The Middle Finger - History is Tradition

You cannot crag at the Tiara Rado Buttress without looking across the bench to the other side of the cove and somehow feel that the Monument is flipping you the bird. Uninspiring and typical Monument funk from the front, the backside of this tower reveals excellent stone and a pleasant surprise for the would be adventurer.

Approach from the bench trail, and hike up and around (climber's right) into the alcove to a point where the scree end and the cliff begins.

P1: cross the slabs and go up into some easy chossaneering. Once in the chimney proper, bypass the thrutch via engaging thin fingers up a shallow corner on the left wall to a great ledge and a gear belay on thin cams and nuts; 100' +/-, 5.9.

P2: this is an awesome pitch on awesome stone. Fire up from the pedestal on rattly fingers and climb 110' of varied and sustained bullet hard Wingate that's mostly in the thin hands/fingers to hands size. This pitch deposits you on a large flat shoulder; 110+/-, 5.11.

P3: piece together the face climb to the summit via excellent fixed gear. Pretty fun kinda scary, similar to the summit pitch on the Monolith Spire but not as long or committing; 40' +/-, 5.11.

Descend to the shoulder, then do one long rappel to the ground.

It is located on the Bench Trail just past Jolly Tower.

Doubles from 00 TCU - #6 Friend, triples in the 00-#2 TCU, triples 0.75 - #3, nuts, long runners, and two 60m ropes.