You might try climbing Corik's Wall too, IIRC that was in the 500-600 range. (yea, not really near the spire, but no ferries or ice roads to navigate at least)
And as already mentioned, the gondola climb. I suspect you might still get a few more ranks out of swimming the frozen river in the Undergondola area as you get towards the blade spider access section too.
Kythryn
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." - Mark Twain
