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Last great problems in the Wasatch.

Original Post
Joseph Williams · · Salt Lake City · Joined Sep 2009 · Points: 121

Well, what do you think wasatch climbers? What are some of the last great unclimbed lines in the Wasatch? Ice, mixed, rock, whatever.

zoso · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2007 · Points: 790

The Slips.

bsmoot · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2006 · Points: 3,183

Free climbing the Black Peeler, original route.

JK- Branin · · NYC-ish · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 56

There are a lot of aid routes that haven't gone free yet. And there is just so much rock I'm sure there are plenty of great unclimbed lines in virtually all grades, even in some of the well traveled areas.

Joseph Williams · · Salt Lake City · Joined Sep 2009 · Points: 121
zoso wrote:The Slips.
You mean to tell me that's still up for grabs!!?

Brian- I like it! Did you ever give it a shot at freeing it?

JK- I feel like for it to be a last great problem it should be...well...a problem. Talking about lots of unclimbed lines is like talking about lots of unclimbed lines, and not about things the community hasn't been able to succeed on.

Is that what our problem is, that there are so many talented climbers here most everything in sight has been done?
John Rogers · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 20

School room Roof is another one that may (or may not) go free sometime.

bsmoot · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2006 · Points: 3,183

Will:

No I didn't, the thin horizontal crack on the 3rd pitch seemed too improbable and it may still be. The big one more recently done was the free ascent of the Lateral Fin...it sat for a long time. Alpenbock Crack is another one. Some great stuff up in Lone Peak has also been done. With all of the strong young talent, I'm sure there will be more.

Gary Olsen · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2005 · Points: 0

Brian,
how about "Beluga Whale"? Has that been done?

Hope you are doing well. And if you come up here to the great PNW sometime to slog or mountaineer you should email me so I can try and keep up.

Gary

tenesmus · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2004 · Points: 3,023
Gary Olsen wrote:Brian, how about "Beluga Whale"? Has that been done?
Now that is a crazy slab.
The features are cool but the style is out of vogue.

I know a few places that have amazing stone and aesthetics. Its not like I'm going to climb anything truly hard, so someone else can bolt and work them, lol.
Stevie Nacho · · Utah · Joined Feb 2008 · Points: 671

Where is the Beluga Whale slab?

bsmoot · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2006 · Points: 3,183

The Beluga Whale is the slab below Lunch ledge on the Thumb...you rap down a section of the route on the standard descent. IMO it was Les Ellison's boldest route...which is saying a lot! He worked on it back in the 80's, it's unfinished.

I think it started at the pendulum point on the S crack, but kept going up and right, above the roof on the S matrix...bad fall potential. The high point was reached via several attempts ground up style. It's amazing he was able to hand drill some of those bolts given the ghastly rounded chickenheads he had to stand on. The runnouts and steepness of the rock is also obvious. Above the highpoint, the climbing lacks holds, but it still could be possible. The idea was to connect with the upper crack that traverses below Lunch Ledge.

Hopefully, future attempts if any, will stick with the original idea of a ground up ascent. This type of climbing is rare now because of the advent of the power drill. Most climbers shifted away from the mental challenge of these kinds of slab routes to the safer, more powerful...sport climbing.

PS:

Gary, great to hear from you, those were the days!

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Northern Utah & Idaho
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