Soler 

Pitch 2 is what makes this such a classic. The hand crack you follow up pitch one narrows to fingers and finally, about 20 feet or so from the top of the pitch, to barely accepting of your smallest pro. At this point, you finish with stemming and whatever you can find to grab in the dihedral. You're either going to find out how well you placed that last ballnut, or you're going to top out feeling really good.

One of the things I thought was really super-cool about this route was how long the pitches were without being particularly hard. Most of the climbs at DT are either broken into short pitches or are 5.11. This one is one of the few climbs with big long cruisers with good pro. It's kind of like skiing a 5000' drop blue run with no moguls on a perfect powder day- If that's your limit, it can be great fun, but no matter what grade you are at, you'll enjoy the climb!

Thats strange Tony - I can think of dozens of long pitches under 5.11 that are fun and sustained. In the 5.9 range alone, check out Walt Bailey and Assembly Line. TAD, Bon Homme Variation, El Cracko, and most of the other climbs at the tower also fit this description. The only route I can really think of with short pitches is Durrance.

At devil's tower, "short" is shorter than 100'. At least that's my yard-stick. I agree that you've named some other routes that have long pitches below 5.11. Walt Bailey Memorial is only as tall as a single pitch of Soler, however, and climbs Like Assembly Line is mostly a "Green Run" with a few blue moves. I think that those are more cruxy though and are less sustained at a particular grade, and thus not cruisers. That was in my mind when I wrote the comment, but didn't make it to paper. Admittedly, I didn't climb many of the 5.9's there.

Probably sounds idiotic, but I'm certain that I've climbed this route more than 100 times...and I'm still looking for any excuse to climb it once again !!! Its got it all; great locks, great pro and a stellar hanging belay right in the middle !!! The first free ascent of the route went to Layton Kor and Ray Jaquot in 1959. What a Plum they picked !!!!

You're quite right, Frank. If you only have time for ONE route... this is it...

A memorable climb, don't understimate the length of the first pitch, you can easily run out of gear so either bring a lot or space it out. A climb of the highest quality.

Lots of good features on the right hand side of the dihedral for the first half of the first pitch but it goes away the closer to the anchors you get and gets pumpy, no moves easier than 5.8 but none harder.

This route is stellar. An awesome dihedral with awesome finger and hand jams.

Did route in 1989 and from what I remember of it, for me the key was stemming occasionally just to rest, especially near the top of P1 and mid to near the top of P2. Per it's name, be prepared to be grilled by the sun. Very nice hanging belay vs. not much of anything on TAD.

I agree with Mr. Sanders and Mr. Gunnels, this is a climb that you must do at the Tower. I did feel that the 2nd pitch was noticeably harder than the first, maybe it had something to do with being tired from the first pitch, but if felt more technical to me. I would rate P1 at 5.8 and P2 at 5.9+. With regards to the stellar hanging belay, I think my lifelines were too short to enjoy the hanging belay much. It could have been the way my harness fits also, but the next day both my thighs were fully covered in bruises. I think a longer lifeline would have helped aleviate the situation, so just some word to the wise. Still an absolute classic, not to be missed route.

A New Route on Devil's Tower

By Arthur C. Lembeck

Thirteen parties had mounted the Leaning Column of the Durrance Route, which is a pebble toss from the (first ascent) Weissner Route, before Tony Soler and Ray Moore arrived at Devil’s Tower on the morning of August 29th. Obviously a look at others of the long fluted columns was the reaction of this redoubtable pair. Fresh from “standard conditioning exercises: in the Black Hills Needles (courtesy J. and H. Conn Rock Climbers Finishing School), they made a tour of the truck-sized talus, and by afternoon had ferreted out many
vertical blind alleys.

At 4 pm when Art Lembeck arrived, they had left a doubled climbing rope hanging in one Gerry expansion bolt and several pitons, and were very much through for the day. Worm’s-eye views from the ground of where they had been looked even worse that the high ones, and it was decided to make a try on some other section next sunup.

Supper at the campground was enlivened by a family of three friendly skunks, three friendly kittens masquerading as skunks, and one year-old boy who wanted to be friendly with all six. By a narrow margin, general social ostracism was prevented, and everyone retired for the night. At some indeterminate time, Herb Conn drove in from Custer, making the climbing team complete.

Next morning before sunrise, the Optimuses (we use that brand of gasoline stove because it sounds so encouraging) were buzzing merrily cooking a four-way breakfast. Well fortified with food and carrying armfuls of hardware, climbing rope, cameras and six canteens of water,
we stumbled up the trail to the far side of the Tower.

