Broken Hand is a true Class 3 scramble
- Storms: standard Sangres afternoon storm risk on exposed ridge — early start, off the ridge by early afternoon
- South Colony fatalities note: Marmot72 references multiple historic SAR/fatality incidents at South Colony over the years — the Crestone group terrain is unforgiving; respect the Class 3+ exposure
- Permits / access: Sangre de Cristo Wilderness — no permits required. Rio Grande / San Isabel National Forest — no fee. South Colony Road: 2WD to the lower lot; high-clearance 4WD for the upper ~2.5 mi (drivable in a careful stock AWD per Marmot72)
- Cell coverage: 14ers.com community DB has 0 reports for both Broken Hand Peak and Crestolita (consistent with the broader Sangre de Cristo gap). South Colony TH / approach: likely dead — the trailhead and lower basin sit deep on the east side of the range, topographically shadowed from the San Luis Valley towers. Broken Hand Pass / summits: possible signal on the high points — line-of-sight west toward the San Luis Valley (Crestone/Moffat); don't count on it. Carry an InReach / satellite messenger — community data is nonexistent here and the terrain is committing (especially the technical traverse, which has no bail).
Other considerations¶
Alternate — Cottonwood Creek approach¶
The cleanest easy-class way to bag both may actually be from Cottonwood Creek, where each peak has a Class 2 south side and you skip the Broken Hand Pass elevation — at the cost of a longer, rougher approach (per Marmot72). From South Colony you get a shorter approach but the link between the two involves descending/contouring, not a simple ridge walk. Cottonwood makes sense mainly if:
- You want Crestolita's Class 2 south face as the most direct line on that peak
- You're chasing the north couloirs for a snow climb (supranihilest, Furthermore did winter/spring lines here)
- You're approaching from the Crestone (west) side of the range
For the efficient two-peak day, South Colony is the better base.
Technical alternate — Analemma (NE Ridge) + South Ridge of Broken Hand 🪨¶
For scramblers, the classic hard linkup of these two is a separate, far more serious objective (TR 23274):
| Route | Analemma (Crestolita NE Ridge) + South Ridge of Broken Hand Peak |
| Stats | ~12 mi, ~5,700' (Broken Hand Pass approach) |
| Class | 5.easy (4th class to low-5th along Broken Hand's gendarmes) |
| Exposure | Extreme · Rockfall High (NE couloir descent) · Commitment Extreme |
| Bail | None once on the ridges/gendarmes — "you are committed, especially not to the East" |
| Season | Later summer (once Crestolita's NE couloir melts out) |
This is one of the range's premier non-standard scrambles on excellent conglomerate, but it is not the way to simply tick both summits — it's a committing 5th-class day. Only relevant if you specifically want the scramble.
Trip reports & GPX (all three sources)¶
listsofjohn.com¶
| Date | Author | Peaks | GPX |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-06-11 | whileyh | Crestolita + Broken Hand | 17727 ⭐ exact combo |
| 2014-08-21 | Alyson Kirk | Crestolita + Broken Hand | 1075 |
| 2025-09-06 | josephnephi | Full Crestone group incl. both | 18129 |
| 2011-04-16 | Furthermore | Crestolita + Broken Hand (winter) | — |
| 2020-07-29 | Bob Burd | Crestone-to-Milwaukee traverse incl. both | — |
14ers.com (21 Broken Hand TRs / 11 Crestolita TRs; 9 + 5 GPX library files)¶
| Trip | Author | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 22287 | Marmot72 | "Broken Hand Wrap Up" — both, South Colony approach, road/driving beta |
| 22067 | supranihilest | "Crest of Spring" — both via north couloirs (snow) |
| 23274 | — | "Analemma and the South Ridge of BHP" — both, south ridge line |
| 18794 | — | "Crestones via Cottonwood Creek" — both, Cottonwood approach |
peakbagger.com (logged in as Kyle Knutson)¶
8 ascent GPX tracks pulled — Broken Hand (pid 5910): 5 of 6 ascents had GPX; Crestolita (pid 32622): 3 of 3 ascents had GPX.
GPX collected: 21 track files across all three sources (LoJ + 14ers TR uploads + 14ers GPX library + peakbagger ascents) — all layered on the CalTopo research map.
Sources checked: 14ers.com ✓ (logged in, "Basin") · listsofjohn.com ✓ (logged in, "letsgocu") · peakbagger.com ✓ (logged in, "Kyle Knutson")