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Crawl Along the Watchtower

5.8 PG13, Trad, Alpine, 1000 ft (303 m), 8 pitches, Grade II,  Avg: 2.4 from 5 votes
FA: Unknown Steve Scott And Peter Lenz climbed it in June, 2015
Wyoming > Grand Teton NP > Fairshare Tower
Warning Access Issue: Show respect for the Jackson Hole Mountain Guides, their property, and especially their clients. DetailsDrop down

Crawl Along the Watchtower

This route traverses the ridge crest of Fairshare tower. We climbed it from South to North. The route stays either on the ridge crest itself, or just East of the ridge for most of the route. Most of the climbing is not difficult at all; and rock quality is generally good. Start at the the toe of the South Ridge. Look for a rappel anchor on the West aspect of the ridge, above a dihedral. Climb this dihedral, and belay at the anchor. Continue up several easy to moderate pitches, with difficulty 5.7 or less, with generally good protection or very easy (5.0).
You will pass a "window," looking out onto the West Face. (Gulp!) Ignore temptation to climb through this window, and ascend east of ridge crest to below the difficult looking cracks on the South face of the summit formation. Ignore temptation to ascend these cracks, (unless you are keen!) and traverse Eastward. Climb a short (20 ft?, 5.8?) finger/hand crack in a dihedral to a ledge. continue traverse Northward on ledges until you find a steep chimney/crack system. Climb this (5.8? crux) system on the East face to the summit formation. Enjoy the summit, and continue traversing the ridge Northward on excellent and easy rock. This part is really beautiful and fun! There is exposure, but the climbing is easy and lends itself to simul-climbing. Continue along the ridge crest to the North summit, and touch the top.
DESCENT: We climbed down a very ugly, loose gully/chimney on the West face, just South of the North Summit. It was a bit scary due to exposure, and loose rock, although the climbing was easy. I strongly suspect that we did not find the best descent route. Simply down climbing Northward and maybe a rappel from the North summit might be better. See what you can find. You should scope out your descent before starting the climb!

Location

The route starts across the Teepe Glacier from the JHMG camp and hut. Look for the bolted anchor in a dihedral on the West side of the South ridge toe. See above for descent. I suspect you can do better than we did.

Protection

The only bolts are at the top of the first pitch. (We did not place these.) There was no other fixed gear. We brought a single set of nuts, and single set of cams to #3 BD. I recommend several double and/or triple length runners for reducing rope drag. We wore rock shoes on the climb. You will be walking on snow (i.e. Teepe Glacier) to and from your camp, so plan footwear with this in mind.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

The route traverse the ridge from right to left (North to South)
[Hide Photo] The route traverse the ridge from right to left (North to South)

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Peter Lenz
Salt Lake City
  5.8
[Hide Comment] It has come to my attention that the Jackson Hole Mountain Guides may have been guiding this route for many years. Please be courteous to them and their clients, if you encounter them on the route. The rating of this climb reflects our subjective experience, and the exact line taken (which may differ from the Guides' usual line of ascent.) I would be happy to change the route name, rating, and first ascent info, if anyone can provide appropriate info. Please note that the line described reflects an ascent of the South Ridge and a partial descent of the North Ridge, ie: a South to North traverse of the formation.
Thanks,
Pete Feb 27, 2018