Climbing Outing Notes

Big Cottonwood Canyon, SLC, UT

• Steort's Ridge, 5.6, Dead Snag or Standard Ridge. Pitch 2 has a crack system shortly after the first belay that REALLY needs a #3 (blue) Camalot (or equivalent) to protect. Place in the middle of the wide crack system to safely protect the wide crack. Alternatively, go farther right to an easier, smaller crack system and transition left above the wide crack. Also, the last pitch can be done to climber's left if needed due to lack of gear. Minimal exposure if leader goes ~30' left from the arete, rather than up the arete and face.
• Mineral Slab, 5.easy, east of Lake Blanche trail. To access, need to find the good game trail from the Lake Blanche old road; start on paved trail, then continue forward beyond Lake Blanche turn (we think). Find game trails up and east until directly opposite the gully for Battalion of Saints & Burnt Walls; this used to be the Mossy Ledges picnic area, since removed. Go up the slabs in the gully, trending right until you reach the ridge. Run the ridge until the rock mostly runs out. Stay close to the ridge crest, until possibly the very end. If not on the crest, stay on the east side to keep the angle down. Head down an easy ledge system/downclimb to twin pine trees on easy ground. Head down the easy ground (N) until you find some cairns through the talus bands. Once into the trees below the talus bands, trend left to a rock face. Drop below the rock face in the trees to a notch, and an easy walk down to the Lake Blanche trail with cairns to lead the way; there is one mandatory downclimb of ~7 ft of 4th class.

Little Cottonwood Canyon, SLC, UT

• Crescent Crack, 5.7, Crescent Crack Buttress. Last pitch off-width needs a #4 Camalot (or equivalent) to protect. Can bump #4 along the offwidth for local protection until into the lower angle crack.
• Tanner's Gulch Climbing Areas - Park at Tanner's Flat campground entrance, on LCC Road, or park across the road by the slide area sign (faces up canyon). Trail starts at the slide area sign. Well maintained trail due W through the trees until it drops down into the slide zone/stream bed. Trail up the stream is sparse, and damaged from recent slides and rock fall. Lots of loose rocks, and some steep loose dirt. Very pretty canyon to hike up - need to go hike up it without climbing gear to get to "the top".

  Climbs listed on Mountain Project and Calderone's LCC book. Caledrone calls everything in Tanner's Gulch either "Left" or "Right" depending on which side of the gulch the wall is on, as you head up the gulch from the road. Mountain Projects lists various walls on either side by names.

  • Hidden Heavenly Slab, Left Side - on the left side of the gulch, as heading up (north). Above Booty Wall and the Pirate-themed climbs; about 30 min approach from the road. Broken rock zone to start, to a low-angle large slab that goes to a head wall. Multiple routes from 5.6 to 5.11(ish). Mostly trad, but a lot of bolts ont he routes in the cruxes.
  • Altered Altar Boy, Hidden Heavenly Slab - 5.7+ trad but not really. All on fixed pins with rust. Gear placements not available until getting on top of the roof. Start under left side of roof at first pin. Then head LEFT 10+' to more pins in the near-vertical zone. Heads into a large right-trending dihedral with roof. Go LEFT through the roof, as a 5.7! More fixed pins up and then right to get on top of the big roof; a piece protects the moves right onto the top of the roof, above the last fixed pin. There is a 2-bolt station on top of the roof, but only hangers - no chains or rings or links or.... Also, the rock getting onto the roof is LOOSE, with lots of LOOSE dead wood - needs some cleaning and trundling! Fun, with excellent roof moves. Pitons are fixed, rusty, and probably fine. Bring some anchor chain setups for the bolt station next time....

Maple Canyon, UT

• Tachycardia, 5.7, Heart-Shaped Rock Buttress - Pitch 1 starts at the bottom of the buttress. All 3 pitches are very well bolted - no more than 6-8 ft between bolts. From the top of pitch 1, move left and up out of the belay - the route is left of the anchor! From belay 2 (top of pitch 2), start 2' right of the anchor and go straight up and over for the best experience; holds are huge, but the bulge is steep. Good bolts for going straight over safely. Above the 3' sandstone band, look for the 2-bolt station on the left; do not stop there. Continue up and right across the small gully, up the (easy) face to some bolts on the very top. Hard to see from the climb, but they are up there.

Snowbasin, northern Wasatch range, UT

• Zu Gross zum Scheitern, Middle Bowl Slab - Right side of slab, 2 pitches, 65 m total height. 5.9+ or 5.7 A0.

  Approach from the Needles Lodge: after getting off the Gondola, head away from the gondola line and lodge on the road, trending around the small hill directly in front at the gondola tower. Once around the small hill, head up the grassy field to the base of the large slabs.

  There are now at least 7 routes on the wall, of which 3 are on Mountain Project. This is the next-to-last route on the right. Belay from the grassy ledge below the low-angle (4th class) terrain, or up and right just below and right of the steep slab with bolt 1. First bolt is just above 2 grass clusters, and the line is right of the large overhang void on the right side of the wall.

  Pitch 1 has 9 bolts. Drilled on lead. Easy friction to bolt 4, then stand up and clip the bolt over the roof. Roof moves are the crux - thin feet with big committing moves to terrible hands or hold the 2nd draw for a 5.7 A0 cheat. Straight above through the bushy ledge through 2 more bolts to the 2-bolt station with chains; 35 m from grassy ledge, 30 m from right side belay stance.

  Pitch 2 starts up and left from the belay, with 5.7+ friction/face moves through the next 2 bolts. Then up and right on easy ground, but LOOSE ROCK ON THE FACE! BEWARE! Easier ground above, with possible gear to supplement 3 pitons from 2023 (first ascent). More loose rock. Total of 5 bolts, 3 pitons, and any supplemental gear you can find. 30 m to 2-bolt station.

  From the top of the 2nd pitch, easy ground leads to the ridgeline for views and photos. Possible walk off beyond the ridge to the trail down from the Grey Slabs back to the gondola station; this has not been explored. MP suggests rapping the line.

  Descent: Rappel the face. Can rappel back to the P1 anchors, but there is another route with anchors 35m below the P2 anchors that is more straight down. A 30 m rappel from these alternate bolts gets to the grassy ledge below the slabs.

Canyoneering

• Cassidy Arch, Capitol Reef - If heading from Fruita Campground to the Arch over Cohab Canyon to Frying Pan, one-way distance is 4.5 miles; going to the overlook adds 0.8 additional. From Arch entrance back to the campground is 5.2 miles; from canyon exit is ~4.5 miles.

Maintainer info on main TerraFlop page.