Wind River Peak, Northwest Face Climbs. In August Jim Olsen and I hiked 14 miles and crossed three rivers with 100-pound packs to get to the northwest-face cirque of Wind River Peak, where we climbed two beautiful walls. Our first objective, the “Streaked Wall,” was the diagonal dike of the streaked wall of the main summit, which we climbed in two long days with three bivouacs: at the base, on the wall and near the summit. The free climbing was very sustained at 5.9 with no less than 25 aid placements (no bolts) in 14 pitches (V, 5.9, A3). We made the second climb in a single long day. It was a Tahquitz-like tower just southwest of the main summit, “Tempest Tower.” It had excellent crack systems and consisted of 9½ pitches of jamming and laybacking. Four pitches were of sustained 5.10 and three hanging belays. The only aid was a double-tiered roof below a butterballs crack on a golden prow (IV, 5.10, A2).

Robert McGown