Kissing Couple

There is a semi-independent spire, about 150-200' tall 'behind' the Kissing Couple a few meters. This is the face opposite of the Long Dong Wall when standing at the base. On this face, and just behind Long Dong Wall, there is a splitter fist crack running the entire height, interrupted only by some brief sections of what appears to be squeeze chimney. This appears to be unclimbed. As well, up and left from there above a 80' shallow corner of junky rock there is a very nice crack running to the top.

Does anybody know anything about these lines? Have they been climbed?
If not, what is the present local law and ethic on a drilled bolt or pin, should the chimney present a significant risk at a significant difficulty- I.E. required to keep the route from being X-rated?

Thanks in advance for your input.

Hey Tony, I believe the spire you are talking about is called Crack Of Noon Tower, and was first climbed by James Stover and Mac Lewis a couple years ago. The chimney on the right when viewed from the base of Long Dong Wall is called "Right Route" 5.11. The left crack system is called "Crack Of Noon Route" 5.10, and it is climbed in one long pitch.

Good to see you at Indian Creek a few weeks ago!

Tony,

The Colorado National Monument has adopted a current policy of banning the establishment of all new fixed anchors, this doesn't mean it does not happen, but be warned. It could mean serious trouble with "THE FEDS". However, there is a new climbing ranger in town, and I have heard that he is at least open to discussion. Hopefully, as a community, we can impress upon him that the climbing here is really good, but there are serious safety issues with getting down off of some of these things, due to the nature of the rock. There are some really old ratty anchors that need fixing and the current reigning authorities are just not taking care of business.

As far as placing bolts on existing routes ---- I think the consensus is in mate' -- without the expressed consent of the FA party, it just not a cool thing to do. (I will admit sometimes it is hard to tell where people have been out here.) --- Someone's habenaro salsa; is someone else's strawberry cheesecake; were are all just different that way! If you want to drill do your best to make sure it is an FA. Anchors are OK, but I would shy away from ladders (unless they link free climbing systems). But thanks for asking, just by doing so shows a respect for a culture far older than we are. Some of these towers were the first ones in the desert to be climbed by the old guard!

AB

We climbed a route to the right of Long Dong last weekend and was just wondering if anyone had been up it or knows anything about it. You start at Long Dong and chimney up and over (southwards) the large block and through to the other side to the base of the climb(starts up in between kissing couple and crack of noon tower). From there, it follows up a hand crack for 30 feet then into an amazing dihedral offwith. This pitch route makes it way up to the top of a block with some solid anchors (from top of pitch 4 of Big Hetti????). The pitch is #5 big bro for at least 100 ft and the whole pitch is probably about 170 ft to the anchors and was quite loose (as with most super low traffic climbs in the Monument). Another short pitch and you meet up with the top of pitch 3 on Long Dong. There was an old piton about 50 ft into the climb just before it got really hard. We rapped off of this 2 years ago when we didn't have enough gear to go the distance. The climb seams to be 5.10+. We rapped down Long Dong.
After our rap 2 years ago, we also climbed a crack directly opposite us on Crack of noon tower. It traversed up and around the south face on SUPER soft rock (there were 1 inch deep gouges, just form the rope drag of the lead climber).

Any info would be appreciated.