Direct Southwest 5.11b
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| Type: | Trad, 3 pitches, 300 feet, Grade II |
| Consensus: | 5.11b [details] |
| FA: | FFA: H. Barber, A. Greene, '78 |
| Submitted By: | Tony B on Jul 5, 2001 |
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BETA PHOTO: Taken June, 2000
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Devils Tower National Monument Lifts Current Prairie Falcon Climbing Route Closure MORE INFO >>>
07/01/2012: Because no falcon nesting activity has been observed, the prairie falcon nesting closures currently in effect will be removed on Sunday, July 1, thus opening these areas to normal recreational climbing activities. The areas to be reopened include on the northeast face, routes between and including “Belle Fourche Buttress” and “Maid in the Shaid” (routes #68 to #93), as well as the “North Face” rappel route.
Separate from the falcon closure, Devils Tower National Monument has a voluntary climbing closure in effect for the month of June, out of respect for American Indian cultural traditions. For further information on climbing closures, please contact the monument’s Chief of Resource Management, Angela Wetz, at (307) 467-5283 ext 212 or Angela_Wetz@nps.gov. For general climbing information please contact the Devils Tower Climbing Office at 307-467-5283, ext. 632.
This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund,
and Mountain Project.
You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates.
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Keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment
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Description Approach Via the Durrance approach and head left at the cliff base to reach the SW corner. At the SW corner there are a number of shorter colunms that reach a height of perhaps 100'.
The dihedral at the right hand edge of the right-most of these colums, beginning as a ever-steepening slab is "Rangers Are People Too." The next crack left of this, on the left side of the right-most short column, is the fist pitch of Driect SouthWest.
P1: (5.7, 80')Climb the crack described above for 80' to a ledge with a fixed belay.
P2: (5.11b, 100')This is the route 6 pillars to the right of the dark, left-facing dihedral at the right hand side of the attached photo.Step right on the ledge and get into a left-facing corner with an off-fingers to fingers in the corner, the crux is 25' fromt he top or so- more sustained than it is technically difficult. Belay from the fixed anchors. A single 60M or 70M rope should get you down in 2 raps from here.
P3: (5.9, 150')You need 2 ropes to continue... I have not done the 3rd pitch, but reportedly the climb continues up a crack on the left for a short while before traversing right, to keep the difficulty at 5.9... then continues up for 150' total. From there you can climb one of a few easier systems to reach the top (5.7, 70')
Protection A good set of nuts and cams, with a few extra cams, particulatly in the .75" to 1.5" range, which is the crux size as well.
BETA PHOTO: The Stellar "Direct Southwest"...
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First pitch of Direct Southwest is easy and a lot ...
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| Comments on Direct Southwest |
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By Joe Collins
Sep 8, 2003
| Regarding the gear beta above for pitch 2, the size range is more .75" to 1". Anything larger than a red alien is pretty much useless. Awesome crack climbing! |
By Jim McGuire
Dec 24, 2003
| It is interesting that the first pitch is described in the guidebook as bing 75ft and Rangers..APT right next to it is described as being 120ft. They are both in fact 120 ft and a 60M rope for descent needs a little downclimbing. This climb is nice for a quick, easier one pitch lead with a thin crux move low down that is similar to the first pitch of New Wave. There are not a few loose blocks near the top that warrant caution. |
By TomKingsbury
Oct 16, 2007
| possibly the pitch on the tower!
pk |
By Brian Scoggins
From: Eugene, OR
May 25, 2009
| The first pitch is an all right lead in its own right. Not really great, but certainly not bad either. A 70m will just barely get you all the way down. Be wary of the loose blocks at the top. |
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