This is a great line with varied climbing. Start on easier juggy terrain to reach a slab corner. Over the corner, one finds a slab with small feet. The hands improve greatly the higher you get until you are again on massive chickenhead jugs. This is long and fun! It is still cleaning up, and there certainly is a bit of lichen, but the key holds are cleaning up.

Watchmen

Dark Matter

Night Watch

Watcher

Needle Gate

Gray Matter

Start from the alcove shared with

Watchmen

. Night Watch breaks left up the arete to reach a huge flake (pillar). Pull left onto the pillar to find great crimps leading you to the top of the pillar. The grade here varies based on how one breaks onto the pillar. Completing the roof pull goes around 10c, and using this crack will take this down to 10a/9+.

Jam, step left by a bolt, and jam. Clip a bolt prior to the shared anchors.

Start up varied blocky terrain to reach a large, right-angling flake halfway up the buttress. Burly climbing on the steep but positive flake leads to exciting moves up the right edge of the upper flatiron.

This is the gem of the Watchtower. The climbing begins up a short buttress using face holds and the large crack. Layback and crimp to reach the ledge. This low crack needs a combo of power and finesse. From here, work a bit left to get established in the needle's eye. Layback the entire length of this amazing feature to reach the upper arete. Though it may look very challenging from below, there are several surprisingly good holds up high. Work to the apex to clip the chains.

It ascends a very unusual feature with fun sustained climbing. A classic for sure!

Pull the tricky roof with poor feet and hard-to-find hands, and slab it out to the top. This route has a bit of lichen to keep the slab interesting. The guidebook calls it 11a, but that felt stout for the roof.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in The Watchtower