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Zoom

5.10d, Trad, 80 ft (24 m),  Avg: 3.7 from 201 votes
FA: Jon Nelson, Steve Strong, Tom Michael.
Washington > Central-W Casca… > Skykomish Valley > Index > Country Area > (c) The Country

Description

Starts with a hard, bolt-protected mantel(10d), then follows two more bolts up easier climbing. Go slightly right over the small roof with a few finger jams. Then follow the knob climbing (10b) with natural gear for pro. A slight runout to an overlap near the top, but you can place a finger-sized nut immediately after. At the overlap, look for sidepulls on the left.

It is possible to skip the bottom mantel by climbing up to the right (~10a), then stepping onto the mantel ledge. Be careful of the landing though if you fail.

Location

left of the tunnel, a stump makes a good belay rest

Protection

Bolts at the start, gear to number 2 camalot to finish.

For the 10b climbing on knobs, bring small wires.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

mike massey on zoom at the country index wa photo bissell hazen
[Hide Photo] mike massey on zoom at the country index wa photo bissell hazen
Looking down the crux knobby section of Zoom. The hard part is figuring out the right sequence of moves; after that, it becomes quite doable.
[Hide Photo] Looking down the crux knobby section of Zoom. The hard part is figuring out the right sequence of moves; after that, it becomes quite doable.
P1 of Zoom.
[Hide Photo] P1 of Zoom.
mike massey on zoom at the country index wa photo bissell hazen
[Hide Photo] mike massey on zoom at the country index wa photo bissell hazen
mike massey on zoom at the country index wa photo bissell hazen
[Hide Photo] mike massey on zoom at the country index wa photo bissell hazen
SeBas on his way to kicking names and taking ass.
[Hide Photo] SeBas on his way to kicking names and taking ass.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

andyf
Tacoma, WA
  5.10d PG13
[Hide Comment] I agree this is a really good pitch (the route actually stretches for three pitches) and one of the better 5.10s at Index. The upper half of the climb has great movement and flow, especially through the knob section. A little more detail might be nice, though. For instance, bring along RPs/HBs or some other kind of micronut, because they're mandatory to protect the upper half of the climb, which mostly uses an incipient seam for pro. There's also a moderate runout to end the route. Right in the middle of the seam is God's Most Perfect Nut Placement (medium wired) to make things chill. Nov 8, 2007
Drewsky
 
[Hide Comment] FA: Jon Nelson, Steve Strong, Tom Michael.

Fairly recently, rockfall deposited a headstone-sized block squarely at the belay stance; another block the size of a large washing machine landed about 100 feet out from the wall. Heads up! Dec 31, 2008
Douglas Taylor
  5.10d
[Hide Comment] If you climb one 5.10d at Index, make it this one. Slow Children may be more sustained, but this one makes you feel more ALIVE.

Here's Lukic pulling Zoom. The first part of the video is good beta for the very cryptic first moves. The later part is good for inspiration.


youtube.com/watch?v=bGIkHMa… Jul 4, 2013
Jessica T
Bothell, wa
[Hide Comment] While at the base and preparing to climb, an unexplained rock came sailing from above. Also noticed very recent rockfall at the base of morning star (to the left of this climb). Yesterday a friend told me he heard from a local that Orc tower above is deteriorating and may be coming down soon, have not verified, but seems reasonable since rockfall occurred recently when I was there and you can see evidence of very fresh rockfall near-by. Something to consider while in the area. Aug 19, 2014
Jon Nelson
Redmond, WA
[Hide Comment] Thanks for the heads-up Jessica.

This apparent increase in the shedding of rocks is troublesome. I hope it stops before someone gets hurt.

I never did feel good being under Orc Tower. Aug 20, 2014
Jean Spencer
Boulder, CO
 
[Hide Comment] Gear beta:
Save a finger-tips sized cam for the top.
A nut might go well in the face.

#indexprovides Sep 12, 2016
Devin Bishop
Granite Falls, WA
 
[Hide Comment] I’ve climbed this route maybe fifty times. It’s one of the most brilliant stretches of granite I’ve ever encountered. Dec 5, 2020
Darryl Cramer
Seattle
[Hide Comment] With all the cleaning projects it is a bit surprising the upper parts haven't been cleaned. Dec 11, 2020
Adam Forestier
Big Pine
  5.10d
[Hide Comment] I agree wholeheartedly with Devin, I cannot get enough of this pitch. It is simply outstanding that something like it exists. Jul 26, 2021
Big Red
Seattle
[Hide Comment] Fantastic climbing and surprisingly safe - the gear is bomber and it will keep you from getting hurt, though you may take a long ride. Sep 9, 2022
Nick Patilsen
Seattle, WA
 
[Hide Comment] Big Red is right, unless you have a few micro stoppers be ready for a heady runout over some delicate knob moves. You won't deck, but if you were to blow the last move of the sequence you'd take a long fall. Great route! May 26, 2023