The Conquest Of The Washington Monument

August, 1974

Among Technical monument climbers, the ascent of the Washington Monument has always been recognized as the penultimate challenge in sheer purity of execution. The monument offers a straight 555-foot class-7 climb1 on a hard-marble face, with artificial aids for direct assistance required all the way. As it had never been scaled, I long cherished the thought of attacking the monument. I had studied the records of the ill-fated Harkins expedition (see Washington police blotter, May 7, 1971), who w...

Like what you see? Upgrade your access to finish reading.

Articles from the Playboy archive are only available to Playboy Members. Purchase a Playboy Membership to instantly unlock this article, and enjoy additional benefits available only to our esteemed Members.

Access all member-only articles from the Playboy archive

Join member-only Playmate meetups and events

Priority status across Playboy's digital ecosystem

$25 credit to spend on iPlayboy

Unlock BTS content from Playboy photoshoots

15% discount on Playboy merch and apparel