Peak Name: Ancient Art

Peak Height: 5,420'

Location: Fisher Towers

Approach: 3/4 mi from Fisher Tower lot

Route: Stolen Chimney

Difficulty: 5.9 C0 (or 5.10+)

Length of Climb: 5 pitches

Date Climbed: 10/28/2015

Ancient Art with its wild corkscrew summit may very well be the most well known tower in the desert. I think everyone remembers that CitiBank commercial. The aesthetically named Stolen Chimney is by far the most popular climb in the Fisher Towers and seems to host multiple parties on any reasonable weather day. Dom and I climbed it 4 1/2 years ago but it's one of those routes that's worth repeating. Ancient Art's popularity is no mistake; this is a classic.

Rope gunning Ancient Art is not something I used to think I'd ever be doing. Dom led every pitch the first time and I followed in awe. To be so comfortable leading it now was a great confidence booster for me. The whole outing felt quite casual and it was very nice to be reminded of how far I've come. Recognizing all that you CAN do helps put things in perspective when struggling with frustrations stemming from all you still CAN'T do. And confidence goes a long way in rock climbing.