Conn Route

A Needles style route right in the heart of Rushmore.

From the back of the spire(facing away from the road), climb a large chimney system until it blanks out against the upper part of the spire. Turn right, tunnel in, and then turn left into another chimney which takes you to a fantastic belay ledge at the base of the upper spire. This pitch protects well, but use very long runners as it is in the pitch travels in the shape of a big Z.

For pitch 2, take a deep breath and launch up the friction and crystal face. I only remember one bolt on this pitch, but there may be two. Regardless, it is very runout and frightening - falling before clipping the first bolt or just before reaching the summit will put you in the hurt locker for a long time.

This is the best summit at Rushmore, and one of the best perches in the Needles. A double rope rap leads to the start of the route.

Cams: 0.5-#4 Nuts Alpine Quickdraws 1 - Bolt 2-bolt anchor on top