How Do They Get Up There?
For over a hundred years, rock climbers have tested their skills on the vertical faces of Devils Tower. Using various techniques and innovative and specialized equipment, climbers have inched their way up - and down - the steep walls. As you gaze at the Tower, you will very likely see climbers clinging to the precipitous rock.

Brave Souls and Foolish
In 1875, an expedition under the leadership of Colonel Richard Dodge and geologists Walter Jenney and Henry Newton set out to look for gold in the Black Hills. Newton recorded the first detailed description of Devils Tower, “as inaccessible to anything without wings.”

There are those, however, who are eager to take on any challenge, no matter how impossible it may at first seem. William Rogers and Willard Ripley, two local ranchers, were determined to climb Devils Tower!

The two ranchers made elaborate preparations for the climb. They built a 350-foot wooden ladder to the summit by driving pegs into a continuous vertical crack running between two columns on the southeast side of the Tower. The pegs were braced and secured to each other by a continuous wooden strip. Sometime before the “official” ascent scheduled for the 4th of July, the two men took a 12-foot flagpole to the top of the Tower and planted it solidly in the ground.

On July 4, 1893, a thousand spectators watched in awe as Rogers made the first ascent of the Tower. To the wild cheers of the crowd, William Rogers ascended the ladder and ran an American flag up the flagpole. Devils Tower had officially been climbed!

Others quickly followed in Roger’s footsteps, utilizing the ladder to ascend to the summit. (Portions of the ladder can still be seen from the south side of the Tower Trail.) On July 4, 1895, William’s wife Linnie Rogers, wearing knee-high leather boots and navy-blue bloomers, became the first woman to climb the ladder to the top of the Tower.

Until the late 1930s, all who ascended the Tower utilized William Rogers’ ladder. In 1937, Fritz Weissner led three mountain climbers from the American Alpine Club of New York City to the summit using rock-climbing techniques only. Their ascent took 4 hours and 46 minutes. The classic - and easiest - route to the top was pioneered the next year by Jack Durrance.

George Hopkins was the only person to climb down the Tower - without climbing up first! In 1941, as a publicity stunt, George parachuted onto the summit of Devils Tower. But his untried preparations for an easy descent did not work. Food and supplies were dropped by plane to the stranded man. For six days, George waited, eating well, while attempts were made to locate climbers with the expertise to rescue him. George was eventually - and successfully rescued - becoming the only person to reach the top of the Tower without first climbing up.

Today, modern rock climbers use a variety of techniques and equipment to scale the nearly vertical walls of Devils Tower.

Scaling the Heights
Most climbers free climb Devils Tower, utilizing naturally occuring ledges, cracks, and projections to inch their way up the Tower. Ropes and equipment are used only as safety precautions - to catch climbers if they should fall. Some climbers utilize aid climbing, using equipment for holds and upward movement. Climbers are NOT allowed to chip the rock or modify Devils Tower in any way.

Climbers usually wear climbing shoes which are very tight-fitting and have a special rubber sole to help the climber retain their foothold safely on the rock. Many climbers wear helmets to protect their heads from possible rock falls. On harder climbing routes, climbers may wear chalkbags filled with gymnasts’ chalk to keep fingers and hands dry while clinging to precarious holds. A harness enables a climber to be roped to their partner and to attach themselves to safety equipment on the rock.

The climbing rope is the most important piece of technical equipment. These ropes are made of nylon and are tested for flexibility and elasticity. Most ropes last for only two or three years before they are too worn to provide safety.

Pitons are steel wedges which are hammered into cracks. Climbers are no longer allowed to install fixed pitons into the rock at Devils Tower. Today, most climbers use chocks for protection rather than pitons. Chocks come in various sizes and shapes and are easily placed in and removed from rock cracks without damaging the rock. A carabiner is clipped to the chock, and the climbing rope is clipped through the carabiner, effectively attaching the climber to the rock face.

Climbers usually climb with partners. The leader ascends the rock first while their partner, who is anchored to the wall, belays them, feeding out or taking in the rope attaching them. When the leader reaches the end of the rope, they secure themselves well and belay their partner. The second climber then ascends, taking out whatever chocks have been placed in the cracks.

Most climbers rappel to descend from the Tower. With a rope well anchored, a climber can literally walk down the face of the rock, slowing the descent by braking on the rope as it slides through the harness. There are several standard rappel routes on Devils Tower. These have fixed anchors so that climbers do not have to leave any of their own equipment. The ropes pass through rappel rings and can be pulled down after the rappel.

Sacred Tower, Climbing Mecca
Climbing is considered an historical recreational use at Devils Tower. But long before climbers found their way to the area, American Indians regarded the Tower as a sacred site. Today, Northern Plains tribes still view Devils Tower as a sacred place. The Climbing Management Plan, implemented in 1995, allows for management of Devils Tower as a cultural resource as well as a natural and recreational resource. Out of respect for American Indian beliefs, climbers are asked to voluntarily refrain from climbing during the month of June.

Article courtesy of National Park Service