Big Tuna

This is the big prize in the Upper Gorge. If there is a harder route on a basalt column anywhere in the world, I'd like to see it.

This route is the ultimate in a unique genre of double-arete column climbing, or "Outies" (vs. "Innies") as Jeff Frizzel sometimes called them. If you're interested in achieving an ascent of this route, I recommend a gradual apprenticeship through the bolted columns of the Lower Gorge (routes such as Try to Be Hip & Catalayst) then working through the "outies" of the Upper (Mojomatic, Shark Infested, The Urge, Feminazis).

This route is sharp, thin and ultra technical. The physical crux is getting to the 4th bolt, but the upper column is 12+ in its own right, without any significant rest. As far as is known, this route has seen only 3 ascents.

This route is in the Red Columns section of the Upper Gorge. The Red Columns are the furthest section of cliff downstream. This route can be easily identified as one of only a couple "outies" on this section of cliff. The rock has a unique maroon hue to it, and there is an obviously glued hold (aka "the secret agent") around the 2nd bolt.

Bolts