PRINT: Rock Climb Trinity Right, Little Cottonwood Canyon

Trinity Right

5.12a, Trad, 65 ft (20 m),

Avg: 3.7 from 60 votes
FA: unknown
Utah > Wasatch Range > Central Wasatch > Little Cottonwo… > Green Adjective Gully

Access Issue: Gate Buttress Area Recreational Lease: Climbs on Church Buttress above vault remain closed Details

Climbers Partner with LDS Church on Stewardship of Little Cottonwood Canyon Climbing

June 1st, 2017:The Salt Lake Climbers Alliance (SLCA), the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and Access Fund announce the signing of an unprecedented lease for 140 acres in Little Cottonwood Canyon (LCC). The parcel, known as the Gate Buttress, is about one mile up LCC canyon and has been popular with generations of climbers because of its world-class granite.

The agreement secures legitimate access to approximately 588 routes and 138 boulder problems at the Gate Buttress for rock climbers, who will be active stewards of the property. The recreational lease is the result of several years of negotiations between LDS Church leaders and the local climbing community.

Access Note: The climbs on the Church Buttress above the vault as well as the Glen boulders that have been traditionally closed will remain closed.
Please help us steward this area and leave no trace.

Read More:

saltlakeclimbers.org/climbe…

SLCA and AF recreational leased area on LDS Church land

Description

The route goes up the right facing flake to under the big roof, and then traverses right via a wild undercling to the anchors. Going straight up is 13a Center Trinity, with a few bolts.

Location

In the Green Adjective Gully after passing Looney Tunes and before Wheels

Protection

Small wires, 1.5 sets of cams from purple TCU to #2 Camalot.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Through the crux, now for the endurance! Unfortunately, not today.

Jon Winiasz on Trinity Right

Getting ready to throw to the hand jam. I love this route!!

Trying to cop a rest before the lieback.

George Maynard on Trinity Right

James protecting the starting moves

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

tenesmus

This is far more accessable than I thought it would be. The start has 10 feet of easy climbing with an easy traverse to your first gear, helping you get off the ground and in a very safe fall zone. Then there is pretty much gear every body length or less and most of it is from good stances. I can't believe I let so much time go before trying it. Far easier mentally for me than looney tunes is.

Once you get the mindset and learn the body tension its really straightforward. very classic. Aug 13, 2008

Leroy
Northwest

Anybody ever had problems with bats on this route? It seems like there's a whole passel of them up in Trinity Left, and they're quite loud.

Guess 12a is hard enough that I don't want to fight off bats while I'm fighting for gear. Sep 9, 2008

Past User

A LCC handbag at the grade of 12a. Equallt difficult with Mother of Pearl for me. Jun 23, 2009

John Steiger

I made the mistake in thinking this was going to be soft. Maybe it is if you grab the chains or weight them before finishing the climbing. Ill go solid 12a, maybe even a b, if you persevere and make the desperate face move past the chains to the stance. No bats during our visit. By the way, the first free ascent of the pitch as described above was Steve Hong, Karen Budding, and Steve Carruthers, 1985 (FA w/aid Carruthers and Gary Olsen, 1985). Theres also a second pitch, reportedly 11c (FA: Carruthers, 1989) (didnt try it). May 27, 2012

Spencer Weiler
Grand Junction

I found the entry moves into the corner to be the hardest and headiest as you only have once piece of gear protecting you at that point. 2 good rests can be found inbetween hard sections, though placing the gear was very strenuous as the crack flares quite a bit most of the way up the initial corner. 2 fixed nuts are found on route, though both are old and rusted they held my falls. I enjoyed the karate chop hand jam move under the roof and macarena dance moves underneath to the chains. Supremo! May 31, 2012

George Jamison
Salt Lake City, UT

The fixed stopper just before the crux is gone. The cable broke and the leader stopped 4' off the ground. Couldn't get the old nut out to replace it, so place your own gear. Sep 30, 2013

Boissal .
Small Lake, UT

5.12a

Jeebus, for realz? There's no fixed gear left on the route now... I'm glad I'm not the one who blew that piece out, it's a long way down to the gear before the lieback. Did your buddy soil his breeches?
What gear goes in that mess of loose-looking flakes or where the nut used to be? I heard a #3 camalot does the trick and there's some bomber blue TCU/yellow C3 in the horizontal too but that leaves you with a good 20' between pieces. Sep 30, 2013

Landon McBrayer
Salt Lake City, UT

Boissal, I'm not positive, but I think George may be referring to the lower fixed nut (where Trinity Left splits off). That nut is no longer there, but there is still a fixed nut up high just above the 'rest' flake. Also, you can get a bomber .75 Camalot at the bottom of the rest flake and a nice blue TCU in the horizontal above the flakes to protect the karate chop lunge. Jul 17, 2014

JeffL
Salt Lake City

Can you clean this route on rappel? Obviously it's easier to have the 2nd clean it, but what if both want to lead it? Jun 6, 2016

tenesmus

We usually take turns leading for the first few laps and have the last person clean through. Jun 8, 2016

Danie White
SLC, UT

I heartily disagree with any claims of handbaggery on this route, especially if you're short. While average to tall folks can stand in that nice horizontal foot crack at the start while placing their first piece of gear and then reasonably reach around the point of the first roof in order to pull into the first lieback, it's a different story for the shorties. Traversing in from the left, I had to undercling match in a little greenC3-sized slot with only two fingers of each hand while pasting my feet on the texture to start this. And just getting my first piece placed out under the point of the roof required full span. Definitely upped the pump factor and the nerves and once again proves that size matters. By comparison, Mother of Pearl was one surprise foot slip away from an onsight for me. Oct 20, 2016

michalm

Fantastic route.
FYI, ASCA guidelines recommend installing lower offs perpendicularly to the wall with both gates facing away to prevent rope twisting and easy clipping.

ClimbTech lower off hooks can especially cause rope twisting when opposed.

Please consider installing them with both gates facing away from the wall on future installations, and feel free to use your own anchor gear for toprope sessions.

safeclimbing.org/new-anchor… Oct 16, 2022