Castle Tower (NV) Trip & Hints

Pics by Anji C & Harlan W S
February 07, 2020
(2023 note: how tall is the tower?)

The actual benchmark is lower and north of the tower. The benchmark can be reached by a class 2 route. The tower is mainly class 3, but YDS class 4, because of the top mantle and an awkward mantle where one leaves the 1st ramp. The rock is scary and there are exposed moves; tall and flexible people will have an easier time. THIS IS NOT an "easy" class 4 route, mainly because of the exposure and bad rock.

There is a guidebook that refers to a "chain" on top; there is NO CHAIN, but there is a stainless steel cable meant for guiding the last 4th class move. At one time, a person would grab a very shallow horn near the top, but that horn had begun to crumble; that hold was augmented by a cable tied around a boulder.  THIS HANDLOOP ON THE CABLE IS NOT MEANT AS A RAP ANCHOR. The handloop is short piece of cable that was added on with cable clamps, and was designed to keep its round shape. Use as a rap anchor deforms the loop and exceeds the design load limits by bending the lower cable at an acute angle. Use the lowest cable eye, which is designed to be full strength, if you absolutely must.  More rap info is here.

This gpx file gives waypoints and tracks for the routes in (right-click to "Save As" or something similar in the menu). The northern road, which was bladed several years ago, is shorter and suitable for 2WD vehicles with decent clearance; the traditional more southern road is rougher and a bit longer, and leads to a slightly longer hike.  A recent TR claimed the north road is the only legal access, to the "Wilderness Boundary."  That claim is mistaken; this is not a wilderness area, and the southern roads -marked by numbers on thin brown signs- are all designated and legal by BLM standards. The northern road does have a tiny sign indicating the farthest place a vehicle can drive legally.

This was my 7x up Castle Tower.  I planned to go with Anji in January 2018, but we hit bad weather, so the trip went on hold. But the next month, my life went on hold. Anji is moving soon, so we made this a priority. I had previously told someone 100' webbing was needed to rap down the ascent route, and Anji was willing to go with me and check if that were true... it wasn't!

I didn't find the tower register.  I left a replacement bottle, but it needs pencils and a book. EDIT: Don Palmer later found the old register.

0map
For context: The climb/hike
is ~25 SW of Boulder City
NV. The roads are good,
but birms have been
placed which require
~7-8" clearance in one
stretch.
 1map IMG_0tower
The non-technical climbing
is from the east side,
and is still sketchy
and creepy. View from
purple dot in
previous map.
IMG_0tower1
View from orange dot in
2nd map. The light blue
dashed line here shows the
"non-technical" climbing route.
One can double over 100'
of 15 mm webbing to
handline back down this route,
using the lowest loop on the
cable as an anchor, but only
to the bottom ledge.
 IMG_1680
OK, back to our recent trip.
I am at the saddle indicated
by the blue dot in the
second map, looking W.
The upper cliff band is
initially unobvious; it is
the band you need to
follow.
 IMG_1682
Anji hugs the upper cliff
band
IMG_1684
"The Hand of God" aka
monkey-fist is to the
right above Anji.
 IMG_1685
Now I've climbed up
the E side of the tower
and anchored a handline
at the lowest loop on
the cable.
 IMG_1685anji1
View from N, I'm
at the 1st ledge
IMG_1685anji2 IMG_1686
Anji climbs
 IMG_1687
the 2nd ledge
affords some rest
IMG_1689
Anji on top
 IMG_1690
Possible Mesa to E.
 IMG_1690anji
I put on my thong
harness
IMG_1692
Griffith Peak on
L side photo.
 IMG_1693
Blurry picture of
Anji on rap on
E side. We pulled the
rope to N so it was
on a direct line down, to
avoid the pendulum.
 IMG_1695
The tower, from N
IMG_1696 IMG_1698 IMG_1700
heading SE to point
where we will catch
the higher cliff band
IMG_1700A IMG_1701
Possible Mesa, or
wash at R
 IMG_1702
View back ~W as
we head back
IMG_1704

The tower


The tradional rap spot is south of the highest point, and leads to a clean (initially overhanging) line off the east side, requiring about 140' of rope (total for double-strand rap). A 30 m rope IS NOT ADEQUATE for the traditional rap. Currently (2020) there is a UV-treated 4000 lb test dyneema sling around a boulder on the southern rap spot. The thinness of this sling is sure to worry some, but it is stronger than a 1" climbspec tubular nylon webbing sling, as the loops are spliced, not tied (95% rope strength, vs 65%). You may want to use a wider rapide, to ease the pull. If you want to rap off the north, BRING YOUR OWN 30' PIECE OF WEBBING to sling the same rock that holds the cable. If you try to rap the northeast side, you must not follow the ascent route, as that route uses a lot of rope and puts you at a SEVERE DANGER FOR PENDULUM! If you try the northeast rap, have 120' of cordage to be safe, and deviate north of the line of ascent to avoid the pendulem, or go directly over the cliff.

I guess that depends on where one starts measurement. First, the Tower is clearly higher than the benchmark. The latest USGS LIDAR data (https://apps.nationalmap.gov/3depdem/) give the top of the tower at 4905', over several placements of the cursor; but the last closed 1 meter contour is about 16' wider, and the top is somehat ragged. The saddle north of the tower is 4856', which would make the tower about 49' high. However, the normal climbing route is on the east and the base of the first ledge, where one would drop in a fall, is at 4840', making the "height" about 65'.