Leavenworth has dozens of notable crags popular with climbers, but there is only one Castle Rock.

First explored by climbers in the 1940’s, Castle was the first technical climbing area in Washington and it still serves up the goods with a wealth of excellent climbing routes. Icicle TV followed Leavenworth locals Sol Wertkin and Grant Sutherland up three classic climbs this last week and everyone had a great time despite the brisk temps and grey skies.  The nearby easier climbs were populated with climbing teams happy to be back on rock after a long winter, thrusting Sol into a quandary. Our ropes, all 600 feet of them were poised to film MF Direct, a steep  5.11b route that Sol was not warmed up to climb. After several minutes of pow wow the guys decided to go for it. With cameras rolling, Sol made it look easy, linking steep exposed climbing with excellent natural protection and wild moves.