www.StephAbegg.com

Twin Owls Main Page

Twin Owls

Routes:

(Routes listed west to east, i.e. left to right)

- Conads + Wolf's Tooth + Bowels of the Owls (5.9, 1p + 5.8, 2p + 5.0, solo)
- Organ Pipes + Wolf's Tooth + Bowels of the Owls (5.8, 2p + 5.9, 2p + 5.0, solo)
- Tilted Mitten (5.8, 3p)
- Central Chimney + Bowels of the Owls (5.7+, 3p + 5.0, solo)
- Rooster Tail (5.9+, 1p) + Tighter Squeeze (5.8-,1p) + East Ridge Pitch 2 (5.8,1p) + The Bowels of the Owls (5.0, descent solo)
- Cragging at Twin Owls (5.7+-5.12b,18 pitches)

Region: Colorado

Elev: ~9,000 ft

Rock type: Granite

Type:

Date(s): various

Partner(s): various

This page contains trip reports for routes I've climbed on Twin Owls.

Related trip reports:

Several other routes on other formations at Lumpy Ridge

Route Overlays

Overlays for the routes I've climbed on Twin Owls. Trip reports for these routes can be accessed from this page.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Climbs I've Done

CLICK ON ROUTE TO DROP DOWN CONTENT

(routes listed west to east, i.e. left to right)

Dates I've climbed this route:
- Date: August 14, 2022 (Sun); Partner: Nate Arganbright

Intro

A moderate 3-pitch crack-climbing + chimneying link-up to the top of Twin Owls with an entertaining descent. Wolf's Tooth is a classic Lumpy 5.8.

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

~20 minutes on trail from parking lot to base of Twin Owls.

(other trip reports for Twin Owls may have more photos of the approach, but it is quite straightfoward)

(no photos)

Pitch 1

5.9

Conads

This is the striking hand crack left of Organ Pipes. Stem up a wide, roof-capped slot and gain the crack and jam up the entire length to the ledge at the base of Wolf's Tooth. This is a great pitch of climbing.

Pitch 2

5.8

Wolf's Tooth

Climb up a wide jam crack and slip into the chimney after 40 feet. Grunt up to a belay at the top of the pinnacle.

Pitch 3

5.7

Wolf's Tooth

Climb to the top of Twin Owls.

Descent

5.0

Bowels of the Owls

Scramble down the deep chimney/cave feature.

(other trip reports for Twin Owls may have more photos of the descent from the top)

Dates I've climbed this route:
- Date: September 20, 2024 (Fri); Partner: Alex Weiser

Intro

Organ Pipes climbs the left-hand wall of a huge left-facing dihedral, ending on Roosting Ramp. From here, we continued up Wolf's Tooth to the top of the Owls. Wolf's Tooth first pitch is a classic strenuous 5.8 lead, one of the best pitches of its grade at Lumpy.

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

~20 minutes on trail from parking lot to base of Twin Owls.

(other trip reports for Twin Owls may have more photos of the approach, but it is quite straightfoward)

Pitch 1

5.6

Organ Pipes

Pick a groove fairly close to the corner, and climb up. You can make it all the way to the ledge below the final headwall in a 60m pitch.

Pitch 2

5.6 or 5.7 or 5.8

Organ Pipes

Climb the corner (5.6), a crack just left (5.7), or a beautiful hand crack left of that (5.8). We climbed the 5.8 hand crack.

Pitch 3

5.8

Wolf's Tooth

Climb up a wide jam crack and slip into the chimney after 40 feet. Grunt up to a belay at the top of the pinnacle.

Pitch 4

5.7 or 5.9

Wolf's Tooth

Climb to the top of Twin Owls. We took the 5.9 finger crack variation at the start.

Descent

5.0

Bowels of the Owls

Scramble down the deep chimney/cave feature.

(other trip reports for Twin Owls may have more photos of the descent from the top)

Dates I've climbed this route:
- Date: October 22, 2023 (Sun); Partner: Nate Arganbright

Intro

This is an interesting climb on the Lower Owls, with a very short approach. For just getting one star in the guidebook, the route is pretty good, climbing behind the mitten (a large leaning block midway up the right side of the Lower Owls) and up an interesting slot to Roosting Ramp. After climbing this route, Nate and I had lunch and then did three more single pitch routes on the Lower Twin Owls to make for a low-key enjoyable autumn Sunday of cragging.

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

~20 minutes on trail from parking lot to base of Twin Owls.

(other trip reports for Twin Owls may have more photos of the approach, but it is quite straightfoward)

Pitch 1

5.7

There are a few posibilities here. We took the easiest/cleanest, which is a 5.7 crack to the left of a bushy groove that eventually enters the groove higher up.

Pitch 2

5.8

Climb the wide crack, go up the right side of the mitten, and tunnel through the roof at its top; belay just above.

Pitch 3

5.7

Walk over right, then climb a square cut, right-leaning chimney with good hand-sized protection. Belay on Roosting Ramp.

Descent

Either continue upward to the top of Twin Owls or descend Roosting Ramp back down to the base of the route.

(other trip reports for Twin Owls may have more photos of the descent from the top)

Dates I've climbed this route:
- Date: August 21, 2024 (Wed); Partner: Nate Arganbright

Intro

This route climbs an obvious chimney line in the midde of the south face of Twin Owls. A classic route with FA by Dick Sherman, Harbert Higgens, and Tom Hornbein, early 1950s. I thought it was lots of fun, but perhaps a tad sandbagged for 5.7 at the crux.

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

~20 minutes on trail from parking lot to base of Twin Owls. Hike left on the Roosting Ramp to the obvious chimney in the middle of the south face.

