Fetish Arete - Shark's Fin - Monument Basin

Our plan was to climb Washer Woman and Monster Tower but these designs floundered on the sharp reality of a deeply snowed up approach track. Sitting in the truck we threw some backup plans around.

Indian Creek was too far away and too tame and potash road was simply too tame.

In the end we decided on Sharks Fin in Monument Basin. This was the real deal. Lily had found me a torn out page of an American climbing magazine showing an amazing leaning tower in an unknown location. This was it. The guide suggested a route, Fetish Arete 5.10 A2 climbed the south west ridge and we decided to climb it. (with no aid gear)

The approach was going to be interesting, from where we sat in the truck we were unable to drive down to the White Rim Trail so we were going to hike in. This involved about 100 meters of steep scrambling down the Wingate layer from the parking, 500 vertical meters of talus (scree) down to the White Rim plateau (and the White Rim Trail) before abseiling off the white rim and dropping the final 50 meters of talus to the flat base of Monument Basin. We took the plunge and set off staggering under the weight of ropes, cams, more cams and water.

Dropping down the Wingate layer it was all laid out before us; the plateau formed by the thin but hard layer of white sandstone apparent with Monument Basin cut into it.

Our objective was just visible below us. One of a myriad of crumbling towers.

From the rim Junction Butte was visible standing proud beyond the canyon bottom. We abseiled in from here eyeing up a 45 degree overhanging 30 meter crack in the White Rim. A project for someone strong! Moabs Separate Reality.

Sharks Fin looked thin from the base. South West ridge, visible to the foreground was described in the guide as having four pitches, named as "The flat chested potato Fetish Head" 5.10 A1, "Long Leg Fetish" 5.9 A2, "Gold Nose Ring Fetish" 5.10, and the "Blond Pony Tail Fetish" 5.10. No further information was provided.

Herb ran the first two pitches together (we think) and I led the Gold Nose Ring Pitch. Some serious instability was encountered with the base of the tower appearing to be more dangerous than the climbing due to falling rock.

The top was spectacular and we took it in turns to scramble the last few meters to the flat summit. We had basically climbed it free pulling on a tipped out size 4 cam only through a offwidth section. Oh for the size 5 or 6 at that point.

The view was spectacular with the only downside being the walk back. Unnamed towers and formations reared out of the canyon floor on all sides, the enigmatic syringe standing out in particular. One to return for.

After removing all the old rope and tat festooning the abseil block we headed down, two abseils took us to the end of our first pitch and one further abseil took Herb to a spot about 10 ft above the ground. Eventually we were both down and bags were packed, now fuller with the removed tat from the belays, snacks eaten and the return leg begun.

We reached the car at dusk having slogged our way back up the talus, jumared the White Rim (scary on single 8mm rope) and scrambled the last section in the approaching gloom.

As an added bonus the beer in the truck was nice and cold.