Sheldon's first time slabbing, and he's a natural.
Description
The first pitch climbs the left route on the slab above Via Duck. The second pitch heads for the roof, angles around it to the west, and then slabs up that face. The 3rd pitch (tricky to follow) climbs up to the roof system just east of the belay station. It avoids the roof by going left and works up to and past a bush covered in slings. Here work left towards your only bolt. At this point start angling right until you attain some ledges. Place your final piece and run up the 30 foot runout but easy face. Rope drag can be a problem on this pitch and is especially hard when you are runout on a slab. So use your runners. Pitch 4 This pitch clips the lowest bolt of the east-most of the 4 bolted routes that come off this station. You can place some small to medium gear in the flake system first. Clip the bolt and continue angling right until you attain a nice layback flake that you work for 60 feet. Turn the corner and scramble the easy and dirty v-slot. Hate those bushes. Finally the anchors are to your left. 2 good bolts, but whoever was replacing the bolts must have run out of hangers, as one of the bolts has the original home-made hanger on it still. Oh!! it also needs a tightening. 2 double rope raps and 2 singles get you down. Beware of the bushes that WILL snag your rope as you pull it down from the second rap. A nice route with some nice sections, however it suffers from inconsistency, a bad line, and a really ugly finish. The 3rd pitch also bites most of the way. So, having said that, there are other pitches to substitute for P3 and P4. Pitch 4 substitution {Great Grebes, Batman}
Protection
Pitch 1: 3 or 4 draws 2 for the chainsPitch 2: 4 draws + 2 for the chainsPitch 3: 1 draw + 2 for the chains + A small to medium rackPitch 4: 1 draw + 2 for the chains + standard rack, cams seemed pretty useful up to a #2 Camalot
I haven't climbed all summer and I'm definitely feeling it in the muscles. Harder sections followed by some easier sections to rest up. Good all around mix. I loved the view of the masses of cars parked at Gate...and we didn't see another person until we started rapping down.
Don't be fooled...the first pitches are not R, only the third, which is crappy anyway. Do the first two, to the shallow fools paradise dihedral, then up! Try some of the older runout routes to keep you humble.... YIKES!
Pitch 3 is runout. It is easy, but a fall could and probably would result in injury. If you had negotiated all the climbing below, the chances of you falling are slim, but....
I haven't been on the 3rd pitch yet (Edit-I have done the 3rd pitch now and would say, do Fools Paradise instead), but the final pitch (I think it's considered the final pitch of Western Grebe??), which is a sweet crack (offers hands and fingers). Excellent,a must do! It's a nice change of pace from the slabs... You'll probably need a standard rack for this pitch. I recall placing Sm-Med cams, and maybe a small nut just above the little roof.
(You can't see the crack from the anchors) From the 3 bolt anchor, head up and mainly right on the huge chicken heads, clipping the first bolt of DOTM (I think or one of those bolts on the slab...or run it out) keep heading right... Once over the hump, you should see the corner with the crack off to your right. The rest is obvious, get into the corner and follow the crack up. Pull a little roof half way, then continue up to some trees. From here it seems like I found some anchors (may of been DOTM's anchors) to get me back down to the bottom of the pitch.
If you know where to look, you can see this crack from the Pentapitch parking area.
This is such a classic route. My wife and I's most climbed route in the Wasatch. Quiet, clean, multipitch, with fun variations on the top two pitches. Recently, a storm washed the rack-up boulder at the base into the scrub oak. Must have been A LOT of water coming down that corner!
By MarkEMark From: Cottonwood Heights, UT Oct 17, 2007
This route can be rappelled with one 70m rope, barely. Rapping the 3rd pitch brings you to a bush with a couple of super suspect pieces of webbing about 30ft above the anchors of the 2nd pitch. (no rap rings) I left a nut, a sling, and a 'biner to back it up. This may be an option, but I think adding a more secure rap station would be nice.
On a lighter note, I think this is some of the best slab of it's grade in the canyon! Due to the lack of use, it is in need of some ex foliation, but is still a stellar route. Especially with the different options you can choose from on the 3rd and 4th pitches. Do the mantle variation it's wicked fun!!
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