texplorer

Last week I returned from my 4th trip to Southeast Utah and those splitter cracks. It was a great trip despite a few of the usual roadtrip hiccups. The Short Version: Zion - Free climbed Organasm, Organ Grinder and aided Prodigal Sun Canyonlands NP - Moses Tower, Primrose Dihedrals Indian Creek - Numberous splitters at Pistol Whipped wall, Resivoir wall, and Tenderloin Wall After much ado Mark and I headed out of Portland for a 9 day trip to my second favorite climbing destination in the world. As we drove my mouth salivated with thoughts of climbing up the sweet red rock with its black desert varnish. The desert and indian creek sometimes get a bad reputation for various reasons but they will forever have a warm place in my heart. It is a great place to test your crack skills. Several friends talk about heading to the University of Indian Creek. For sure, if you think you are a crack climber that place will confirm or embarass you. After some fun freeclimbing and getting up Prodigal Son we headed to Moab where I met another friend, Kris, from previous desert trips. Every year, I meet a small group of friends in the desert. We are from all over the U.S. but for a few weeks every spring we converge on Moab and Indian Creek. Our ages range from mid 20's to mid 50's. Moab and I.C. seem to draw other climbing obsessed climbers like myself. In previous years I have seen many famous and bad ass climbers there. Just this trip I met Lennord Koin (of Koin Crack fame). Right in the Pagan Climbing Shop Parking lot he told me of a new route he had put up calling it the "Astroman" of the area. This trip my main objective was a beautiful tower known as Moses. First climbed by some guy named Beckey (?), it is one of the most identifiable towers anywhere. The Primrose dihedrals route up the south side of the tower is purportedly one of the very best routes in the desert (see supertopo website). It is not one of the mega-popular routes. Most of its pitches are .10+ with a .11d first pitch and a .11 Offwidth high up on the route. Combine hard climbing with the traditional original shitty drilled piton and star drive anchors, a remote location accessible only by 4-wheel drive and you have a classic desert testpiece of skill and juevos. The first pitch is deceptive and hard. The crux comes 20 feet off the ground with an offset nut (and possible loweball) for pro. After my partner went up and down a few times I took the sharp end and actually fell on the loweball. Yikes! After hanging once I was able to fanagle my way up. The next several pitches are super-classic and fun. There is the crazy downclimb traverse and an amazing pitch of dihedrals and a small bulging roof. We moved ok through the next several pitches and sooner than I wanted we arrived at the dreaded "ear" pitch. This .11b offwidth is a huge flake with a 10-12 inch crack behind. It's starts off overhanging and then turns gradually to vertical. Ed Webster, on the first ascent, put in several bolts and aided the line. The bolts end about half way up the ear with the last "bolt" being a drilled angle only half way in and bent downward. It was my pitch since I was the "OW specialist." Hoping that maybe one of the 1977 1/4 inch bolts or scary pins might hold a fall I began to grovel up the 40 ft flake with nothing but quickdraws and a few cams. It was one of the most exhausting pitches I have ever led! Slowly I inched up clipping each bolt and finally the bent piton. Another 15 ft of climbing and it would all be over I told myself. I tried not to think about a 30ft whipper onto that pin and squirmed upward. The supertopo said to go right side in but I stayed left side in and inched up. After averaging about a minute a foot I had made it! I imagine that I laid on the ledge above for 10 minutes or more trying to catch my breath. As I lay there in exhausting triumph over one of the hardest pitches of my life I remembered why I love the desert. She is a hard, stark place that seldom gives her rewards away. When you earn them, though, they are some of the best and finest. A few more easy pitches and we were on the summit. After the usual summit photos we headed down, rapping the original Beckey line. I wondered what it must have been like climbing these spectacular towers for the first time. Beers at the car never felt so deserved. Sitting in swirling sand and drinking gritty lukewarm beer in contentment is something only a rare few enjoy. I was very lucky that day and will have a memory for a lifetime. My trip continued with a short trip back to Moab and then the fabled Indian Creek. There I met some old friends and new. Yet again I was impressed with the Creek. No new routes put up this year but I did get on some really great super long routes. In the next few months a new comprehensive Indian Creek guidebook is coming out. Although the it will be helpful I hope that the spirit of the desert and the Creek are same for years to come. I fear however with a guidebook the masses may follow and the desert I know will be lost. In any event I recommend the desert and her allures to anyone. If I can find someone with a scanner, I'll post some pics.

