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Organasm 

Organasm 

5.8 C2

   
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Type: Aid, 4 pitches, 400 feet, Grade III
Consensus: 5.10- C1+ [details]
FA: Ron Olevsky & Mike Strassman - Aug. 1983
Submitted By: M.Morley on Mar 30, 2002

You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (14)
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Mike Morley leading first pitch of Organasm.

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Description 

Organasm is an excellent intro into Zion aid climbing. At just 4 pitches, it's half the commitment of nearby neighbors Touchstone Wall and Spaceshot. Furthermore, pitches 1 and 4 may be free climbed at a modest 5.8 and 5.7, respectively.

P1 (5.8) Free climb 5.8 crack up pillar, past a single bolt, and continue through awkward wide section to gain a decent stance at a sling belay.

P2 (C1) Aid through a stellar roof through a splitter crack with bomber C1 placements. The crux of the route is probably cleaning this pitch, so be sure to read up on cleaning roofs BEFORE attempting (better yet, get some practice at your local area)! Continue past roof to a bolted anchor.

P3 (C2) A fairly long (150'?) pitch. Aid through second (smaller) roof and out onto arête. Straightforward nutting and good cam placements up this vertical crack, which ends on a nice ledge with bolted anchors.

P4 (5.7) Short section up easy 5.7 crack to top.

For a topo of the route, check this out.


Protection 

  • One to two sets of nuts (offsets work great)
  • Two sets of cams to 4"
  • Extras in #.5 and #.75 Camalot size helpful
  • Extras in #2 Camalot size helpful
  • Two ropes if planning on rapping from top of P2

The use of cam hooks should be avoided for soft rock areas such as Zion due to potential to damage the rock.


Descent 

Descend to climbers' right via bushwack through gully to the north. Although fairly straightforward by daylight, just finding the descent gully would be difficult in the dark. Come prepared: bring a headlamp (and don't forget to check your batteries).

If pressed for time, retreat is possible from the top of pitch 2 via one double-rope rap.



Photos of Organasm Slideshow Add Photo
The Organ

BETA PHOTO: The Organ

Mike Morley aiding up third pitch (C2) of Organasm.

Mike Morley aiding up third pitch (C2) of Organasm...

Chillin' on big ledge atop third pitch of Organasm.

Chillin' on big ledge atop third pitch of Organasm...

Taken from the roof on P2.

Taken from the roof on P2.

Several extra cams in the 2.5 friend size would have been nice here, but I managed at least one hex placement.

Several extra cams in the 2.5 friend size would ha...

Going out the roof on P3.  Bring a belay seat if your partner isn't moving too fast.  This hanging belay sucks after about 1/2 hour.

Going out the roof on P3. Bring a belay seat if y...

Crank it bro.

Crank it bro.

Pat's going through the roof...

Pat's going through the roof...

Rapping off the Organasm

Rapping off the Organasm

Pitch 1. Beautiful.

Pitch 1. Beautiful.

Pitch Two. Also beautiful.

Pitch Two. Also beautiful.

Sac bumping cams out the fantastic P2.  Some classic days...

Sac bumping cams out the fantastic P2. Some class...

Getting into the real business of the roof on P2 of Organasm.  Oct. 2011

Getting into the real business of the roof on P2 o...

The steep third pitch of the Organasm.  Oct. 2011

The steep third pitch of the Organasm. Oct. 2011

Pitch 2. The roof.

Pitch 2. The roof.

The roof on pitch 2.

The roof on pitch 2.


Comments on Organasm Add Comment
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By flaco
Feb 1, 2003

i know for a fact that the 2nd pitch(the big roof) goes free at wild 5.11ish hand jams. and ive heard the 3rd pitch goes free at hard 5.11 or 5.12.

pitch 1 and 2 can be linked with a 60m rope(or less) but can cause quite the rope drag.

also, you can rap off the top of the roof pitch(the 2nd pitch) with one 60m rope(just barely).

By Dustin Wildermuth
From: Flagstaff, AZ
Mar 24, 2006
rating: 5.8 C1+

The gear beta posted here said bring cam hooks. DO NOT BRING THEM! You will not need them and you will destroy the route for future climbers.

By Gaar
From: Springdale / Zion UT / Moab
Dec 12, 2007
rating: 5.12b C0

This whole thing goes free at 12b....the roof is an easy 5.11.. NO HAMMERS!!!!!!!!!! Be Carfull of your rope getting stuck turning the lip, either free or aid... Recommend Building a hanging anchor right after the roof, and breaking pitch 2 up.

By Rich Farnham
From: Nederland, CO
Mar 28, 2009

Fantastic route! Eventhough the descent sucks (wallowing down gullies filled with loose sand and stout bushes), I recommend topping out. P3 is great.

I brought some of the typical aid toys (offset micro stoppers, tricams, lowe balls, etc) and didn't use any of them. There were a few marginal placements, but they were all on normal gear (black alien was helpful). P3 ate up medium to large stoppers.

It is possible to rap from the top of P3. There is a fixed anchor on the ledge. I don't remember the specifics, but 2 bolts come to mind. It could use some new webbing. You could probably also rap from the top, but it could be ugly. You'd be rapping off a tree with the potential for snagged ropes or loose rock as you pull your rope.

P3 is long, so if you are rapping, you'll likely need two ropes.

As for avoiding problems at the lip, it is easy to keep your rope out of the main crack. There is a second smaller crack (visible in some of the images here) for much of the roof. At the lip, we clipped dirctly into a cam (0.5 Camalot?) in this crack which kept the rope out of the larger crack.

By Klimbien
From: OREM, UTAH
May 5, 2009

ON ALL the climbing websites and to everyone I talk to, when asked what my favorite route is, I state it loud and clear - ORGANASM! - I've only climbed the first two pitches, we only free them, but it is the way to do it. First pitch is awkward and I'd say is 5.8+.
Second pitch is clean and fun, you have a really good rest before the roof that will take as many 2's and 3's as you'd like to put in it. The crux is pulling out of the roof but with a perfect .75 placement in an adjacent crack to lookers right that keeps the rope out of the main crack. Followed by tight hands to the chains, it goes free and is super fun route.

By raygay
From: Las Vegas, Nevada
Jun 25, 2011

Even on a 100 degree sunny day today, I found this route to be tolerably comfortable. I started early in the morning and was in shade all morning long and well into the afternoon. Maybe I turned the roof at just the right time, but I never had to climb in direct sunshine.

I was very concerned about the stability of a large hanging flake just at the start of the large roof on P2. When I brushed it to place a cam while climbing on aid, it seemed to move. I was afraid to touch it again to see how loose it really might be. There were chalk marks around its edges, so climbers obviously have been using it as a hold, but it may not be as secure as it used to be. Beware. If it falls, it could be deadly.

By Chelsey870
From: Philadelphia
1 day ago

Is it possible to lead P1 and P2, and then rap back down (clean) to P1 to set up the ground rap off that anchor? I am thinking about doing this, but my girlfriend can not follow aid in roofs. So I was thinking we could get to P1 and then I could do P2 and clean back down to her. Thoughts? Or am I just stupid.