Friend of the Devil

Four Play

Spiney Norman

Call Evita 911

Klondike

McCarthy's North Face

Sleight of Hand

Whine and Bruises

Mystic and the Mulchers

Leaping Lizards

Psychic Turbulance

Located 100 or so feet left of Carol's Crack on the north end of the west face. Felt like El Matador's big brother: technical stemming on lichen with no rests unless you have Lance Armstrong's calves.

Fourplay is the very nice finger flake and crack two lines to the right of (and around the corner from) Psychic Turbulence. It involves straight-in fingers with no real crux move, with excellent protection all the way, up to a comfortable ledge at the end of your rope. I cannot imagine doing the upper pitches (a death-block was knocked loose on the first ascent), and most will rappel after the one pitch. The lower belay is easily reached by traversing left from the NW shoulder routes.

This fine corner is one line left of Carol's Crack and is most conveniently completed in two short (80') pitches. To start, scramble up and left around the blocks and flakes left of Carol's and belay in the broken area. A moderate (5.8) first pitch takes the crack system that is two cracks left of Carol's, then trends right at about half a rope-length to a belay (this coincides with most of the first pitch of Whine and Bruises and avoids lesser quality rock in the right crack). The crux second pitch takes finger jams, laybacks, and stems up the corner to a fairly distinct crux section near the top. Spiney Norman was orignally graded 12a, partially because of a bit of lichen at the crux. It has cleaned up nicely into another worthwhile outing at 11c.

Crack between Mystic & the Mulchers & Neverlasting. One pitch wonder. From the belay at the base of Mystic & the Mulchers traverse right one crack & climb it. Continue through crux midway up the pitch to Mystic belay bolts.

Are all Devil's Tower face climbs this good???  Klondike is one long pitch of excellent face climbing on super postitive holds.  Technically speaking this climb is run-out to the first bolt, but I found enough gear on the way up to feel secure.  However, this is no gym climb: expect 15' stretches between bolts.

It begins a ways around the tower from the Everlasting column, just right of a crack with a chockstone and just left of a series of three progressively smaller roofs.

There are two difficult moves, but the true crux is about mid-way up the climb.  It comes at a very difficult (for the grade) high step and reach to an obvious undercling (this is actually a one-foot in diameter, shallow hueco).  Hint: I'm not going to tell you how to do the move, but I will say it is easier to rest standing in this hueco as opposed to underclinging it.

The climb is phenominal - it is long but I just didn't want it to end.

This is one of the all time classic routes on the tower.  Find it by heading up the North Face/ NW corner approach.  When you get to the base of the tower look to your right for a large left facing corner that starts low angle and gets steeper and has a lardge roof aboiut 200 feet up.  This is a few cracks to the right of the Everlasting column.

P1.  Head up the low angle rock in the corner and belay from mostly fixed gear on a sloping ledge directly underneath the roof.  This pitch is 5.8 and is long (~200 ft).  Position your belayer as high as possible and be prepared for a bit of simul-climbing.  You could rap with 2 ropes from here, but then you'd miss the real fun.

P2.  Head out the right side of the roof in a finger crack with marginal feet and small stoppers for gear.  Once you get past the roof follow the corner straight up with a mixed bag of thin crack, lieback, and face techniques until you hit the anchors.  Make sure to look around and take in your position as it is truly spectacular.  This pitch is shorter than the first, but I can't remember specifics because the climbing was so awesome.

2 double rope raps will put you back on the ground.  It is possible to contiue up from here, but I haven't done it.  Sorry.

Climb more or less directly up the arete between P1 of Mac North (on the right) and P1 of Leaping Lizards (on the left). Good solid small edges with decent slots for small cams lead to some large hollow blocks one must climb over (don't put pro in!) to the first crux passing a yellow step. Climb this straight up, well above a BD Micronut. Follow the easier but very runout middle arete; one could easily cut right into Mac North and get pro, but the arete proper offers fun climbing on hollow edges. At the top, where Mac North steepens into its final fingers crux, cut left up a slabby ramp and then launch up the second crux section on airy climbing up the steep face on solid edges to an exciting mantle onto the arete. From here cut right into the final 10' of Mac North.

This route offers enjoyable climbing, with distinct lower and upper sections and the middle climbing close to Mac North. However, the pro is very sparse and both crux sequences are pretty much "don't fall" terrain and the middle section is very runout (50') if you don't cut into Mac North. It does make for a nice TR from the anchors on Mac North. There is some hollow rock typical of this side of the Tower, be careful!

"Whine and Bruises" is the crack between "Fourplay" and "Spiney Norman". It begins from the large heart shaped flakes. The second pitch is the crux and is one of the few climbs of its grade at the tower that is not pure stemming by an RP crack. It is fingers and small hands with an obvious crux but no slouch the rest of the way. Being a slightly bigger crack than most of the 5.12s tends to keep it less grassy even though it is not done a lot. The gear is good and the climbing is better.

Low angled face climbing along a finger crack that eats small wired stoppers best describes this climb.  It's better to approach from the east side as the more direct or western line encounters steeper, vegetated and generally disgusting terrain.

From the pleasant, flat staging area under New Wave and Broken Tree move right two cracks beyond the start of Everlasting to the Mulchers crack start.  Meander up the low angle crack plugging in small wireds at will.  The crack steepens near the top and the crux comes just above a mini-roof by a bolt.  The 3 bolt belay is just above on a nice flat platform for the feet, 150 ft. 5.8-.  Rap the route.

The northeast corner area of the tower is great for a day full of climbing.  It offers a veritable cornucopia of terrific one pitch classics.

This route was done originally on aid by Frank Sanders and Dale Chamberlain.

P1:  One of my favorite Tower pitches.  Thin stemming provides the pump... and be sure your eyes are open wide for good placements.  The anchors are out left after about 125 feet.

P2:  Very thin crack climbing and a bit of route finding create the crux of the route.  Watch for the "hidden hold" at mid pitch.

Description

Routes in North Face & Northwest Corner