The last pitch...

All Locations > S Dakota > Custer SP > Cathedral Spires > Spire Four > Spire Four (5.4 4a 12 IV 10 VD 3c)

The last pitch...

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Lookin thrilled, Jay leaving Spire 4

Looking down Pitch 1.

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Geoff Gadow

Nov 19, 2002

“The last pitch...”

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Nearby Photos

Looking up through the worm hole. It's a tight squeeze.

When you're 6' and you say you want to do the wormhole, you get laughed at.

No comment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOOO7ly2BaM&ab_channel=NathanWalton

Here's a picture of the infamous "step-across." This is my first time up Spire 4; on lead, no less. I'm a tall, spindly freak, so I could spend all day between the two summits, but short people usually have to think for a few moments before their "leap of faith." This picture is a change from the traditional "butt shot," since this is actually a "crotch shot." :-)

Top of the spire

when the wormhole tries to suck you back in

Shimmy shimmy ya, shimmy yam, shimmy yay

Base of the third pitch, great view! Lots of room!

Looking up "pitch one" if your doing it as 3 pitches or Just Scramble up about 30 feet up to a bolted anchor.

"Cathedral Enchainment": West Gruesome + South Tower + Spire Four.

Matt Misfeldt "falling" across the gap to the summit of Spire Four.

Starting Up Spire 4 - 1974 (at least I'm 90% sure it's Spire 4) [photo by either D Byers or S Schofield ]

Erin coming out of worm hole.

Pitch 2, follow the line to the wormhole, and your rebirth from the rock!

Can't believe I squeezed through that

Summit.

Top of the second pitch, looking past the anchors

The Wormhold atop of Pitch 1.

Climbing the chimney for the first pitch of Spire 4. The worm hole is at the top where the chockstone caps off the chimney.

in-between spires!

Angela climbing the crack on pitch two.

View from top of pitch 1

Looking up Pitch 2 from the belay atop Pitch <br>
1. The rope show the general path you should <br>
follow.

George Hurley and friends, coming off South Tower at the wormhole, August 2008.

I placed a directional that i left un-clipped until Gabe got to the "fall across", once he cleaned all the gear I clipped him in. This part and the worm hole makes this route a very memorable climb, not to mention the views

Lookin thrilled, Jay leaving Spire 4

The last pitch...

Looking down Pitch 1.

A tight squeeze!

The Worm Hole!

celebrating ascending spire 4

Matt Misfeldt cruising up crystals on the second pitch.

And this is when I realized I had a gap to jump….

Aaron nearing the summit of Spire Four.

Aaron just might be the biggest person to have been able to get through the wormhole. Barely.

Angela finishing pitch one by squeezing through the wormhole.

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Geoff Gadow

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