(other trip reports for Twin Owls may have more photos of the approach, but it is quite straightfoward)

Pitch 1

5.7+

Clamber into the depths of the chimney and shinny p the right side of a smooth block (no pro). Hand traverse left and mantle onto a flat, balanced flake. Body jam the polished groove (crux).

Pitch 2

5.7

Climb cool features, and turn a chockstone on the left to a cavernous belay ledge.

Pitch 3

5.7

Face climb the left wall of the cavern, delightful. (The roof at the back of the chimney is also 5.7, but not nearly as classic). The pitch ends at a good ledge a short distance from the saddle bween the Owls.

Descent

5.0

Bowels of the Owls

Scramble down the deep chimney/cave feature.

(other trip reports for Twin Owls may have more photos of the descent from the top)

Dates I've climbed this route:
- Date: September 28, 2019 (Sat); Partner: Nate Arganbright

Intro

A fun link-up to the top of the Twin Owls. This was my first time cragging at Twin Owls and also my first time to the top of Twin Owls.

Note: I climbed East Ridge Pitch 1 in July 2021, so that now I have climbed the full East Ridge route.

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

~20 minutes on trail from parking lot to base of Twin Owls.

(other trip reports for Twin Owls may have more photos of the approach, but it is quite straightfoward)

Pitch 1

5.9+

Rooster Tail

Arching crack along the left margin of Hen and Chickens. Cut back left along an arching finger crack at the top.

Pitch 2

5.8-

Tigher Squeeze

Prominent chimneny system on the left edge of the south face. Jam to a ledge below the chimney proper and struggle past an offwidth section. More secure squeezing past several chockstones gains a ledge on the southeast corner.

Pitch 3

5.8

East Ridge Pitch 2

The second pitch of a fine route on the exposed east shoulder of Twin Owls.

(no photos! what was wrong with me?)

Descent

5.0

Bowels of the Owls

Scramble down the deep chimney/cave feature.

(other trip reports for Twin Owls may have more photos of the descent from the top)

What a great place to spend a fall or winter or summer day (I'd include spring if it weren't for the bird closures).

Photos

More climbing fun!

Date: September 28, 2019 (Sat)

Partner: Nate Arganbright

Climbed: Cackle Crack (5.8, 1p), Hagakure (5.12a, 1p), Rooster Tail (5.9+, 1p), Tighter Squeeze (5.8-, 1p), East Ridge Pitch 2 (5.8, 1p), The Bowels of the Owls (5.0, descent solo), Yosemite Crack (5.9-, 1p), Coyote (5.12b, 1p), Tiger's Tooth Pitch 1 (5.9+, 1p)

More climbing fun!

Date: January 10, 2021 (Sun)

Partner: Nate Arganbright

Climbed: Yosemite Crack (5.9-, 1p), Cackle Crack (5.8, 1p), Rooster Tail (5.9+, 1p), Hagakure (5.12a, 1p)

More climbing fun!

Date: July 15, 2021 (Thu)

Partner: Nate Arganbright

Climbed: East Ridge Pitch 1 (5.8, 1p)

(no photos)

More climbing fun!

Date: August 14, 2022 (Sun)

Partner: Nate Arganbright

Climbed: West Owl Direct / Silly Putty Pitch 1 (5.9, 1p)

More climbing fun!

Date: October 22, 2023 (Sun)

Partner: Nate Arganbright

Climbed: One of Life's Little Problems Pitch 1 (5.7+, 1p), Second Thoughts (5.10a, 1p), Thin Crack (5.9+, 1p)

More climbing fun!

Date: August 21, 2024 (Wed)

Partner: Nate Arganbright

Climbed: West Owl Direct / Silly Putty Pitch 1 (5.9, 1p), Toprope right of Silly Putty Pitch 1 (5.11d, 1p)

More climbing fun!

Date: September 2, 2024 (Mon)

Partner: Nate Arganbright

Climbed: East Ridge Pitch 1 (5.8, 1p), Thimbleberry Jam (5.8, 1p), Turn, Turn, Turn (5.7, 1p), Switch Cracks (5.8, 1p), Cackle Crack (5.8, 1p), Hagakure (5.12a, 1p)

Comments Pertaining to this Page / Trip Report

Useful beta. Updated route information. Corrections. Historical notes. Interesting facts. No fluff please.

Twin Owls Main Page

Twin Owls

Routes:

This page contains trip reports for routes I've climbed on Twin Owls.

Related trip reports:

Route Overlays

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Climbs I've Done

CLICK ON ROUTE TO DROP DOWN CONTENT

(routes listed west to east, i.e. left to right)

Conads + Wolf's Tooth + Bowels of the Owls (5.9, 1p + 5.8, 2p + 5.0, solo)

Intro

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

Pitch 1

Pitch 2

Pitch 3

Descent

Organ Pipes + Wolf's Tooth + Bowels of the Owls (5.8, 2p + 5.9, 2p + 5.0, solo)

Intro

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

Pitch 1

Pitch 2

Pitch 3

Pitch 4

Descent

Tilted Mitten (5.8, 3p)

Intro

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

Pitch 1

Pitch 2

Pitch 3

Descent

Central Chimney + Bowels of the Owls (5.7+, 3p + 5.0, solo)

Intro

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

Pitch 1

Pitch 2

Pitch 3

Descent

Rooster Tail (5.9+, 1p) + Tighter Squeeze (5.8-,1p) + East Ridge Pitch 2 (5.8,1p) + The Bowels of the Owls (5.0, descent solo)

Intro

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

Pitch 1

Pitch 2

Pitch 3

Descent

Cragging at Twin Owls (5.7+-5.12b,18 pitches)

Photos

Comments Pertaining to this Page / Trip Report

Leave a Reply Cancel reply