New Climbs in The Needles. A party of four, Jim Parolini, Hilton Keith, Joel Merkel, and I, climbed in this area during the past season. “The Arrowhead” was ascended from Martin Peak in a short but exposed class 5 climb. The first ascent of “Snifter Spire” (7000 feet) was made from the ridge separating Royal and Deception basins. The climb was primarily class 4 and 5, with one tension pitch on an overhang. “The Royal Shaft”, a 120-foot spire at 6000 feet southeast of Royal Lake was climbed on the east side (class 5). The first climb of the northeast face of 7788-foot Mount Deception was largely class 4, but constant rock- fall makes it unattractive.

Joe Munson