Ed Webster on Cottontail's Summit

The Fisher Towers, in far eastern Utah, is an unearthly eerie place, a maze of immense towers, fins, pinnacles, gargolyes, temples, and minarets dissected by steep shallow canyons. Cottontail Tower, an 800-foot-high fin composed of Cutler sandstone, is one of the wildest formations here. Ed Webster made the first ascent solo of the stunning west ridge of Cottontail, threading his way up beetling overhangs, traversing along a hairy scary ridge, and finishing up the exposed summit ridge to the final cottontail cap. After spending ten days spread over a couple attempts, Ed reached the summit in late April, 1979 and snapped this self-portrait before beginning the long descent rappels. He dubbed the route Brer Rabbit (5.11 A3+).