How hard is Durance route up devil's tower?

You wanna do sandbagged wide, do the Wiessner route.  With but a single protection point for the entire pitch like Fritz.

I suck at climbing wide stuff and didn't struggle on Durance at all. Snake, Good Times at the red have wide sections on it that are pretty similar to durance, nothing on Durance is hard as Good Times though. If you are comfortable on 5.8 trad in the red, I think you will find Durance to be cruiser. FWIW I think Trad in the Red is stouter or on par with most other places in the country 

Awesome! I've done snake and that wasn't bad at all but it sounds like I need to focus on the wide sections, thank you

Michael Spiesbachwrote:

Durance is not a sandbag it's just awkward... You can get a rest every few feet on the 2nd pitch  after that it's just kind of thuggish awkward 5.5 and 5.6. it's really not as hard as everyone is pretending it is.. If you can climb 5.7 crack  you can send it with no issues..  There is no proper wide climbing it's more like foot cams with one foot and stemming with the other. It's  a crack at the crux which means you can put in pro every 2 inches if you really wanted which makes it super safe..  It's also really short like half the climb is the meadows scramble. I think each pitch  other than the second is like 50 feet long.   Don't let people tell you it's harder than what the grade implies.. you'll be fine  1st two pitches are amazing the rest is .... meh kinda awkward but it's worth doing.  Don't skip the jump it's a right of passage.

Nice job on making it sound casual. Sport & gym climbers, as well as those who don’t climb cracks, will struggle. Upper pitches can be linked. Column crack and Durrance crack are 70-80’ each. Bail cam(s) 20 feet up column crack is a thing. 

Michael Rushwrote:

Nice job on making it sound casual. Sport & gym climbers, as well as those who don’t climb cracks, will struggle. Upper pitches can be linked. Column crack and Durrance crack are 70-80’ each. Bail cam(s) 20 feet up column crack is a thing. 

it is casual.. If you can clmb 5.7 trad it's not an issue which is what i said

rgoldwrote:

You wanna do sandbagged wide, do the Wiessner route.  With but a single protection point for the entire pitch like Fritz.

My first route on the Tower was Wiessners. Maybe 25 years ago.

I believe it was my 2nd Multi Pitch climb, a 3 pitch 5.6 in Vedauwoo earlier that year was my first. I had maybe 10 leads under my belt total at the time.

My biggest piece of gear was a #11 hex, and my biggest cam was a 3 friend. 

Seems to me that we survived, hung out on top, and revelled in our n00bishness. 

Also, the next day we tried Persistence. That was a worse idea.

Durrance isn’t casual unless you climb grunt style often.  I‘ve climbed it more times than I can count and it still doesn’t feel casual.

Michael Rushwrote:

Nice job on making it sound casual. Sport & gym climbers, as well as those who don’t climb cracks, will struggle. Upper pitches can be linked. Column crack and Durrance crack are 70-80’ each. Bail cam(s) 20 feet up column crack is a thing. 

Sure, but having a different style than sport/gym that doesn't mean it's sandbagged. I brought my 60 year-old dad up that route a few years back after about an hour of jamming instruction, and he did fine. I think a big part of the route's reputation comes from people expecting a hike at 5.7 and not putting any effort or time into learning the techniques that make it one.

The fact that a specialized climber might struggle on it more than they think they should doesn't change the fact that its 5.7.  And I think it bears repeating that no fancy crack technique is required.

Rich is correct nothing fancy required, plenty of kids have followed it in tennis shoes. Climbed it a bunch in the early 90's and then once in 2014, maybe it's the kids in tennis shoes, but the thing is polished. Back in the day we compared the Durrance crux pitch to Classic Crack in the Outlets at Custer State Park. Climbed that in 14 as well and it felt easier by far then Durrance. My favorite way to summit was Walt Bailey. 

Ok, polish could make a difference I guess.  So maybe 5.8 now?

Uh yeah, just a point of order.  A route climbed in 1938 is not “sandbagged”.  It was the standard for 5.6

All the new age fancy pants with modern gear, shoes, and chalk,  needed to feel better about themselves and call 5.6 climbs, 5.10d in the gym. Lol.    Ol’ Jack was not snickering to himself how he was gonna make gym climbers from 70 years in the future whimper on pitch two.  

Like was said, it’s got pro everywhere and plenty of rests.  It’s straightforward.   I made the mistake of wearing my pack on pitch 2 the first time.  Recommend you don’t.   One #4 seemed to suffice for pitch 2.   Walk it if you want, (and wind up fiddling with yer pack ;) when you commit to the right hand crack/offwidth   Bring plenty of water in summer.  It gets HOT!   

rgoldwrote:

Ok, polish could make a difference I guess.  So maybe 5.8 now?

It’s been a few years for me. But I remember a lot of polish on the second pitch.  And above the smell of pee and not awesome climbing.  ;) 

Double Jwrote:

It’s been a few years for me. But I remember a lot of polish on the second pitch.  And above the smell of pee and not awesome climbing.  ;) 

Good point Jon!   I too remember the smell of piss at several belays once.  Nasty.   Watch where you stack your rope.   That puddle is not water on the tower.

Edit:  I did think the climbing was cool though.