The Big Nasty  5.8 A4

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Type:  Trad, Aid, 5 pitches, 550 feet Consensus:  5.8 A4 [details] FA:  Duane Raleigh and Walt Shipley (RIP) Season:  All year long baby! Submitted By:  Jeremy Aslaksen on Nov 24, 2009 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (1) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

Doric on the hike in. You can see the Fortress to ...

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Route Info: 

Sweet route by Duane and Walt!!! This is THE LINE on the tower! The original route is a claustrophobic junk show!


Pitch 1 - Once at the base of the tower you have a couple options. You can start directly up the "toe" further downhill (we did and added a new 1/2 pitch to the first)or you can start around to the right (uphill and looks WAY more dicey...muddy 5.9 free climbing with minimal pro) towards the original route. Either way gets you to a ledge with the BIG horn anchor. The horn is really cool.

Pitch 2 - Climb up a little ways and get to a saddle. Traverse left to the seam that splits the tower. To access the seam you have to lean across the chasm below you (trippy cuz that's where you would end up if you blew the crux) and pound in a #1 beak/Pecker with one hand and get on it. There was a "fixed" old beak there and I pulled it out with my hand.:-)Go for a ways on small beaks A4 (if you blow it here...you will whip down into the chimney for a long ways...as you have to traverse left on this pitch you will have a bunch of slack...this would NOT be a good idea) eventually the gear gets better. Belay at the slung flake and single new bolt. I placed it with Duane's approval. It's bomber.

Pitch 3 - Head right off the belay on #1 Peckers till you reach the ladder. Clip the bolts (way reachy) and then some A4 to a belay under the caprock.

Pitch 4 - Climb up to a big ledge. 5.8/A1 Casual.

Pitch 5 - Scramble to the top!

WOO HOO!!!!!


Rap the original route (AKA The TUBE OF DOOM)...totally sucks and there is SO MUCH crap for your rope to get caught on! Ours got stuck and we had to jug back up to free it. Lame.

Rack - Typical Fishers Rack with a double set of cams (no #5) arrows, beaks, angles, Zs...set of nuts and all the rest of the crap you are going to have to carry all the way out there!

Photos of The Big Nasty Slideshow

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Pitch 2 crux. Dicey down low...gets better up high...	Paul jugging the crux.	Paul leading the pitch 3 (way reachy) bolt ladder.
All dirty on the summit! 3rd ascent baby! Looong h...	Rapping the LAME TUBE of the original route in the...	"Forced bivi" after the descent! We were too tired...
First attempt with Joe! So full of hope...:-)