Trip Spray - crack climbing 101

[granite_grrl]

So I just spent two solid weeks out at Devils Tower. What an amazing place, the tower is inspiring, but the crack climbing kicked my ass!

My time there I got to enjoy the agony off sized hand cracks, the cuticle destroying finger cracks, the crappyness of sqeeze chimneys, and the experiance of flash pump in my calves from stemming routes.

My husband and I also put a new free route up on the Tower (while I didn't follow it clean I put enough time in scrubbing it before the FA), and we got to watch some amazing sunsets and even the 4th of July fireworks from the top of the Tower.

The rest of the time there we enjoyed the company of Frank Sanders, his B&B hostess, Lisa, and his climbing guides. What an amazing bunch. We have some old time photos with Frank, and we went to a neighbouring town to eat at an amazing italitan restaurant and hear him play piano. As we sat around his table at supper, saying what we were all thankful for, I was thankful of each new experiance the Tower had to offer and the good company we shared.

http://www.pbase.com/granite_grrl/tower_2006

[The Teth]

So cool! That is quite the exposed batholith! Love that climbing shot which shows both the texture of the rock close up (foreground) and the ribbing of the overall rock structure in the background.

Teth

[Nate]

Wow, it looks like there is a lot of lines on that tower! I'm super jealous.

Nate

[granite_grrl]

The guide books lists 221 free and aid routes on the Tower. Now, many of the routes don't go all the way to the top, and there are also many routes that start part way up the tower (you have to climb another route to access them). But keep in mind that a "short" pitch on the Tower is 100' long, many pitches are 150'+, that's one of the reason the crack climbing is so killer.....100'+ of hand jamming or stemming will fry you pretty quickly.

[Fred]

I'm so jealous. Any more photos?

[granite_grrl]

I have my photo hosting site linked in my original post. I took a ton of photos, but these were the ones that came out the best or ment the most to me.

http://www.pbase.com/granite_grrl/tower_2006

I wanna go back!!!!

[The Mitt]

Frontpage on RC.com as well awesome.

Mitt

[Mountain_Marc]

Did you get on El Matador??

That one is on my tick list of routes to do. It looks so shhhhweet!

[Fred]

OMG. I'm sold on Devil's Tower.

[granite_grrl]

Did you get on El Matador??

That one is on my tick list of routes to do. It looks so shhhhweet!

No, wish we could have, but the West face was closed for a falcon nesting pair and their little one. If it makes you feel any better I did kill my calves on some even harder stemming routes, though they don't make as spectacular photos as El Mat.


Photo swipped off RC.com, user cologman.

I think its Ironic that during my time there I didn't get on the two most famous tower routes: Durrance and El Mat. [/img]