Des Teufels Bollwerk
5.9 Easy Snow PG13,
Trad, Snow, Alpine, 800 ft (242 m), 7 pitches, Grade III,
Avg: 1.8 from 5
votes
FA: James Garrett and Felix Hörmann, 15 July 2009
Utah
> Wasatch Range
> Central Wasatch
> Little Cottonwo…
> Albion Basin
> Devil's Castle
Access Issue: Please respect this beautiful area. Stay on established trails and do not trample any vegetation
Details
Access Issue: Gate Buttress Area Recreational Lease: Climbs on Church Buttress above vault remain closed
Details
Climbers Partner with LDS Church on Stewardship of Little Cottonwood Canyon Climbing
June 1st, 2017:The Salt Lake Climbers Alliance (SLCA), the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and Access Fund announce the signing of an unprecedented lease for 140 acres in Little Cottonwood Canyon (LCC). The parcel, known as the Gate Buttress, is about one mile up LCC canyon and has been popular with generations of climbers because of its world-class granite.
The agreement secures legitimate access to approximately 588 routes and 138 boulder problems at the Gate Buttress for rock climbers, who will be active stewards of the property. The recreational lease is the result of several years of negotiations between LDS Church leaders and the local climbing community.
Access Note: The climbs on the Church Buttress above the vault as well as the Glen boulders that have been traditionally closed will remain closed.
Please help us steward this area and leave no trace.
Read More:
saltlakeclimbers.org/climbe…
Description
Des Teufel's Bollwerk (The Devil's Bastion) is a grand adventure alpine climb up the NE Face starting up the Apron and tops out on the very top of Devil Castle's highest Eastern summit. The Apron is well known to winter skiers while skiing in the Devil's Castle area of Alta.
As snow melts out of the Apron, the lower pitches will be more loose and unstable...but should be still quite doable.
The lower pitches during our ascent still retained quite a bit of snow, we experienced no spontaneous rockfall and all belays are quite protected. No signs of previous traffic were noted on any part of the line we followed.
Pitch #1: Hug the right side of the Apron to a loose rock step and belay in an alcove. No fixed protection. 5.4, 60m.
Pitch #2: Move left to an obvious hands/fist crack up improving rock until the crack ends. Move right up the slab past a bolt to a ledge and one bolt belay. 5.8, 60m.
Pitch #3: Traverse right to a steep step and climb past one bolt to a huge bomber block and a one bolt belay. 5.7, 30m.
Pitch #4: (Das Bollwerk) Climb up into the steepening slot to a bolt on the bulging face (pockets!) to the right. Continue up the chimney/slot to a two-bolt belay. 5.9, 25m.
Pitch #5: ("The Mad Münchner pitch) Move right on a ledge above the chimney and follow pockets and edges past 5 bolts on pretty good rock to a loose but lower angle band. Now tenuously (your belayer is protected!) traverse right past another bolt to a two-bolt belay ledge. 5.9, 50m.
Pitch #6: (Wall registration and chill out spot) Follow a tag line to the left and around the corner. Belay on a ledge in the "Chockstone Corridor". 4th class, 10m.
Pitch #7: Pocket pull yourself up past a bolt and fixed piton to a phenomenally fine and steep finger/hand crack and belay at a two-bolt belay ledge just below the summit top. 5.9, 25m.
Walk off via the trail. This route is not equipped for descent.
Location
See photo/topo. Start on the right side of the Apron. Orientation should be quite straight forward.
Rappeling the route is not advised. Descent is best via the Black Streak rappels or walking off via the trail.
Protection
QDs and set of Camalots from C3 to #3. Many stations only have one bolt, but most people will feel this to be adequate. Pitch #5 may feel wild and a bit scary, but it is German engineered (read quality).
Helmets without question.
![After climbing Shadow of the Blade, we scrambled over to finish the day on a wonderful hand and finger crack pitch. Was the highlight of are day!]()
[Hide Photo] After climbing Shadow of the Blade, we scrambled over to finish the day on a wonderful hand and finger crack pitch. Was the highlight of are day!
![The best way to end any of the castle routes! Always walking over to finish on this wonderful finger and hand crack.]()
[Hide Photo] The best way to end any of the castle routes! Always walking over to finish on this wonderful finger and hand crack.
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Salt Lake City, UT
We chopped steps up the X-shaped snowfield at the top of the apron with a rock - no need for an ax or crampons in these low snow conditions. We scrambled up the first 5.4 pitch - the 5.4 part is short and solid and you enter a rubble field above. A rope would probably just make things more dangerous.
Belay 10 feet right of the start of the second pitch using a thin crack for gear. Another large rubble field lurks above and turns the area at the base of the pitch into a shooting gallery.
Pitch 3 is more like 5.4 and has another high quality hanging rubble field to contend with just before the belay.
The rest of the pitches get better, especially pitch 5 before its rubble field finishing ledge and the terrific last crack pitch. The last pitch felt hard for 5.9 and was much harder than anything else on the route.
Scrambling off towards Catherine's Pass worked well for the descent. Climbing this under another party would be suicide. Seconding pitches was scary enough - duck and cover! Jul 29, 2012
Note: On the 5th pitch (Münchner pitch), I climbed past the bolts to the knife edge ridge and encountered some horrendous rock. It seems like the route traverses lower. Jul 9, 2017
Salt Lake City