5.8 route on Moraine Spire  5.8

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Type:  Trad, 1 pitch, 100 feet Consensus:  5.8 [details] FA:  Submitted By:  Tater Tot on Apr 13, 2010 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (2) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

Crumbly crack, crumbly jugs...crimper finish...you...

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Description 

This route starts in a crack on the left side of the Needles Eye Tunnel. There is also a chimney on the east side which can be climbed. The crack is more on the southeast corner of the spire. Climb up this crack with poor quality rock caused by the road blast, working your way up and left. Be careful of jugs - they do break on this route. You'll get a good rest at a large flake which you can sling before continuing up the face following a small crack, moving slightly right and onto the arete for the last few moves.

If you can keep your head together through the crumbly and difficult to protect 5.8 moves down low, the top of the spire offers excellent quality rock, high exposure, and very delicate moves on extremely small crystals with extra spice due to the lack of good quality protection.

Location 

Follow the tunnel until you see a crumbly looking crack on your left to find the start. A 60 m rope will get you back down to the tunnel.

Protection 

Standard rack with extra small pieces. It's definitely useful to have small nuts, TCUs, and maybe some Aliens or something similar. The last 15 feet is protected by a piton that's bent in half and a rusty bolt which has popped about halfway out of the rock. The anchors on top should be replaced but are still usable. Some who are more cautious may not wish to trust these anchors. Please do not leave any webbing either on the flake or up top. You can backup the belay for the second by slinging the large top of the spire with some webbing.