Desert Towers

The Colorado Plateau is the most colorful landscape on Earth. It boasts exquisite canyons, soaring natural bridges and arches, and—the lure for climbers—vertical pinnacles of every scale and description, from the majestic Titan and Monster Tower down to humble hoodoos. For a hundred years, the colorful pinnacles of the Southwest have challenged and inspired an equally colorful cast of characters to test their skills climbing these accidents of erosion.

Why a Book?

The book Desert Towers documents the story of climbers and desert pinnacles from the 1911 ascent of Independence Monument up to the modern free climbing era. The big mountain ranges have their stories and heroes and coffee table books, now, so does the desert!

Desert Towers has 350 pages, over 20 contributed essays, and scores of color photos, many never before seen in print.

Desert Towers pays homage to a scene that, year by year, fewer modern climbers will experience, yet all climbers can appreciate and feel a part of. Our shared history, with its colorful, creative, fearless characters, preserved in word and image .

Desert Towers features photographs and tales from Ed Webster, Layton Kor, Harvey Carter, Huntley Ingalls, Bill Hatcher, Andrew Burr, Chuck Pratt, Tom Till, David Brower, John Sherman, many, many more.