Ascent Notes for: Primrose Dihedrals - 5.11c popular Average Rating : 4.82/5

Only one so so pitch. Aided the first bit.

Great route, but the ear pitch is really committing, runout, and difficult 5.11 offwidth. Hiked in 7 miles cause we didn't have a 4 wheel drive. Epic trip!

Climbed with Dow W, a great first tower. Led the even pitches, sustained, physical, and exciting cracks on p. 2 & 4 for me. Recommend his advise to link p. 5 & 6 to avoid the hanging belay, we somehow managed to get a square know in the rope - let's nblame the stance. Took a piece of aid to get established off this "stance" and had a lot of fun on the rest. Some moron fixed a link cam on p. 2, hope the route was worth it. We had a triple set of cams from .4 grey to 3 blue camalot, used just about all of them. Follow Supertopo's directions and make sure you take the correct right turn off the long paved road. We lost three hours aimlessly driving around the desert by turning right towards the campground .2 miles too early. Claiming 5.10d on the ascent because that first bolt on the ear might have been the crux.

Good day with Dave from Mass. We did it in 7, combining the last two which is easy if you just run out the chimney which is easy 5th class climbing. That 5th pitch belay is quite uncomfortable, I advise combining 5-6. We rapped Pale Fire in one less rap than most talk about with double 60's. One short single rap from summit. Then a short double rap from northeastern edge, looking to swing out right onto the north face to find the chains. Another double to alcove with chains, and then to the ground. Only climbers anywhere around this day.

Great Tower watch for flash floods

This was my first desert tower so I guess I didn't encounter any "hype" about this route. Given that, it was really fun with a kick ass summit.

Took the 5.8 traversing variation to start.
pitch 1 - poorboy lead
pitch 2 - I lead (felt kinda hard)
pitch 3 - Short downclimb and then easy short 5.10 section poorboy lead
pitch 4 & 5 - I lead : beautiful wide handcrack in a dihedral and then some tricky laybacking to a hanging belay at base of ear
pitch 6 (Ear pitch) - poorboy lead: burly but well protected and short (~30 foot pitch)
pitch 7 & 8 - poorboy leads us to the summit via the 5.10 face moves off the belay

* I managed to do the whole climb free without weighing the rope.

My new favorite tower. Some Notes:

-Pitches 1&2 are linkable (if you do the direct)
-Save some hand sized pieces for the P#2 Belay (Or blue aliens like we did)
-Link pitch 5-6 (The stopper eating pitch and the ear pitch)
-Link pitches 7-8 (the chimney and the 2 bolt face pitch)
-Rap Primrose. we had 2x 70's and did it in 3 raps-very easy (1 single to top of ear from summit, double to top of p#3, double to ground)

The good news: the fixed nut has been replaced with a new model on pitch 1. My bud definitely checked it's stability while pitching off the crux. I hung also. By leading the even pitches I got the full body workout, fingers to hands to OW!

fell at the opening boulder problem, but lowered off and got it clean. quality route.

got everything free except the start of the ow pitch. good route, amazing 900' spire, but the route didn't live up to all the hype, imo. way more choss than i expected.