- Edit (TBD)
Description
Climbs the tower situated on the valley floor near-ish to Dali Dome. 3 pitches plus one short 4th class section.
P1: 5.8 – Start high on the apron. There are three camo'd bolts on the ground (for highliners?) but you can use it for your belayer if you want. Climb a left-leaning ramp with a crack on the right that currently has a couple small shrubs to its top. Step up and right to chain anchors. [one good-ish, one needs replacement]
P2: From here walk along a sidewalk/edge to the right (12-15ft?) to a large open book with shiny bolt up on the left. You can try to place something at the bottom or at the seam just before the book, then climb inside and do some very fun chimney-stemming! (not protected till you reach the bolt but pretty easy). After the bolt, pull up onto the ledge via the narrowed crack. [one anchor looks fairly new, with a nice chain, the other is a couple old bolts with webbing and Quicklink] Once again someone should replace the right anchor. [A #3 cam is rumored to help add to this anchor.]
**Note to bolters: from here there is a little ledge up and left which has ancient anchors that are not worth anything, however if someone were to replace those chain anchors/bolts which presumably go to the hard route on the south face, that would make for easier rapping for that route and possibly a good bailout for retreat.
P3: 3rd/4th class traversing right and then up to the chimney/alcove splitting two halves of the summit. (Some have built an anchor here to belay the next chimney pitch, probably smart (although not much to work with), but we went across and straight into the chimney section of the '4th pitch'.
P4: Pitch 4 5.8+ R - Either make the 4th class traverse, or if you are already at the bottom of the chimney, Make your way up into the chimney. As it widens, you see a small cave on your right with a very cool round window looking out towards Laughlin! Here there is an old anchor [couple old bolts with webbing, although they are more protected from the elements so I trusted them. They need replacement.] From here, you can belay up your partner across the traverse and chimney. (OR if you started at the bottom of the chimney, you could just clip the anchors for a placement, place a cam in the horizontal above it, and keep stemming across, then up easy slab to the top.
[Last thing, replacing the lone old bolt in the chimney and possibly adding one at the final slab, would increase safety quite a bit.]
Currently the only reasonable way down (as far as I can tell) is by doing a double rope rap off the west side; One rap. There are somewhat new (2012?) achors on top with chains, however the rock has eroded and the bolts are sticking out about a half-inch. I used the old scoop w/ webbing to back up the anchors, although I was a little short with my replacement webbing.
All being said, THIS ROUTE IS FUN and adventurous! Do it!
Location
SE corner of Frock Rock, approaching from the backside seems easiest.
Protection
Standard trad rack, bolting equipment :) ,some webbing.