BETA PHOTO: Cloud Tower reaching the skyline on the right, Gin...
Description
One of the best long free climbs of its grade in the country. On a par with The Naked Edge, the Prow, and Astroman. This route should not be missed. If you climb at this level, you will not have lead a full life without experiencing The Cloud Tower!
Approach: Same as Crimson Chrysalis. Average approach time about an hour, unless you're an old geezer like me. Cloud Tower begins about 100-130 feet right and downhill of CC, at an obvious chimney that leads to a left facing dihedral. N.B. some pitches are described differently than as suggested by the guides. Aspect: North facing until the last pitch which faces west and soaks up the afternoon sun. The initial pitches can be chilly.
P1. Climb the squeeze chimney and up the hand crack in the left facing corner (5.8). Rather than stopping at the ledge (135'), we kept climbing up the corner above for another 100 feet or so (5.8) and stopped on the next obvious ledge. (5.8, 225')
P2. Traverse up and way left, past a tree, to the base of a beautiful splitter handcrack, climb it (5.10) and then trend up and left to the base of an awesome right facing, right angling corner. Another rope stretcher. (5.10, 210+')
P3. IMO, the crux pitch. Face climb discontinuous cracks up and left past a bolt into the corner, ascend the corner with Eldorado-like face climbing and stemming and then tips laybacking for what seems like an eternity. (5.12-, 115'; Rack: 1.5F, nuts, blue/black aliens, green aliens, 1F, 1.5-2.5F)
P4. A long "easy" pitch (120', 5.10) that will be exciting if your rack is short on larger sizes or if your wide flaring crack technique is wanting. (Rack: I am embarrassed to confess having 3 each of 2.5-3.5 F, 2 4Fs and a 4.5 and using them all.)
P5. The Harding Slot of Red Rocks. The guide describes climbing a scary offwidth to the top of the tower at 5.10+. We climbed a short wide section (5.7) and then tunneled through the tower. The crux was squeezing through a taper for about 3 feet onto the west face. Not recommended for the bulbous or the claustrophobic. Some friends have climbed to the top of the tower as the guide suggests, while others traversed the tower (climbed right from the belay around the tower). No one has expressed great joy at the thought of repeating any of these options. (5.?, 45-50')
P6. After emerging from the birth canal, you are suddenly transplanted onto the west face of the tower at the base of a stellar Indian Creekish hand crack. Climb the flaring hand crack through several awkward bulges (5.11), while shedding as much clothing as you can remove. Potential radical temperature difference after the north face experience. Save a 1 camalot and some energy for the final hard moves to the belay. (5.11+, 110', Rack: (2) 1 camalots, (2-3 each) 2.5-3.5Fs)
I understand that this brilliant route has been extended but do not yet know further details.
Protection
RPs 2-5; wires-WC Rocks (2 each) 1-5, (1 each) 6-7; Aliens: (2) black, (3 each) blue and green, (1) yellow; Friends (1) 1, (2) 1.5, (2) 2, (2) green camalot jrs, (2) 2.5, (2) 1 camalots, (2) gold camalots,(3) 3.5, (2) 4, (1) 4.5. A 70m rope is handy for running pitches together, but you'll need another rope or some ingenuity to complete the first rappel from the top of the route. After that a 70m will work fine for the remainder of the descent.
It's possible to climb the layback and kace climb up the left side of the tower before entering the slot (5.9X). If you belay the last pitch from the top of the tower bring a Big Bro for an anchor.
I think this while excellent is not in a class with super-classics such as Astroman, Epinephrine, Oz (w/ Gram Traverse), Naked Edge, Freeway, or for that matter, its neighbor, Crimson Chrysalis. I found virtually every pitch quite soft for the grade, except for the crux (P4) a desperate thin stemming corner. The last pitch seemed to me about Indian Creek 10+. IMO, the quality of the climb is diminished by the fact that the crux is much more difficult that the rest of the climb.
Chris gave an excellent description of this ultra-classic route that is easily on a par with the Naked Edge in Eldo. I have some additional beta to consider.
1) #00 - #2 TCU's (mostly #0 and #1) also work well to protect the dihedral crux pitch (11d). I wouldn't argue with a 12- rating but it was easier than 29 Palms in J-Tree.
2) As of spring '03, the birth canal at the top of the squeeze chimney has been substantially widened! Someone must have removed a large block. Accessing the ledge at the base of the final west facing and bulging hand crack pitch (11c) no longer requires a svelt physique. The first time I climbed the route I had to remove my harness in order to squeeze on through to the other side.
3) The route has been extended but I haven't had a chance to check it out. I saw at least four bolts protecting overhanging face climbing beyond the anchors on the final pitch.
