This does live up to its name in spots, yet may still offer the most user-friendly route to the summit of the formidably flanked Hidden Tower. We chose it after an account of loose, heads-up climbing and marginal anchors from the only person I know to have climbed the OG Forrest/Hurley North Face route. The first time we hiked under Hidden in 2015 en route to McYetta's Loaf, there was recent, large rockfall evident on the OG line with much scarring and debris visible on the first pitch and fresh, huge blocks in the talus below. We ruled out Crusher's line since we weren't into the required nailing and Valley Giants. This turned out to be a decent line, although we didn't have time to devote to cleaning it thoroughly. There are still a good deal of loose, hollow features to contend with. With a major cleaning effort, this would go free.

P1- Start with the nasty choss band that rings the base of the tower. Clamber carefully up the left side of a spooky, detached pillar with dual hand cracks to a very rubbly ledge. Step right and aid over a slight bulge with a wide crack to a 2nd ledge. Step back left into the prominent, right-facing dihedral system. Free, aid, or a combo of both up the corner, which starts a bit grungy as an OW and short slot are passed. A 25' stretch of clean handcrack follows, before a large hollow flake must be passed to gain the ledge atop the corner. Free up the handcrack in the short band above. French free gingerly up the final band on some hollow cracks. The belay ledge is huge, and the anchor is about 25' left of where you top out. 140', 5.9, C2

P2- Scramble up loose ledges, aid up thin cracks and up a fingercrack on the left side of a huge, hollow block, and finish up a cool, steep, splitter crack (#1-#4 Camalot) to another big ledge. 60'. C1+

From the anchor atop P2, you can leave all your gear and go ultralight to the summit. Cut right into a corridor until the summit plateau is reached, then follow your nose up through some more clefts and short scrambles to the summit. This summit area is very cool, and very untrammeled feeling; it's a pretty special tower to top out.

Rubble Rouser

Hiding Giants

1. Scramble 10 feet up easy choss to a ledge, aid up a left-facing dihedral (maybe a fixed pin). Follow this 60 feet or so to a long roof. You are aiming for the beautiful, thin crack splitting the shield above. On FA, we avoided a loose-looking block atop the dihedral by a six-foot tension traverse right into a second crack system. This led directly through the long roof and into the splitter. Small Aliens and Slider nuts work well here. Continue more easily to a rotten ledge then up to a second ledge. Traverse right to an alcove and two bolts. Belay (5.5, A3-).

2. Up the easy cracks above the belay to a lower-angle rotten area. Negotiate entry to the alluring, polished wide crack. This starts at about six inches. Sixty feet higher it's eight inches (one protection bolt). On FA, we leapfrogged a Valley Giant and a #5 Camalot stacked with a small hunk of lumber. Belay where the crack widens into a chimney at a ledge and a couple bolts.

3. Up the chimney with care (5.7) to a big ledge. Head straight the continuation crack (C1, 5.8) to the summit. Wide cams needed all the way to the top; also needed is considerable care with loose blocks--anything dropped from here will be funneled down toward your belayer. Stem around the twin roof cracks to the flat summit ledge.

4. There are two major summit mushrooms, entirely separate from each other. It's not clear which is higher so best is to scramble up both.

This is a cool summit, atop a wild, remote tower. No summit bolts or any sign of previous passage. First ascent of the tower was Bill Forrest and George Hurley, 1977, via the meandering North Face route. Only other ascent Rob Slater and Roger Schimmel, 1994. So we (unless someone else has done this????) were first party to reach the top for 18 years. Very cool tower, much recommended, whatever route one takes.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Hidden Tower