ChocChick Posted May 10, 2004 Posted May 10, 2004 Has anyone done any climbing on Devil's Tower? Just looking for info and personal experiences. What are some fun routes? Is there good camping? Any sage words of advice about climbing there? Is there a worthwhile climbing guide? Whatever you want to offer. . . Quote
Alpinfox Posted May 10, 2004 Posted May 10, 2004 Fred Beckey was almost arrested for peeing in front of a bunch of tourists there. Durrance route is supposedly pretty gross (urine & feces). A friend of mine did a 5.8/9 thing there that he really liked. I think it was called "Sunshine route" or something like that. Stem Stem Stem. Devil's Tower is Cool pictures and a TR Wish I knew more about it. Quote
ChocChick Posted May 10, 2004 Author Posted May 10, 2004 Yeah, I checked out that same site last week. It was one of the factors that helped me decide to be very serious about my plans to climb there. I am having a hell of a time finding a climbing guide, though. Quote
slaphappy Posted May 10, 2004 Posted May 10, 2004 Awesome place! I got a guide at the visitors center for $10.50 that worked well. I was there for only a few days and was only able to climb one of them. (the day after the voluntary closure) We did Soler grade II 5.9-, it was an outstanding handcrack/ layback, fairly sustained, and a full 3 star value. We camped at a free (donations accepted) camp ground just outside the park that served a great breakfast. I look forward to returning someday, it was one of those "magic" type spots for me. * be sure to sign in at the visitors center before climbing, we did not and caught a tiny bit of crap for not doing so. Quote
Mr._Natural Posted May 10, 2004 Posted May 10, 2004 el matador hurts but is pretty cool. you can climb two or so more pitches to the top. lots of good stuff. stay away from the fat rv'ers while ing; they ask lots of dumb questions. there is camping nearby. have fun its cool and weird. Quote
mtngrrrl Posted May 10, 2004 Posted May 10, 2004 I've climbed the classic Durrance Route 3 times. Old school 5.6 (I think). The crux pitch (pitch 2) felt more like 5.8, IMO. Great climb though. Lots of fun with good belays. If you do the Durrance Route, you will want a big cam or two for the second pitch. We had a number 4 Camalot that I kept shoving up the crack as I climbed. The Conn Traverse variation at the top will give a new leader some gulps, but it's worth mustering the courage. Good hand holds are just beyond the corner and down low. I've never done the Jump Traverse or any other variation. This is easily the most popular route on the tower. A pre-dawn start *might* get you first in line. Keep in mind that there is a voluntary climbing closure during the month of June. Quote
wormfighter6 Posted May 10, 2004 Posted May 10, 2004 (edited) I climbed devils tower several years ago, I was EXCELLENT crack climbing. Did Durance (of course) it's a horrable off width. Need BIG Cams or Tricams or Hexes. My favorate are Sol, Sunshine, Crack Daiblo, Star I have a few others that were great. Most of the routes at the tower are all very consistant. If its a 10a 90% of the moves are 10a. If you like crack climbing the tower is a MUST. There is a campground right there and a KOA just outside the park you can shower at for a buck or two. We woke up at 3 am to get in line at 4 for the Durance route. I thought the Piton travers was the scarriest part of the whole climb. You need 2 ropes to get back down. General rule, the west side is the harder side (11ish). Oh yea lots of pigons everywhere. I would recomend going in spring its 100+ in mid summer there. There is also a one month (June)were the park asks that you dont climb the tower. Have fun. Edited May 10, 2004 by wormfighter6 Quote
ryland_moore Posted May 10, 2004 Posted May 10, 2004 Everyone recs. the standards. That is all I've done. Durrance and Solar. Have fun, it is awesome. Did the traverse pitches and above at night. Pretty cool to descend in the dark. One thing to be careful of is getting your double ropes stuck when pulling your rap. Those cracks love to suck in knots! There is a cheap guidebook (yellow paperback) that you can get at the visitor's center. It isn't very long and if you want me to photocopy some of it for you I can send it your way. Just PM me. The 5.6 second pitch is considered by some to be one of the hardest 5.6 cracks in the country. Don't know if this is true, but I thought it was the hardest cracks I've ever followed. We had 2 #5 HB cams for this and 2 #4 HB cams and it protected well. If you do the DUrrance link the 5.5 pitches (before the traverse) together into one pitch to save time. Quote
