South Face of Tower One

The South Face of Tower One begins from the top end of the Upper Ramp between

Mellow Yellow

and Exit Stage Left. All three pitches of this route are interesting and good, but the first two have some suspect rock. This route sees very little traffic and has much more lichen on it than chalk.

Climb one of several routes to the Upper Ramp; (

Super Slab

leads right to it) follow the ramp to its top and look for a disjunct crack system with two bushes in it and a piton where the crack peters out.

Pitch 1: 120', 5.10c S. Follow the moderate crack system past two bushes and move onto the face where the crack ends. Continue straight up some 5.9 face climbing with rather scant protection until you reach a piton about 60 feet off the deck. Clip the pin and move right on tricky, 10c face moves and continue up a thin flake and into a thin right leaning ramp/corner system. Follow the ramp system up and right, belay on the first decent ledge you reach.

Pitch 2: 130', 5.9+. From the belay, continue up and right in the moderate crack for about 15' before cutting back left on face holds and move into the leaning roof system that cuts across the entire face. Stay below the roof and follow it up and left via underclings, liebacks and face moves for about 100 feet. There are a couple of old pitons on this pitch that should be backed up. When the roof system ends continue straight up past two pitons to a wide belay ledge just right of the arete on the

Yellow Spur

. This pitch is pretty intense for the grade.

Pitch 3: 100' 5.6 Smove left and meet up with the last pitch of the

Yellow Spur

and climb the beautiful arete to the summit of Tower One or traverse off right via 4th class terrain to the anchor atop

Smoke and Mirrors

.

Descend as for the

Yellow Spur

.

Standard Eldo rack plus a #2 ballnut.