North America, United States, Wyoming, Tetons, New Routes on Symmetry Spire

Publication Year: 1951.

New Routes on Symmetry Spire. In July 1949 Lee Pedrick and Richard Pownall made the complete ascent of the conspicuous crack which runs directly up the S. wall of Symmetry Spire (10,546 ft.). Previous attempts had been made by Fritz Wiessner, who encountered bad weather, and by Robin Hansen and Fritz Lippmann, who in 1945 traversed to the left (S.) under an overhang near the top of the crack and finished their climb on the ridge to the left (Durrance-Spofford ridge). Pedrick and Pownall made the complete ascent in eight hours, using 15 pitons. The rock is very sound and calls for a variety of climbing techniques. Predominantly vertical, the climbing attains a climax at the overhang already mentioned. A ten-ft. section near the top of the overhang demands the nicest of friction-balance climbing. Pedrick led this pitch—rather short, but sensational. A fixed rope has been left here to aid future parties. To date, the route has been ascended five times. It has been given the name of “Templeton Crack,” in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Templeton, who were the first to be guided on it by the Petzoldt-Exum Guiding Service.

Also in July 1949, Pownall, Red Austin and Art Gilkey made the first ascent of the N. chimney—the very large, black chimney which, as seen from Jenny Lake, runs three-quarters of the way up the N. wall of Symmetry Spire and eventually, a few hundred ft. below the summit, separates the N. shoulder from the N. face. The only difficult pitch (30 ft.) was about 100 ft. up the chimney. Two pitons were used here.

R. P.