Stur Chimney – II 5.7
First climbed by Louis Stur in 1951 the Stur Chimney route that now bears his name has become the standard line to the top of the west pillar of Mt. Heyburn, which is the highpoint of this triple-summited peak.
The approach is usually via the Redfish Trailhead and the Bench Lakes, although an alternate option is possible from Redfish Canyon depending on conditions and timing. Either route requires significant off-trail travel in steep terrain including boulder fields, talus slopes, and loose scree.
The technical climbing section is about five hundred feet long. About half of this is scrambling in 3rd and 4th class terrain with some loose rock. The final two hundred feet is all 5th class up to 5.7 with short, steep sections of face climbing and hand and lay-back cracks. We usually break the 5th class section down into three 50-80’ pitches.
The reward for all the hard work is a slender summit with spectacular views of the Bench Lake chain and Redfish as well as a 360 degree panorama of the rugged Sawtooths.
For those without previous climbing experience we require a training day on the Super Slabs. This is a great warm up with small bites of all the terrain that will be found on Heyburn.
After the training day, or for climbers with previous experience, Heyburn can be climbed in a 1 or 2-day itinerary. For overnight trips we normally camp at the 5th Bench Lake. It’s also possible for a guide to rendezvous at one of the Bench Lakes with climbers who prefer to camp on their own.
The Stur Chimney route does have sections of loose, unconsolidated rock so the maximum group size is two climbers.