In my book, contorted jams and clipping bolts don't go together. So eh, the reason I won't do it . . is . . uh. . .its a bolted crack. . errr. . .yea, that's why I won't do it.

What route were they trying to do? There are alot more people up on that side of the mountain than I thought.

Resting a tweeked finger, writing a TR, and spending time with the g-friend. Injuries suck (and your girlfriend will too if your lucky.)

Listen to this enthusiastic response to this weekends glacier course. Climber: "I started the Mountaineer course last year but they just moved really fast. I think there was a cavalier attitude toward safety and they were flat out dangerous up there. I am glad that the new bushwhacker club took an entire day to learn how to tie figure 8's and prussiks. I was also pleased to see that the north face MET 5 jackets were mandatory (cause sitting around all day on the glacier can be cold). I look forward to next weeks topics of putting our crampons on and walking on flat snow"

DFA, I think toes is a wee bit harder as in .13 or something.. . so my softcore ass wont' be even pretending to get on that thing.

TALL PEOPLE ARE AID

it's time to get down . . it's time to get down,. . . jump around. . . JUJMP AROUND

I did this route on Sunday and was told by a guy there that it only gets done once every couple of years. I thought it was a pretty fun route, just full of pidgeon shit. Anyway I recommend this route as the moves and position are pretty fun and once you pull the lip it's a nice .9 smith crack. I was wondering if anyone else here has done this thing?

Ivan, I might suggest cornercopia at Smith as a solo aid option. Definetly not a hammer practice thing but there is a bolt near the ground to use as anchor point. I saw a guy roped solo aiding there last weekend.

a 2nd to "Camp 4". It is exactly the book your looking for.

I actually did reverse the undercling moves on blue light . . .3 times but I kept going out to that damned sucker pocket instead of the two half moons. Also DFA, placing trad gear is more taxing than clipping a draw so sometimes it is easier to climb up, get a few placements in, come down and shake out, and then fire through the section without clipping. Kind of the trad version of stick-clipping I guess.

Mike, can you post some pics of your clothes.

So what if there's a big ledge a foot off the ground muff? . . . .or what if its a blocky start. That kind of negates your rules.

I guess instead of having belay slaves, boulderererers have camera slaves. Nice picturesqes Luke.

Oh, and I'm glad this post is not mocking the revered Terminal Gravity or I would have to convert my bolt-chopper into a weapon of sprayer destruction.

Oh, and I'm glad this post is not mocking the revered Terminal Gravity or I would have to convert my bolt-chopper into a weapon of sprayer destruction

My experience is that .11 slab has NO edges, like nothingness. Of course I have only been on a few of em up at squish but damn those things are hard.

pics are compliments of hexman

Dylan, suppose you have a right to believe what you wish. I learned the "climb down" technique from a old school valley hardman. I asked the initial question because like yourself one of my partners had a differing opinion. My experiences have taught me that climbing is about being crafty. One of my favorite things to do is to "cheat" within the rules. I have done sport climbs that allowed me handjam rests where my forearms totally recovered, place two pieces of gear and then as you enter the crux slide one up, and other such tricks to "onsight" and "redpoint" routes. When your trying to climb hard its all about playing the game. I would also be curious as to what you consider climbing back down to the ground. Are fourth class boulders the the start or how about a big rock at the bottom. Also are you saying that any downclimbing is "off bounds" during a redpoint attempt? The way you make it sound is that if you go up and fondle a few holds before committing you've blown your onsite.

some cool pics the rescue

On the other side of the river in the lower gorge has some nice .7 and up climbs. Since your there on monday I second the moscow, super slab area for nice well protected moderates. I might also add stadender ridge and the marsupials for a little more remote climbing and easy trad.

I have a small "drawing book" that I got a barnes and noble or some other such place on their bargain book rack. It's hardbound and has no lines so I can write, draw, etc. It's kinda heavy so I usually don't take it into the field but just record gear and route beta and copy topos to it later.

Oh yea, that's right lummox. I remember having a windproof vest and carharts on for my ascent and I didn't get that hot.

No frontal nudity for me, Muffy. I would say I am pretty much just soft core.