This is a pretty great route, not to be missed. This is the rack we took:TCU's: 1 Gray (00), 1 Blue, 1 Orange, 1 Red (maybe 1 yellow?)Aliens: 2 Blue, 2 Greens, 2 Yellows, 1 RedCamalots: 1 .5, 2 .75, 2 #1's, 3 #2's, 3 #3's and 1 3.5Plus a set of offset nuts (useful!) and runners/draws. I can see adding a 4, but a 4.5 seems pretty excessive, as the place you would place it has big incuts everywhere surrounding the crack. I would say you def. want 3 #3's, thou
As for being on par with all these other super classics, thats a matter of opinion, but I would say comparing this climb with the edge and astroman is a streeeetch.
As for the super-gnarly offwidth birth canal maddness, see similiar comments above, I am not going to give it away, but some modifications have been made, and that thing is sure as shit not as bad as it used to be. Think crawling...At most, that pitch is not a 5.9 s pitch, with the 5.9 being the face climbing before you get to mandatory chimmney/off-width.
The crux pitch is hard. 11+, 12-, you be the judge. Even KACKALACKI, uber-thin fingers man whipped on it.
P7: After the long hand crack, continue up past 5 bolts on white, lower quality rock to a two bolt belay. The crux is a sequence of tips in pin scars, checking in at 5.12d.
P8: Easily linked with the previous pitch. Head straight up the really nice offwidth crack if there is such a thing. The first third can be protected with hand size cams, and the end can be protected with those extra 3 and 3.5 Camalots, but the meat of it will either require boldness or a 5 Camalot size piece. 5.10 OW.
Combine pitch 1 & 2 as described by Chris. The obvious hand crack to the L of the tree felt like 5.8. The crux dihedral pitch requires some stemming trickery and use of holds on the L wall - bring extra blue aliens and save a 2.5F for the last 20 feet. The next 2 pitches can also be combined in 1 long pitch - the slot has no similarity to the Harding Slot - its pretty tame now. The final crack takes alot of 3-3.5 F sizes and 2 or 3 #1 Camalots.
Excellent route. Could use a rap route to the R of the route instead of rope jams on the last rap or rapping over parties on C.C.
Rad route.......crux pitch was hard! Get your stem on........definately have some blue and green aliens ready. Might want to have some fist size gear if you want to protect the splitter 4th pitch. Cheers. Rap the face rappel route or be prepared for heinous bushwack-rapping and rope eating cracks.
By Aimee Rose From: Flagstaff, AZ Mar 28, 2006 rating: 5.12-
What a route! I can't say for sure how hard that crux pitch was, cause my partner aided it, so I hung a lot to clean the gear, but it felt very strenuous.
I felt that the 4th pitch required many #3 and #3.5 or #4 camalots. I wished I would have had maybe 2 #3s, 3 #3.5 and 3 #4s, but then again my trad onsight leading limit is 5.10+, so this was pretty close to my limit. Depending on how comfortable the person leading this pitch is, they may need fewer cams. It's about 90 feet of the same fist or bigger size.
Super fun. The 5th pitch felt no harder than the tunnel on tunnel vision to me, which I believe they give 5.3X, but we didn't go to the top of the tower, we just tunneled behind it (and I'm pretty small).
Edit: After thinking about it, I think that crux pitch is definatly 12a.
great route!!! crux pitch is phenomenal, as well as the two that follow. i believed everyone had its unique points and was almost equal in quality. no hesitation on my part to give this route the full 4 stars. as for the crux pitch, its really not all that bad. its stemming and face climbing to stances. good stems, then locker fingers. i would be hesitant to give this pitch 12a. none the less, great pitch.
One full set of Black Diamond C3s protect the crux dihedral very well. You can even whip onto them. I did.
Our rack: C3s: Purple, Green, Red, Yellow C4s: (1) Blue .3 + (2) Gray .4 + (2) Purple .5 + (2) Green .75 + (3) Red 1 + (3) Yellow 2 + (3) Blue 3 + (1) Gray 4 + (1) Purple 5 No nuts required.
The Extension: The crux 5.12+ pitch is horribly rotten and not worth free climbing. Aid at C1. The next pitch, which should not be combined with the previous pitch, involves moderately difficult squeeze chimney climbing with a slight chance of decking.
Black and Blue Aliens or TCU equivalents are needed to protect the crux dihedral. Also, you will need to build a gear anchor at the top of pitch 5 (I used #3 and #4 TCU's), and at the top of pitch 6 there is a sling that should be backed up with a #1 or #2 Camalot. Have fun!
Great climb, though can be very cold until the last pitch. Also, I think I may have lost my wedding ring somewhere at the base -- if anyone's headed out, please take a look. Thanks!
Cloud Tower
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