Approaching the P1 crux. The flake my left hand is...
Description
Just to the left of roof on the the famous Tagger route a slab meets a slight overhang low on the face to form a slight open-book dihedral with a thin crack. Start up this crack or up the slab to the right to reach a thin crack and flake on the vertical face above. This feature lies almost immediately left of the Tagger roof itself.
Place a few thin nuts, offsets or sliders and then work up onto the top of the flake and pull onto the slab (5.8+), using good holds that are not obvious from below. This seam and flake appears in the attached picture as a faint line above the first 'g' in the superimposed name Tagger. People below 5'6" might find this more difficult, but still reasonable. Move up onto the slab and either move right to Tagger's crack (above the roof) or stay on-route and run for the tree on little or no protection (5.7). Belay at the fixed rap at the tree.
Either rap from the good fixed anchors or finish the route by moving up and right over easy terrain about 40 feet to a crack/seam through a bulge. Place a few good thin pieces and use small holds to pull through the routes crux (5.9) to another easy slab which becomes a dihedral (5.5)
Variation I: upon reaching the final dihedral, move left under it and pull though a roof (5.9). This adds some difficulty to the route, but not much more qualility.
Variation II: Upon reaching the final dihedral, move far left, traversing the entire massive roof (reversing the Tagger Escape, 5.7) and move down to the belay below the Tagger Roof (3rd pitch) and continue as for Tagger. This is a good way to do Tagger when a large group has Pitch 1 clogged with a line of top-ropers.
Protection
The protection is so-so at the Pitch 1-crux (8+), with some medium-to-small nuts or offsets below. Slider nuts might be of some use, but I haven't tried. There is some runout on the face above the overhang, but the climbing is easier and can be protected by moving over to Tagger, above the roof. The second pitch also protects well on nuts and offsets. The first pitch, after doing it once to learn it, becomes one of the nicer solos at the base of the Wind Ridge.
Add PhotoPhotos of Across The River From Butt Hair
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By Leo Paik Administrator From: Westminster, Colorado Mar 21, 2002
Be gentle with that flake. It may succumb to a big pull.
In response to "Where is Butt Hair" ; It is what would now be called a "Squeezed Route" between the west BUTTress and HAIR city on the Bastille, FA: Rob Candelaria & Dave Bowers 1974 led in fine Trad form not using pro on either route = 5.9+VS. It's listed in every guide book I know of.
By Brent Roaten From: St. Louis, MO May 23, 2006 rating: 5.9
Climbed this route on Sunday. First crux is the meat of the route though not that difficult it requires considerable commitment above "so-so" gear. A fall before reaching the thank god holds above would likely deposit you on the ledge below or worse, on your belayer. Continuing straight up the slab from the ledge is a bit contrived and essentially unprotectable unless you trust small sketchy wires. The second pitch is worthwhile though not done often as I had to clean lichen and grass out of the crack to place gear. Probably not a good route for the new 5.9 climber in Eldo.
Wind Tower - SW Face
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