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[TR] Psycho Tower, SW Colorado - Psycho-Path, 5.9+ 3/15/2011


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Trip: Psycho Tower, SW Colorado - Psycho-Path, 5.9+

 

Date: 3/15/2011

 

Trip Report:

My friend Tad had been talking about Psycho Tower most of the winter, ever since seeing it featured in Climbing Magazine. After he excitedly read aloud the description, I had to admit it sounded pretty cool, but it was too far out of the way to bother with, I negatively concluded.

 

Last week a split-second change in plans had us staring up at this crazy-looking tower. After six days in Indian Creek I was pretty bored of endless gorgeous splitters and wanted to clip some bolts while traversing crumbling sandstone above huge air (?). At any rate, it was on the way home.

 

An easy scramble (or 5.11- bolted variation) will put you at the the start of three short pitches that wrap around the tower to the summit. I was most apprehensive about the crux third pitch, which some of our beta described as "likely 5.10 if you're shorter than 5'10". That is true, I found. The highlight of the route is definitely the second pitch, which traverses the lip of a giant roof on tiny edges for feet, nothing but air below!

 

 

Eyeing the tower on the approach

IMG_0423.JPG

 

Tad following pitch 1

IMG_0426.JPG

 

Tad on top!

IMG_0436.JPG

 

Looking down on the Dolores River from the summit

IMG_0437.JPG

 

Flaking the rope so we can toprope the 11- variation (which was fun!)

IMG_0444.JPG

 

One last look

IMG_0453.JPG

 

Gear Notes:

A single set of cams is plenty; I also carried ~10 draws to both extend those placements and clip the bolts. We used a 70 m rope which got us back to the notch in one rappel.

 

Approach Notes:

Make sure to park at the BLM lot about 1/2 mile past the tower itself and walk back along the road to find the trail.

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