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Unknown

5.12-, Trad, 80 ft (24 m),  Avg: 2.5 from 2 votes
FA: unknown
Utah > Southwest Utah > Zion NP > Temple of Sinawava
Warning Access Issue: Seasonal Raptor Closures ***** RAIN AND WET ROCK ***** The sandstone in Zion is fragile and is very easily damaged when it is wet. Holds rip off and climbs have been and will continue to be permanently damaged due to climbers not respecting this phenomenon. After a heavy storm the rock will remain wet, sometimes for several days. PLEASE DO NOT CLIMB IN ZION during or after rain. A good rule of thumb is that if the ground near your climb is at all damp (and not powdery dry sand), then do not climb. There are many alternatives (limestone, granite, basalt, and plastic) nearby. Seasonal Raptor Closures DetailsDrop down

Description

To find this route park at the Temple of Sinawava and walk to the bathroom area. Behind the bathrooms and to the right 200 meters total is an obvious massive, left-facing dihedral. That is Tourist Crack (AKA La Tourista).

Behind the bathrooms and left perhaps 100 meters total is a set of two other cracks. The one on the left is a crack and dihedral with dark rock referred to in another description as Unknown Left. To the right is a sweeping overhang of a left-facing corner described here.

Climb up a set of cracks just to the right of Unknown Left on easy moves (5.8-?) to reach the business of this route. You will arrive at a roof/overhang of wild proportion with an "undercling" crack in it. Place pro out right as far as possible (1.5" cam) and start moving out and right where what was an overhang becomes a strange roof.

Stem back, drop knee, smear, undercling, and contort your way out of this while protecting on TCU's to reach the lip of the roof, where some key face holds appear as the crack disappears. Above the roof the climbing eases to 5.10a or perhaps less. This is a good thing because you will probably be massively pumped and can't set gear there.

The start of the route is a little dirty, but all in all it is fun! Finish on good holds to the ledge and rap from the good fixed anchor. This is hard to TR because there is a big swing potential from the crux. The route felt like 12- to me. Maybe I missed something or maybe it is that hard.

Protection

One set of cams from .3 to 3" with extra from .5 to 1.5"

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Fett in the 1st ptch OW.
[Hide Photo] Fett in the 1st ptch OW.
Toilet Cracks start just left of the big dead tree in the middle of the pic in a corner.  Toilet Crack left traverses to the left in the crack system that goes on the left side of the arete.  Toilet Crack Right stays in the right corner system to the top of a false summit.
[Hide Photo] Toilet Cracks start just left of the big dead tree in the middle of the pic in a corner. Toilet Crack left traverses to the left in the crack system that goes on the left side of the arete. Toile…

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Chad
UT
[Hide Comment] Think you have the wrong route. Don't know the name of this one, but Right Toilet Crack pretty much shares the same start as Left TC. Right is 5 pitches now, according to Birds new guide book, 2 pitches added in 2000. I've only done the first three, and they come in at solid 10. I think the FA on both Left and Right TC were done by J. Tainio, not sure exactly when though. Dec 31, 2009
[Hide Comment] Fun route with solid rock up most of the way. Sounds like a different route for sure. The toilet crack right that I climbed went like this...

Pitch 1. Climb a corner with tight hands into a chimney. Get way inside and jam out to the left into a corner, lie back and finger lock to chain anchors. Hard 5.8

Pitch 2. Wide hands to fist corner to bolted anchors 5.8

Pitch 3. Climb the wide crack. It spits you outs, make some moves, and sucks you in the toilet. Inch your way out, jam and crimp a fun roof problem to a big sandy ledge and build a trad anchor. 5.9+/10a

Pitch 4. Stem and chimney up a corner with boulders stacked inside to a low angle wide crack bolted anchors 5.7

Pitch 5. Climb wide crack to a lie back corner bolted anchors. 5.7

We brought 2 ropes but seems like you could rap the route with a 70m (not 100% sure). Double rack to #4bd, triples in hand size, 1 #5 (2 is nice for pitch 3). May 7, 2010
[Hide Comment] Having climbed the same route as Ras Fett, I will add only that the first pitch felt substantially harder than anything else on the route. Fun route. Worth doing for a short sandy adventure. Oct 17, 2010
Tony B
Around Boulder, CO
  5.12-
[Hide Comment] It is the wrong route, no doubt...
The question is who edited it to put the AKA: in there and make this the wrong route?!?!
I just described what I described and called it an unknown. Feb 7, 2011
Andrew Gram
Salt Lake City, UT
[Hide Comment] I removed the Toilet Crack Right notation. Feb 7, 2011
Tony B
Around Boulder, CO
  5.12-
[Hide Comment] The route described in this text is here:
mountainproject.com/photo/2…
and at the left edge of the tourist Crack beta photo in the lower comment photos. Feb 1, 2018