A Needles style route right in the heart of Rushmore.
From the back of the spire(facing away from the road), climb a large chimney system until it blanks out against the upper part of the spire. Turn right, tunnel in, and then turn left into another chimney which takes you to a fantastic belay ledge at the base of the upper spire. This pitch protects well, but use very long runners as it is in the pitch travels in the shape of a big Z.
For pitch 2, take a deep breath and launch up the friction and crystal face. I only remember one bolt on this pitch, but there may be two. Regardless, it is very runout and frightening - falling before clipping the first bolt or just before reaching the summit will put you in the hurt locker for a long time.
This is the best summit at Rushmore, and one of the best perches in the Needles. A double rope rap leads to the start of the route.
Protection
Stoppers and a few medium cams for the first pitch, quickdraw for the second.
A good route, the second pitch gets exciting towards the top with some thoughtful moves and some decent exposure. This route is worth doing at least once.
By Andy Busse From: Rapid City, SD May 23, 2005 rating: 5.7
I found this route to begin at the same belay ledge as "The Engagement". You access the chimney which starts at approx 20 feet off the ledge and follow it up to a Y intersection. I went to the right at the Y on the less steep face. The first pitch ends at the end of the 5.5 face section. The next pitch begins directly above and is all face climbing on the arete. There is one bolt and anchors on top.
It is detailed in the Rushmore Guide Book as the 5.7 on Dire Spire, but not listed as the Conn Route.
Gear: S,M,L
Minton was right a must do, but only once.
By Aaron Costello From: Rapid City, SD Jul 19, 2006 rating: 5.7 R
The first pitch is fun, and as is written, use long runners for the "Z". When you 'tunnel in' you are presented with three options: a slightly overhanging handcrack (East), and puff-n-grunt off-width (middle), and an easy ramp (West). I chose the easy ramp, but it caused heinous rope drag. I slung the horn before the belay ledge, which gave my second the choice of the puff-n-grunt or the ramp. He chose the former. The belay ledge is nice and wide, with many slots for cams and nuts. There is also a sweet hole you can thread a bomber nut through.
The second pitch is nuts. The 'bolt' spins like a windmill. You just have to point your nose up the rock and trust your skills. The summit offers fantastic views, and cars will honk at you on P2. The rappel bolts aren't the best, but they did the trick.
Dire Spire
RSS Feed