While Tony and Art were retrieving the rope, pitons and bolt of the previous day’s reconnaissance, Herb and Ray began working on a lead farther east. Here sloping faces and a jumble of talus allowed an easy ascent to near the height of the Leaning Column. By the time the
four were together again, Ray and Herb were resting from having pushed the rope over half its 120-foot length. The first 30 feet were 3rd class and the rest 5th class. Two ropes were tied together, and Tony and Art took turns with pitons and struggles. Fifty-five feet above the talus, a wide crack in the left side column begins working toward the angle piton crack which forms the principal joint-plane between the columns. Seventy feet up, the left crack became the piton crack as the right-hand crack widened out. For 40 feet this status continued.

A short bulging overhang was then passed as a layback and then 40 more feet of mostly layback. Pitons had to be inserted while the climber was in a semi-layback position, holding on with one hand. It was on this section that Tony fell from 12 or 15 feet above his piton, sliding to a graceful stop on Ray’s dynamic belay. (The piton was an Army angle rescued after years in Seneca Rock; the carabiner an Army aluminum.) Above this point, the slope became slightly less and the twin cracks more cooperative.

During the earlier sections of the climb, the lead had been changed by using the rope as an elevator. The lower pitons were removed by the descending leader. With climbing ropes knotted together, a different system had to be devised because the knots were too bulky to pass through the carabiners. Tony, who was leading at the time, tied into a piton, and Ray Prussiked up the climbing rope, removing pitons en route. Then Ray tied into a piton and Tony continued.

Layback piton pounding was just too much, so Tony used six pitons for direct aid, balancing up to use each piton as a foothold from which to drive the next higher one. A beautiful maneuver to watch.

The 23rd piton was placed in a horizontal side crack on the left, overhanging column which had widened, it seemed, to the proportions of a wall as we ascended. This crack was the first one on the climb which would take pitons, except for the two main vertical cracks. Here the left column was broken enough to form a belay platform, the first on the climb. It was reached via a short traverse and retablissement up the overhanging column. There were now 240 feet of rope between the leader and belayer. The 'retable' was onto an outward-sloping, splintered column top with a shallow fingergrip crack a few feet back. Other sections of the column requiring three more pitons for safety led to the top of the Big Ledge near its eastern end.

Prussik knots soon saw the party joined on the Big Ledge, and, unroped, the four scrambled up the rock jumble to the summit. The late hour made the stay on top a brief one just for registration, a task Ray performed while the others swatted at the clouds of flying ants which inhabit the grassy, cactus-sprinkled mesa.

The Durrance Route was selected for the descent, traversing the far end of the Big Ledge and then dropping in several rappels to the Leaning Column and below.

The actual climbing had begun at 7:30 am, the descent shortly after 5, and camp was regained at 7:30 pm, a delay being caused by a rappel rope which jammed halfway down the last pitch. Twenty minutes were spent retrieving it, and the gathering darkness made progress to camp somewhat slow. Twenty-four of the twenty-six pitons used were angle pitons (those used in rappelling were not included in this count). The climbers are grateful to Win, to Wade Marshall, and to Mr. McIntyre, the Superintendent of Devil’s Tower National Monument, for their services, especially in explaining to the numerous visitors why we were climbing; that we weren’t risking our necks—much--; and just how that rope got up there in the first place.

This article originally appeared in Volume XVIII, #3, January-March 1952 Mountain Club of Maryland Bulletin.

Good stuff. I placed gear from thin to #3 camalot - though you could get by without the #3.

I am surprised no one has mentioned this, so I will. Toward the top of the second pitch the crack is choked with some loose rocks and blocks. I stood under them for a few minutes and tapped them and looked at them and tapped at them and said to hell with them and went left onto the face to avoid them. If you pull one of these off, there is a good chance your belayer is going to get it. The face climbing on the left is more like a ramp and I dont think any move was harder than 5.7 and it can be protected. I did use a blue Alien (0.3 inches) to protect one part of this section and it looked like the only option.

The party before me said they went straight up the crack through the loose rock and wished they had done otherwise. The party after us broke left onto the face to avoid the loose stuff.

This climb was a proud onsight. Sustained sinker hand and finger jams with marginal/painful feet. And by sustained I mean like 200 feet of it.

Conserve your hand-sized gear at the start, and you will enjoy having it as you jam upwards towards the first belay, a long way. Before the belay is a sweet chockstone that I almost asked out to dinner.

Awesome! Aesthetic! Proud! Historical!

The loose flakes and blocks at the very top are scary. Place passive pro only here and don't yank if you finish in the corner. I stayed in the corner all the way up, placed a great #2 Camalot above it, then traversed left and belayed at the bolts. It is dangerous downclimbing to these bolts (Exit Us Raps) from above (Meadows) but one double rope rap will get you to the ramp from there.