If you free this route, you are a true desert free climber.
Pitch 1 – Climb a thin crack in a right facing corner to a ledge. There used to be an anchor here but it has been stripped of it’s hangers. Continue up the crack as it widens from #3 to #4.5 Camalot over the next 50 feet and belay at a fixed anchor in the alcove. (5.11 or C1)
Pitch Two – Wiggle out the bombay chimney and continue up the crack passing some less than stellar rock along the way. Belay at the fixed anchor on the shoulder. (5.10- or 5.9 C1)
Pitch Three – This pitch is shared with the North Northeast route. Climb past the lone pin to a small ledge and then make a couple easy but serious free moves to the summit. (5.8 C0)
Rappel the Route
Location
Approach using a wash on the north side of the tower. Look at the summit shot below to see where this wash leaves the main drainage.
Protection
Two sets of Camalots up to #4.5. 1 set of nuts (mostly medium to large). 1 set of small tri-cams. Extras in the #4-#5 range might not be a bad call if you’re going to be aiding or if you don’t love offwidths. 1 screamer.
Eric Bjornstad's book rates the first pitch as 5.11+, A1. Has anyone done this as a free climb on the lead and not on toprope? It seemed light years away from any 5.11 grade to me. The rest of the pitches seemed rated correctly. It's quite soft rock and I'm wondering if it has been freed by anyone in the last few years at the grade of 5.11.
Erica Kutcher and I climbed this route on Oct. 9th 2004. We swapped leads and both of us climbed the route entirely free. I remember the first and second pitches being harder than expected.
I meant the first pitch only was pretty hard. Above those anchors (which were stripped) where the crack is wider I was thinking of as the second pitch. The section above those anchors is rated 5.9 in Cameron Burns desert book. It was pretty damn hard I thought.
I climbed this route on 4-12-08. Once I got home and reracked, I realized I was missing a BD 3.5 camalot. It most likely has a small strip of orange tape on the stem nearest the lobes. If anyone climbs the West face and happens to find it either on the climb or the approach, please let me. Thanks
I found this climb quite scary and struggled on it. The cracks are full of sand and dirt. After thrashing & whining a bit I decided to rest on a seemingly well-placed nut, which then pulled through the rock (mud?) in the crack.
If you do this route I would recommend bringing 3 #4 Camalots.
Argon Tower
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