Block Tops

(T1 - T2 - T3 - T4)
The Evil Aliens of the Sneffels Range

In the summer of 2024 I wanted to learn more about the east to west Block Top Traverse.

So one morning in late August I set out from Yankee Boy Basin to gather some first hand information. It was the least I could do if I was going to ask friends to join me on a traverse which had a reputation for being dangerous, exposed and loose.

The first step of the traverse is to climb T4's eastern aspect then rappel to the T4/T3 saddle, traverse down steep and loose terrain know at the X-Traverse to T3's northeast corner and climb a solid 5.6 pitch to T3's summit.

From T3's summit there is a 150ft rappel to the T3/T2 saddle where you then contour around to the south and up T2's south corner to it's summit. This section of the traverse is reportedly class 2-4 depending on route.

T2 to T1 is relatively straight forward and goes at class 2+.

On my recon day I summitted T1 and T2 and got part way up T4 before turning around.

The rock on T4 was loose and exposed. I hadn't been on terrain like that before. Descending solo late in the day without a rope or much information was a little unnerving.

A week later I returned to T4 armed with two 30m Rad Lines, my wife Kristi and more knowledge from Boggy's Mountain Project Report on the traverse.

Kristi and I were able to successfully summit T4 and get a good look at the infamous X-Traverse... yikes!

I was excited to have first hand information on the traverse from T4 to T3. I was also nervous as I now knew this might be the most dangerous route on my 13er journey.

In the summer of 2025 my plans to attempt the traverse fell through, then I heard a rumor that in July of 2025 a climber had taken a fall in the X-Traverse that and would likely have perished if not on a rope (in a section where ropes have not been used in the past). This news did not help my nerves.

I began to do more research on T3 and found this in Amy Gray-Smith's 14ers.com Trip Report

"Kurt tackled a blind corner, climbing down, around, and up, ripping off 3,000 holds and inadvertently modifying the terrain as he went. Watching him navigate the snapping dinner plates of rock was nerve-wracking. When he gave us a thumbs-up, it was Boggy’s turn. He knocked down 4,000 more loose holds, kicking steps into crumbling rock, each movement a test of nerve. I stood frozen, trying to calm my mind by writing a poem:

T3, take me out of this cruel world.
Let me ride with you like a gentle wind,
Run along the rocky top,
And dance like a wild flame.

It didn’t help. Adrenaline surged as I watched Boggy unlock the technical section. My nerves were shot, my hands shaking, my leg doing the Elvis. When my turn came, traversing the choss section, you were on your own. Don’t fall. While hanging onto the third to last hold on the solid rock around the corner, I asked Kurt to toss me down the rope. I tied in with my left hand while I white knuckled the right on a three finger crimp. I didn’t need the rope but it sure made me feel better. Once I was up, I hugged Kurt and pushed onward."

This kind of feedback from the likes of A-Team players had me feeling even more intimidated, yet still obsessed with climbing T3. But was there another way? Is the X-Traverse the safest way to climb T3? I continued to research.

Later that year, Boggy and Amy shared a photo of a 50m crack on T3's west side and another photo of T3's tattered summit register signed by Jesse Yon who appartently climbed that crack a few years before. Ah... maybe this is the safest way to climb T3?

In March of 2026 Brock Stashick and I decided to get a first hand look at the crack and did a ski tour recon mission from Blue Lakes... the skiing in the zone is phenomenal by the way!

When Brock and I arrived at the base of the climb (Gunsight Notch) we found two stuck ropes descending from the summit which belonged to the party who traversed in the summer of 2025.

In addition the crack (known as Gunslinger) looked splitter and clean. I knew I couldn't lead it... but maybe I could follow or at least jug? I began to distribute photos of the route amongst my climber friends.

In addition I was lucky enough to track down Jesse Yon who was kind enough to provide some amazing beta on the climb including photos.

The ground work was laid... I was determined to attempt T3's west crack... Gunslinger... and maybe even combine it with a ski. In May of 2026 Jack Van Lancker and I did just that.

For me... climbing the Block Tops was a process that took patience, due diligence, sleuthing and connecting with the broader climbing community. All of this made T3 one of the more satisfying summits I have ever stood on.

I owe thanks to everyone who played a part in this adventure... including