North America, United States, Wyoming, Faler Tower, Southwest Side, Wind River Range

Publication Year: 1984.

FalerTower, Southwest Side, Wind River Range. On July 15, my father Jim and I climbed what we believe to have been a new route up P 12,607 (213w in Bonney guide, noted as Faler Tower). From our camp at the small lake on the southwest side of Island Lake we hiked to the col behind Elephant Head (Cairn Peak in Bonney guide) and then continued over to the higher col between Har-rower and P 11,940. We descended to the large snow-covered shelf on the southwest side of the tower which led past a wet, slabby face to a convenient left-leaning ramp that ends at a tiny waterfall. A rotten scramble then brought us to an amphitheater walled with secure, fractured granite. We ascended this directly in two nice pitches noting later that a less solid route to the west looked as if it could probably go unroped. Above the rock, steep snow led up to the summit-ridge crest. We followed the crest leading to the northwest summit until forced by difficult gendarmes onto steep, rotten snow of the southwest face. Staying on the snow, we reached the final pinnacle which turned out to be an easy scramble which put us on top at five P.M. (II, 5.4; 14 hours round-trip.)

William Petroske