Milktoast Chimney

The Milktoast Chimney and Red Baron Tower are actually located at the base of Peak 3986m, however they share a similar location and logistics as the routes on the South Face of Lone Pine Peak. The Red Baron Tower will come into view as you make your way up the Tuttle Creek Drainage. It is the obvious red tower with an even more obvious right facing corner. Note that the Moynier/Fiddler guidebook has a photo for the Milktoast Chimney showing it on the larger, chossier, (and not red) tower to the right of Red Baron Tower. The route they mark is actually more or less the Zig-Zag Dihedral, a Grade IV 5.9, and the Milktoast Chimney is hidden behind this formation.

The rock on Red Baron Tower is good quality and face climbing friendly which makes the route improbably steep for an alpine 5.8. You will probably be doing a little extra face climbing if you go in the early season since the chimney system will be blocked by chunks of ice in some locations. The climb's two biggest shortcomings are it's length relative to it's burly approach, and it's rather forgettable "summit" which is really just a ledge halfway up the wall.

Most parties will want to rope up for a 5.0 approach pitch to access the ledge below the chimney. From here 5 pitches of sustained 5.6-5.8 climbing will lead to a large sandy slope. Be careful setting up a belay here so you don't send any scree flying down at your belayer. From the top of this loose slope, 2-3 more pitches of mostly 4th class gully climbing leads to the top of the climb. In general, the route finding is very straight forward. Either chimney and jam up the corner, or face climb to the right of the corner - whichever looks easier at the moment.

I thought there were 3 cruxes on the climb:

The first is a section of corner climbing past an annoying bush at the end of the second pitch.

The second is a burly and awkward move around a large chockstone in the chimney at the top of the 5th pitch (just before reaching the sandy slope).

The final crux is at the end of the last pitch where a chockstone/roof blocks the gully and you must face climb a steep and intimidating wall to the right.

A set of stoppers and a single set of cams from thin to 4.5"