Tiger’s Tooth, 5.10-, 2 Pitches

Overview/Approach

There is an obvious detached pillar in the middle of the south face of Twin Owls.  It has two stellar off-width climbs, one on each side.  Wolf’s Tooth, 5.9, on the left and Tiger’s Tooth on the right.  Tiger’s Tooth is a considerable step up in difficulty than Wolf’s Tooth but is also that much more aesthetic of a corner.   Both routes are listed as two pitches on MP.com but both are easily led as one pitch to near the summit with a 70m rope. 

One weird item I have seen among the modern crowd who have suddenly discovered how fun off-width can be, is their obsession with spending so much time analyzing size.  That might be a thing in the bedroom, but with a corner like Tiger’s Tooth, it really is not.  If you have a single rack to #6, you will have to push your two largest cams along.  If you have double 5’s and 6’s, a competent leader should feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  Your choice.   Regardless, place your gear deep to avoid kicking your larger cams as you ascend above them. 

From the parking trailhead, head west and look for the sign (2022) that directs you up the hill to the Owls.  Ignore the trail that splits off left for the lower Twin Owls, rather take the next left for the upper Twin Owls. Stay on the developed trail until almost even with the base of the main Twin Owl headwall to the west.  Locate a climber’s trail that splits off left up to beneath the broad south face.  The detached pillar is up ahead on a ridge due west, quite obvious.  Tiger’s Tooth climbs the east side and Wolf’s Tooth climbs the west side.  It would be foolish not to do them back to back.  You pass under the classic off-width, Crack of Fear, 5.10d, on the way to the pillar.

Route Descripton

1^st-2^nd Pitches- 220’-5.10-/ This 220’ pitch is exceptional in that you have the opportunity to place every cam of a single rack meaning you will be employing a variety of skills.  The first 30’ is fairly benign.  Eventually you lose features and have to commit to the #6 crack.  However, you have ample opportunity to switch which side you face in as you study the immediate meters ahead of you.  Eventually it opens up to where a skinny dude like me can make it through to Wolf’s tooth if I wanted to.  During this squeeze chimney section, you will find a decent finger crack that takes gear in the outside wall.  Eventually turn around and face the main wall and climb a low angled finger crack to the fixed nut nest (2022) on a ledge.  Stay right (Wolf's Tooth takes the easier blocky terrain up and left) and climb the finger corner, below grade, up to the southern shoulder below the summit where you can sling a block for the belay. 

Descent

Scramble down the Bowels of the Owl route (5.0) on the north side of the formation.  Hike around the east back to the base of the route.

Essential Gear

Most would rather skip their helmets due to the transition from OW to squeeze.  In fact, there is a helmet stuck in the bottom of the squeeze (2022).  70m rope.  Single to #6.  Optional double #5’s and #6’s.