The line follows the right facing dihedral to the notch between the first and second tombstones.Start below and to the right of the dihedral in a 3 inch wide horizontal crack. A 5.8 traverse to a drilled 2 pin, chain anchor. (Pitch 2) Continue up the dihedral in a 4 inch wide 5.7 low angle crack to a four bolt belay. (Pitch 3) Excellent fingers and tricky stemming to a drilled pin belay make this the best 5.10+ pitch in the canyon. (Pitch 4) More fun wide crack (5.9) to a three pin belay. (Pitch 5) Splitter 5.12 fingers and tough stemming to bolts in the notch.
Protection
Standard desert rack up to 4 inches, extra .5 and .75 for the third and fifth pitches.
A Few Random Comments on the Corner Route:1. The traverse is a 'must-do,' in my book.2. One 60meter rope will get you up and down, though the second rappel is about 30.5 meters and requires an arm stretch to the anchors. A final 30 meter rappel would then land you on a 'down-climbable' pillar. 3. Pitch 3 and Pitch 4, as designated above, can be combined into one long, wild, varied pitch that goes from fists to thin hands to tips to thin hands to off-width and even has a few finger locks in between. (5.10++). Woohoo! I.e. just bypass that schmanky-looking hanging belay. 4. There is a really scary table-sized flake at the 'Pitch 4' anchors(aka 2nd rap station). Be careful when belaying and rapping.5. This puppy is a solar collector in the afternoon. 6. I think I would add a few more small pieces (for Pitch 3)and a few more large pieces (For Pitch 4) to Joe's gear suggestion. I sure did't feel comfortable running it out with that piss-yellow rock on the left above 'Pitch 2'. Although you could always use your fingernails to make the placements a little larger if you were running short on small gear.7. That last bit was a joke: unwad your panties. The rock is of Very poor quality in places though, so. . . .8. Notice that I didn't mention anything about the final pitch? I didn't getup it, but I would suggest: less beer and more pull-ups. At least that's what I tell myself and I am almost starting to believe it. You might be able to get away with substituting a set of etriers if the thought of 'less beer' is too scary to contemplate. 9. Lastly, climbing this on a spring weekend is like going to the monkey house at the zoo, only you are the one behind the glass. Traffic, dust, noise, and a non-stop stream of gawkers and near-miss accidents will be sure to make your day interesting. I, personally, prefer to be spanked in private.
I would highly recommend this superb route. Mostly moderate climbing and only a couple minutes from the car, it's a wonder this route doesn't get done more often. The traversing first pitch is really fun and should definitely not be by-passed for the lame bolt ladder. The third and fourth pitches link up nicely for one of the better 5.10+ pitches around. The crux pitch is very reasonable, with only a short section of 5.12; very onsightable. One #4 Camalot is plently and you don't need anything larger. Considering the good rock quality, fun climbing and easy access, this climb is one of the best in the Moab area.
Killer Route!! The 10+ and 12- pitches are well worth the sketchy first pitch. A double set from #.5-#3.5 Friends, plus (one each) extra #1, #1.5, #2 Friends (for crux), one #5 Friend (top of 10+ pitch) would be nice and one set of nuts will suffice for most leaders. Three #4 Friends would be comforting for the "sharp on both ends" first pitch.
If anyone comes across a #3.5 Friend (rigid, old-style) possibly left somewhere on the route or at the base during an October 2006 ascent...Its mine. Cheers, AlexShainman@hotmail.com
If you have the gas I would recommend combining pitches 3&4. The belay in between is in definite need of a new bolt. My buddy and I just did this on 11/9/08. Great route.
The Cirque of the Climbables (aka The Tombstone)
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