I'itoi Dance  5.10

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Type:  Trad, 9 pitches, 1000 feet, Grade IV Consensus:  5.10b [details] FA:  Mike Strassman, Jackie Carroll Season:  spring & fall are best Submitted By:  Charles Vernon on Mar 28, 2010 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (5) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

BETA PHOTO: This is the SW face from the approach trail. I ha...

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Description 

This is a great way to climb Babo's SW face. The climbing is fun and well-protected on good rock, using occasional bolt-protected face climbing to connect various cracks and corners. While trolling for info about Baboquivari, I found this comment by Mike Strassman, who did the FA of both routes: I'itoi Dance is "far better than Born of Water and burlier too." That piqued our interest, and the route didn't disappoint, although there isn't really much that's "burly" about it. It's just good fun in a beautiful place. [edit: having recently climbed Born of Water, I would say that I'itoi Dance is actually easier; however, it's more serious as it's more of trad route. It's also more sustained, and overall it's a better route.] The first 5 pitches (on the topo) are consistently good; the rest get you to the top.

This route is not in Kerry's guide, but Strassman's topo and description are here and here.

Together they are enough to get you up the route. Because of the indistinct nature of the features, and the large trees at the base, it is very difficult to get an overview of the route before starting up, but all the features become apparent as you climb. On P3 you want to go straight up rather than up and right, and the "roof" is really just a way of indicating that the wall returns to vertical there. The last 5.10 pitch is fairly contrived (and not as good as the lower pitches), as joining Born of Water is the obvious way to go.

By stretching pitches 2 & 5, and combining 8 & 9, we did the route in 6 pitches with a 60 meter rope. All belays were on comfortable ledges with incredible views. We felt the route was more like III 5.10- than the topo's IV 5.10.

Location 

Hike the west side trail up to the great ramp as for the Standard/Forbes Route. From here, bushwhack along the base of the wall (you are on Lion's Ledge at this point). The beginning of the route is difficult to find, and the route does not start "at the lowest point of the wall" as the description says. Look for the bolt 10 feet off the ground on a small buttress, and for the square flat coffee-table sized rock at the base. If you get to the "South Side of the Sky" (an obvious overhanging area with a bolted line to the left), you've gone too far and need to backtrack a ways.

Protection 

Fairly light rack. A single set of cams from blue tcu/green alien to #3 friend/#2 camalot, a set of nuts, loads of long runners, and 3-4 quickdraws for the occasional bolts. We made every belay from a cordelette wrapped around a sturdy tree, which cuts down on the amount of gear needed.

Photos of I'itoi Dance Slideshow

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Dan Millis leading the topo's 7th pitch (our 5th)....	Dan topping out on the last pitch.	View of a climber on the Southeast Arete.
Taken by David Tilley from the SE Arete. I am vis...	The wall is not this steep, though probably steepe...