GUIDED TOWERS
COLORADO NATionaL MONUMENT
Colorado National Monument is one of the beautiful wonders of the Colorado Plateau. John Otto became its first superintendent in 1911, just after he completed his famous climb of Independence Monument. Check out more info on the Colorado National Monument here: https://www.nps.gov/colm/index.htm
Independence monument
Independence Monument is one of the most popular desert towers and our main climbing destination. The tower is about 450 feet high of entrada and Dakota sandstone, with 4 pitches of gentle climbing, no harder than 5.9 in the last pitch. You will follow the leader in a variety of features, from chimneys and dihedrals to cracks and steep face climbing. The route follows John Otto’s first ascent on Flag Day, June 14, 1911. To archive this climb, John Otto drilled 2 ½” holes to place iron pipes, chip holes and ledges to progress (all by hand), and without the use of basic climbing equipment! Beginning by climbing the north face of the tower, John Otto finished his last steps and pipes in the south-west face of the tower, right to the skinny flat summit. Today we follow his route, with no pipes, just using the remains of holes and steps that he drilled, just to help us to get to the top. |
|
JOHN OTTO’S ROUTE (III, 5.9, 450 FEET)
John Otto’s route is the easiest way to climb Independence Monument, and of course, summit your first desert tower!
The tower emerges on top of the Monument Canyon just an hour hike from the trailhead parking lot. The trail is a gentle uphill hike full of wildlife, flora and beautiful rock formations. At the mouth of the canyon you can contemplate the legacy of the Native Americans that hundreds of years ago left their messages inscribed on the rock.
The tower emerges on top of the Monument Canyon just an hour hike from the trailhead parking lot. The trail is a gentle uphill hike full of wildlife, flora and beautiful rock formations. At the mouth of the canyon you can contemplate the legacy of the Native Americans that hundreds of years ago left their messages inscribed on the rock.
The first pitch of the route follows easy terrain as you pass through a short chimney and a chipped dihedral. We can regroup at the big ledge on top of the pitch where you
can take a break and enjoy the view. If it is necessary, we can break the pitch in two, belaying in the little chock stone ledge half way up the pitch. WE WILL ALWAYS KEEP EYE CONTACT WITH YOU DURING THE ENTIRE CLIMB, to give you confidence, keep you safe and coaching your way up.
|
The second pitch follows its way up through a short squishy off-width, right above the belay ledge. This is the first crux of the route. We will be using the holds of the old pipes in both sides of the crack to insert our fingers and progress. Another nice ledge on top of the pitch will give us a break.
|
|
Now we will walk through the time tunnel just to get to the enormous Lunch Ledge, at the base of the third pitch. The third pitch follows a small section of face climbing right above the Lunch Ledge. Again, we will be using the numerous chipped holes, steps and old pipe holds to help us with the progression to the top of the pitch. The next belay ledge is called Lunch Box Ledge emerging from the sunny west side of the tower giving you breathtaking views of the valley below.
Now we will walk through the time tunnel just to get to the enormous Lunch Ledge, at the base of the third pitch. The third pitch follows a small section of face climbing right above the Lunch Ledge. Again, we will be using the numerous chipped holes, steps and old pipe holds to help us with the progression to the top of the pitch. The next belay ledge is called Lunch Box Ledge emerging from the sunny west side of the tower giving you breathtaking views of the valley below.
|
The fourth and last pitch now follows the west ridge of the tower and is the crux of the climb. The first part of the pitch is low angle, using again big carving steps and pipe holds to help us with the progression. The climb then become steeper and more exposed, beautiful and exciting, with just enough holds to take us to the last ledge, 8 feet below the summit.
From here, just a couple steps to reach our goal, the long and flat summit of Independence Monument! We just enjoy the moment and share the dreams that John Otto had more than 100 years ago, contemplating the fabulous views of the valley around us. After snacks, water and photos on top, we begin our exciting decent. To descent, 2 long rappels will take us to the ground. Our dream was completed, safe in the hands of your guides.
|
|
|
informationPlace: Colorado National Monument
Ratio: 1:3 (in a group of 3 climbers we may use an additional guide to facilitate the climb, always depending of the group dynamics) Price: $300.00 for one person, $175 for each additional climber. Special rates for groups and 20% discount for veterans, active duty personal and law enforcement. What we provide: IFMGA/AMGA certified mountain guide, climbing equipment, ropes, harnesses, climbing shoes, helmets, first aid, guiding permits. What we don’t provide: water, snacks, personal transportation, and personal medical insurance Season: March to November. We will be able to climb in a mild winter, depending on the snow and temperatures. Prerequisites: a basic climbing/rappelling class is recommended prior the climb but not mandatory. (extra $50 per person) |
equipment list
|
Independence Chimney (III, 5.8, C1, 450 feet)
These route ascents the south west face of the tower to Lunch Ledge, continuing from here to the top, climbing the last two pitches of John Otto’s route. The first pitch requires a few feet of easy aid climbing, using aiders to progress. The rest of the climb navigates through wide cracks and chimneys for 3 pitches to Lunch Ledge. This is a good option to climb the tower during cold days.
informationPlace: Colorado National Monument
Ratio: 1:3 (in a group of 3 climbers we may use an additional guide to facilitate the climb, always depending of the group dynamics) Price: $350.00 for one person, $175.00 for each additional climber. Special rates for groups and 20% discount for veterans, active duty personal and law enforcement. What we provide: IFMGA/AMGA certified mountain guide, climbing equipment, ropes, harnesses, climbing shoes, helmets, first aid, guiding permits. What we don’t provide: water, snacks, personal transportation, and personal medical insurance Season: March to November. We will be able to climb in a mild winter, depending of the snow and temperatures. Prerequisites: basic climbing, rappelling, and aid climbing class (few hours) is recommended prior the climb. |
equipment list
|
Sentinel Spire
Fast Draw (II, 5.10, 250 feet) ~ Medicine Man (III, 5.12, 250 feet)
Sentinel Spire is a beautiful free standing tower with a small summit overlooking Wedding Canyon. We offer you two incredible routes: Fast Draw (II, 5.10, 250 feet) in the north face and Medicine Man (III, 5.12, 250 feet) in the southeast face. Both of these routes follow steep cracks systems all the way up. For this reason, we recommend some previous experience in crack climbing techniques. Both routes can also be climbed by the use of aiders if is necessary or if is too hard to follow in free climbing. The approach to both routes requires some rappelling and also climbing the rope with the use of mechanical ascenders, making the climb more exciting.
informationPlace: Colorado National Monument
Ratio: 1:3 (in a group of 3 climbers we may use an additional guide to facilitate the climb, always depending of the group dynamics) Price: $350.00 for one person, $175.00 for each additional climber Special rates for groups and 20% discount for veterans, active duty personal and law enforcement. What we provide: IFMGA/AMGA certified mountain guide, climbing equipment, ropes, harnesses, climbing shoes, helmets, first aid, guiding permits. What we don’t provide: water, snacks, personal transportation, and personal medical insurance Season: March to November. We will be able to climb in a mild winter, depending of the snow and temperatures. Prerequisites: basic crack climbing, rappelling, ascending with mechanical ascenders (jumars) and basic aid climbing knowledge is necessary prior the climb. We can also take you to other towers and spires located in the Colorado National Monument: Grand View Spire, Kissing Couple, etc. |
equipment list
|
