BETA PHOTO: One of the most photographed simul-raps in the Nee...
Description
The Tricouni Nail is the distinctive three-headed spire in the middle of the Ten Pins cluster. Tricouni Nail is the original name for this spire, though Royal Robbins renamed it Cerberus when he made the first ascent.
This is one of the most classic climbs in the Black Hills, and the descent is a notorious though completely secure simulrappel from the top. No anchors exist on the summit, so the rope must be layed in between two of the horns with one climber rappeling off each side simultaneously. Be sure to maintain good communication with your partner while doing this because you end on opposite sides of the spire. Local climbers harvest booty almost daily from people unfamiliar with this technique.
Getting There
The spire is hard to miss with its three heads. Scramble up into the middle of the spires, and climb the side facing Queen Pin(the larger mass of spires away from the Cathedral Spires).
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Tricouni Nail/Cerberus:
This is one of the best routes in the Needles, and is a must do for any climber. The climbing is fantastic, the summit is very cool, and the simulrap is exhilarating.From the gully between Tricouni Nail and Queen Pin, look for a few old fixed pins on a steep face. Climb past the drilled pins to a good stance on a shoulder. Sling the shoulder and move up and left towards a ring bolt, placing a medium stopper in a seam along the way to avoid a groudfall. Traverse right at the ringbolt to anoth...[more]Browse More Classics in SD
Note that the notch to the West is the better for the rope when Simul-raping becasue it will pull more easily and eat less of your rope. This is the right side when facing down-hill.
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