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20566 Hits
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74.01% Score
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4 Votes
Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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38.43830°N / 109.2286°W |
Route Type:
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Hike/Scramble |
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Time Required:
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Less than two hours |
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Difficulty:
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Class 3 |
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Approach
The Razor Fang is the traverse between Mt. Peale and Mt. Tuk. More specifically, the Razor Fang is short (400 feet) section of the overall traverse. It can be approached from the east ascending Mt. Peale's main route and couloir to 12,000 ft. Alternatively, it can be approached from the west via Mt. Tuk's main route to the ridge at 11,600 ft.
Route Description
The traverse between Mt. Peale's summit and Mt. Tuk's summit is just under 2.0 miles. Most of the traverse is Class 1-2. The Razor Fang is a small 400 ft section of the traverse about half way between the two mountains. This section is Class 3 with a possible Class 4 move or two due to exposure. Jose Knighton's guidebook calls to leave the ridge and traverse under The Fang on the south-facing slopes. My opinion is this would be recommended only to those who prefer loose, loose talus and aggravating situations. My recommendation is to stay on the ridge proper. The rock is loose, pancake-stacked talus but is negotiable. Take precaution not to place too much weight or trust on any rock on this section. The drops to the north into Gold's Basin create some exposure. The south slopes are more gentle. Along this 400 ft section known as The Razor Fang, there are three main sections that need to be climbed(traveling east) or downclimbed (traveling west) depending upon one's direction of travel. Each section is short and equal in distance. All 3 sections can be negotiated by dropping slightly 5-10 feet off the ridge toward the south slopes.
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Essential Gear
No ropes, crampons or ice axes are needed.
Miscellaneous Info
If you have information about this route that doesn't pertain to any of the other sections, please add it here.
MoabPeakBagger - Oct 28, 2003 11:41 pm - Hasn't voted
Route CommentI think too much is made of this climb. It's really not as difficult as it's made out to be. Class 3 tops.
Start out from the saddle heading east (upwards) and traverse a good 20 to 30 feet below the ridgeline on the south side. There are a couple of cairns marking good spots to do some Class 3 traverse moves around the long "crows feet" of rock. After you go across two prominent crows feet, the cairns will end, and there is a steep, chossy and scree-ey gully that you should climb, since the crows feet traverses get much worse after that. Carefully pick your way up the gully, using the bedrock for handholds (look around-- good handholds in the bedrock abound, just be sure to check your holds twice ad thre times before applying weight), and take the ridge. From here, you can stay on the ridgeline almost all the way up to Talking Mountain (the bump before you reach the Peale ridgeline). Most of the way there is a faintly beaten trail along the ridgeline, and for the most part it stays right on top (with some slight diversions to the south when spires stick up a bit). Really, the crux of the route is the steep gully climb.
rmjwinters - Oct 30, 2003 2:37 pm - Hasn't voted
Route CommentI agree with the overhype especially in Knighton's book. When it did the traverse, I stayed on the ridge proper. The stacked dinner-plate talus made it tricky. My best advice to anyone regardless of route is to not trust ANY of the rock.