For one of the Eldo "Obscure Tour" routes, this is really quite good. The crux of this climb is the steepest 5.9 I can recall ever climbing in Eldo. It is mostly well protected and is runout only in the easier sections (5.7?) and even then, not horribly so. The opening of King's X is the worst it gets.
Climb up King's X for ~40 feet, to reach the bottom of the overhanging flakes, just before King's X goes up and right into the A-shaped corner. Rather than go up and right, step left, set some good gear, and continue up and left into a large, acute, left-facing dihedral. Go up this a few moves (5.7, S) with a small RP on the right for pro, them a pin back and right (near the arete behind you) to reach a good handcrack though the roof. Pull the roof on great jams and jugs, stemming left to the face or right to the arete as needed. This is the steepest 5.9 around!
Continue up and left to the main arete of the Wind Tower and climb to the ledge contiguous with the top of Boulder Direct, finishing somewhere near the base of West Overhang. The climbing here is a little runout as well, but mostly easy (5.4?)
Protection
A standard Eldo rack -- stoppers, RPs, and a set of cams from very small to 3". Crux #1 (5.10b) pro is a old angle (but good) backed up by a tiny cam. Crux #2 pro (5.9) is a 2.5" cam.
The 5.9 is the consensus grade of the route. The 10b is my opinion for the inital crux on King's X. Perhaps the independant route here (in Rossiter's book) speaks only for the independant climbing and not for what you have to do to get there.
By Joshua Merriam From: Boulder, CO Jun 18, 2007 rating: 5.10- PG13
Did "Futile LAments" today as the second half of the uplift.
Granted, it's easy, and fun, but there's no way to get to it without doing harder moves than 5.9. It starts off the second pitch of either King's X, the Muscle up, or the Uplift.
[Edit]: you climbed into the roof from the right (King's X) wheras I came in from the left (Uplift) so the bottom is different, Regardless, from the no-hands stemmed stance (below the roof) on up, Super fun and <5.8 Do you agree?
Wind Tower - S Face
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