michaeljosephnozel Posted May 11, 2004 Posted May 11, 2004 I made my first trip to Devils Tower last September, and really enjoyed the climbing and the location. The temps were definitely warm during the days (high 80s, if I recall), but you can seek shade. Camping in the park was fine, but nothing special, and you may be near RVs with their obligatory gen sets. We found most everyone to be respectful, and so were able to get descent sleep in preparation for lengthy days of climbing--which is why we were there, anyway. There are a couple of guidebooks available at the bookstore (right in the main parking area). Devils Tower National Monument Climbing Handbook, by Guilmette/Carrier/Gardiner is the unabridged edition, but there is also a Falcon Guide, by Harlin, which has better photos, but only a limited number of the routes. It is worth going to the summit once, but probably only the one time. Keep in mind that not all--or even most--of the routes top out, as poor quality rock near the top prevents. A few other recollections: double ropes are highly advisable; modern first ascent routes have grades that seemed pretty accurate, whereas the pre-1970 ascents seemed sandbagged. (I will define "accurate" as on-par with the Lower Gorge at Smith, and The Bend at Tieton). We found Durrance and Walt Bailey Memorial hard for the grade, as examples. Some of the routes we did included Rangers Are People Too, El Cracko Diablo, New Wave, Broken Tree, Durrance, Walt Bailey. Every climb we did was good, with my two favorites being Assemblyline and El Matador. If you enjoy crack climbing, a visit to Devils Tower is a must. (I plan to return at least once again to complete the lengthy remaining "un-ticked" list). One last thing, if you decide to do Durrance, which is certainly worth one ascent, keep in mind that it features lots of wide cracks, and has been well-polished over the last 422,076 ascents. Do not write it off as just another 5.6 to run up, as it will certainly hold your complete attention in sections. Also, we found it advisable to hike up from beneath the route (that is, cutting up and left from the main paved trail at the "sighting tubes"), and leave our packs beneath the South Face routes (rather than making the recommended traverse from the West) as we rappelled right back to the packs. Hope you enjoy your trip! Quote
Thinker Posted May 11, 2004 Posted May 11, 2004 I have 1 or 2 guides to DT if you want to look them over over a beer sometime. DT is famous for eating rap ropes, esp if you bail in the middle of a route, i.e. not using the official rap anchors. Everyone HAS to do Durrance, but make sure you save an extra day or 2 to do several other routes that you'll no doubt enjoy more. If you have even more time, make sure you stop in the Black Hills of SD (about 2 hours away from the tower) for some even better climbing. Quote
ChocChick Posted May 12, 2004 Author Posted May 12, 2004 Thanks everyone for the terrific beta! I am loaded with a ton of great info and I am sure I will have an awesome time there! Special thanks to wormfighter6, ryland moore and Thinker! You totally Quote
chucK Posted May 12, 2004 Posted May 12, 2004 With Durrance as a notable exception, most pitches are sustained and long. So bringing a very large rack is recommended. Quote
Bluff Posted May 17, 2004 Posted May 17, 2004 Devil's Tower is great but if you have time you should definitely combine it with a few (or more) days at the Needles, just a short drive away in SD. Tricouni Nail 5.8, uber classssssic. Quote
ChocChick Posted May 17, 2004 Author Posted May 17, 2004 Yeah, from what I have been hearing from a few people, I am starting to get really intrigued about the climbing AROUND DT. I guess there will be tons to climb and I may have to drive to Wall and visit Wall Drug too! :-) Quote
wormfighter6 Posted May 17, 2004 Posted May 17, 2004 The needles are only a few hours away. If you climb in the Rushmore area everything is bolted on Rap. But in the Custered state park its bolted on lead and can be REALLY run out. But there are several MUST DO's in custard. The book I,ve sent you , while not complete, has all the must do's. Quote
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