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Salmonella

5.9, Trad, 90 ft (27 m),  Avg: 2.4 from 13 votes
FA: Clay Watson, Tyler Phillips
Utah > Wasatch Range > Central Wasatch > Big Cottonwood… > Moss Ledges

Description

This is a super fun crack system with several cruxes and good rests. Its a great route for sport climbers who want to learn how to place gear. It traverses a little and protecting your second is almost more important than protecting yourself so sew it up.

You can obviously go low and make it a lot easier but it's a lot more fun to contrive yourself into staying high in the beginning upper crack. Mostly graded 9-ish because the crux of Hibachi Time is about that grade.

This was the day I met Tyler Phillips way back in the day. He and Luke had given us so many fun new lines and I thought there was no better way to say thank you than to do a new, low impact line with him. So lucky to have great friends like Tyler!!

Location

On the left and out of the creek bed about 20 -30 feet upstream from the bolts of Hibatchi time. Look up and left at the anchors of Burning Embers with big fatty chains from which to TR and project that really fun climb. The crack system diaganols up and under a series of roofs for 80? or so feet. There is now a little purple graffiti right by the start.

Protection

Set of cams from tcu's up to hand sized with extra medium cam or two around orange tcu through .5 or .75 camalot and long runners. I also used two old style #4 camalots and would have liked a #5 for the last 10 feet. It isn't mandatory but would be nice. We used our #5 camalot (but a medium nut works) to hang a rope bag at the bottom belay to keep the rope out of the creek. 

You could get away with a second #3 in place of one of the #4's. It would be really weird to actually climb this as though you were jamming a crack that size because you use the crack like a jug rail as you traverse up and left. Just think of it as an excuse to drag those big cams that you paid all that money for and haven't actually used in several years. I think a 60m rope would work but I used a 70.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Action-packed photo shows proper sequence.
[Hide Photo] Action-packed photo shows proper sequence.
Black = The Drunkle
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Pink = Trager Time
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Green = Two Beans and a Frank
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Blue = Hibachi Time
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Yellow = Charcoal Cough
<br>
Red= Salmonella
[Hide Photo] Black = The Drunkle Pink = Trager Time Green = Two Beans and a Frank Blue = Hibachi Time Yellow = Charcoal Cough Red= Salmonella
Clarification topo
[Hide Photo] Clarification topo

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

zoso
  5.9
[Hide Comment] Tack on another great route! The start now has some faint purple paint (done by some loser). Plug in a peice or two before the first roof and continue up and left to the chains on Burning Embers. There are some spots where it's easy to step down into a no-hands rest, but for the full effect I'd avoid such. Great route. Two stars. Jun 12, 2007
Gary Jones
Cottonwood Heights, UT
[Hide Comment] Moss ledges? More like choss ledges. Follower pulled of a hold and took a nice swing. Oct 11, 2015
Stan Pitcher
SLC, UT
 
[Hide Comment] This route could be called 'Pick a crack' as there are numerous ways to get from the start to the anchor shared with the 12. The first time I did it I stayed high and did the Hibachi crux on the way. Then when I did Hibachi the wrong way (because I thought it was left of this route), I did the middle section using a lower crack\left face corner that could be cut to after the initial crux. Aug 17, 2017
ddriver
SLC
 
[Hide Comment] Get it together Stan. Don't do the Hibachi roof. Follow the hand crack under the large triangular roof that Hibachi passes on the right. You can start in the same crack system from the creek, i.e. not the corner next to the purple guy but the next seam left. This makes the route run straight and only about 5.7 so maybe I did it all wrong and you can ignore this. I used 5 hexes to protect this route and next time (like there'll be one) I'll take more. Hibachi is 2 or 3 times the better climb so do it first, or be like Stan and do the Hibachi roof twice. Sep 5, 2017
tenesmus
  5.9+
[Hide Comment] You guys are hilarous. I posted a clarification topo to try and make it easier. Obviously, this is a chossy area so when you "Pick a Crack", you can make it easy or hard. No one cares either way, just know that if you go very low, you may knock off some blocks. The good thing is that if you do knock off a block or two, you'll be way out of the way of the belayer. Just don't do that kind of thing when someone is on Weinie Roast or Burning Embers.

I love that these faces have so many holds and choosing a trad line through them is both part of the fun and part of the adventure. You don't really know exactly what you'll run into but it can get airy for 5.9. Actually one of the best parts of these climbs is the fact that the movement is an awful lot like face climbing, making for good intro for sport climbers trying out their shiny new trad rack.

Finally, I'm just stoked someone is getting on this at all. The first time I climbed with Tyler Phillips, I thought it would be fun to say thanks for all his FA's by including him in on one in this area. It was cool hearing about all the stuff he was doing in other areas and fun to hang out and meet someone who was leading the way for the rest of us. Sep 5, 2017
Stan Pitcher
SLC, UT
 
[Hide Comment] Well ddriver judging from the new photo and the turquoise line I did Salmonella right and you did it wrong! (And I thought I had done a new route that I was gonna call E. Coli). Looks like you did a new hex protected (sweet!) variation of the new variation I did that I am sure had been done prior. Thanks for the photo trying to clear things up Tenesmus, but I am pretty sure the wording is wrong. All routes and all variations are great though - thanks for your efforts! Sep 6, 2017
Thomas G.
SLC, UT
  5.9
[Hide Comment] I really enjoyed this route, but I thought it was pretty soft for 5.9+. Great gear, good climbing, and continuously engaging.

No choss in sight. Get on this! Aug 14, 2019