Fisher Towers Cottontail Goes
Jason Haas and Rob Pizem have free-climbed every pitch of West Side Story on800-foot Cottontail tower in Utah’s Fisher Towers. Despite a reputation for
fairly stout aid climbing (5.9 C3), this is the easiest route on the most
serious of the Fishers’ four main towers. The route required three 5.12 pitches
and two broken bones to free-climb.
spring break. (Pizem is a high school teacher.) After Haas onsighted the
relatively easy and clean first pitch, Pizem made it only partway up the 5.10+
second pitch before loose rock, bad pro, and a violent wind storm forced them to
call an end to day one. “We were both lacking some of the cockiness that we’d
had back home in Denver,” Pizem said. “At this point we knew we were in for a
real battle to free the route in just a week.”
Through a combination of free and aid, the two reached the bolt ladder on the
fifth pitch during their second day, still unsure if the route might go free.
After Pizem toproped that pitch at 5.12-, they decided to rappel and replace
nine of the route’s blown-out star-drive protection bolts with six-inch by
half-inch bolts. After a rest day, the two free-climbed the remaining leads up
to the crux seventh pitch, which Haas then attempted to onsight. He fell on a
mantel move over a bulge, pulled two pieces, and landed hard on a small ledge,
breaking two bones in his right foot. Despite the pain in his foot, Haas offered
to belay so Pizem could finish the pitch. They decided it could be free-climbed
and replaced three more bolts, and then retreated again.
After a day of snow, the two returned on a morning so cold that the water in
their bottles froze as they climbed and they wore down parkas all day. With
Haas’ damaged foot relegating him to belay duty, Pizem worked on the crux pitch
for a couple of hours before free-climbing it on toprope. Freezing and out of
time, they headed for the summit and one more surprise. After a moderate pitch,
they were stopped by a vicious boulder problem practically within reach of the
summit anchors. Pizem sent the move at V5, for a final short 5.12 pitch.
All of the pitches had now been free-climbed (one on toprope), but the route
awaits a one-day free ascent. Haas reportedly is keen to return, but Pizem said
he’s had enough of the Fisher Towers’ soft rock and sketchy pro, and he won’t be
back on Cottontail.
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