Jupiter Crack

great photo of karin budding following the traverse on page 95 of canyon country climbs. the caption only says 'R-rated traverse', so i never knew which route it was until now. thanks for clearing up one of life's little mysteries for me. Apr 11, 2012

After 10 years of climbing, I consider this to be possibly the greatest single pitch of rock climbing I've ever done. Sep 21, 2012

Truly one of the greats. I'd add an extra #1 camalot to that rack above. Oct 7, 2014

This route is definitely awesome!
Not even close to the listed 130'. 70m rope was ample and I imagine a 60m would work.
Also the #6 didn't fit super well at the end, you might want to bring a 2nd #5 instead. Nov 30, 2014

Loved this climb! Excellent, especially if you're looking for something unique and wild.

A healthy rack is: 2 x #2 camalots, 2-3 x #3 camalots, 1 x #4 (new) 1 x #4 (old), 2 x #5 (I used new camalots, but old would probably work also), 1 x #6. It was nice to have a 48 inch runner and several slings. I did not find anywhere to place a #1 camalot. DO IT!!! Mar 30, 2015

Super route! The crux is the start passing the bolts. Very very desperste if you are short.
And whomever put the bolts in should have their head examined. They dont even come close to protecting the crux moves..... In fact a ground fall would happen if you blow it after the first one and a ledge fall after the second. I really dont think Hong would approve of the shitty placements. May 9, 2015

Those bolts have been mentioned a few times, in person and here on the magnificent interwebz.

The first was placed on lead during a ground up ascent to protect the opening moves before the ledge and before it was understood that this climb had already been established.

The second bolt was placed after contact with the FA party had been made and was also placed on lead. It was placed in a location that would make the crux move safe albeit a bit spicy without making the #1 placement above it redundant (I beleive that's what it was, though this memory is a few years old). The fall to the ledge before the next placement wasn't deemed dangerous unless you didn't clip the bolt and chose to place the 00 C3 behind the loose block to the left, in which case sticking the ledge is semi-mandatory.

Only two bolts were placed in order to maintain some of the original character of the climb while also protecting the hardest moves. Yes you could deck before the second bolt (this seems to be the case on a great many bolted climbs), but the climbing is relatively easy.


Have fun and check your knot! May 10, 2015

I was skeptical of the greatness but this line truly lives up to its reputation. Far from "R," but a touch heady at the start. Commit and you'll be fine.

Gear: doubles each of #1 to #6 will be more than adequate. The doubles of larger pieces are good for the second. Bring a few long draws to diminish drag. Oct 31, 2016

You can rap with a 70m, but might not be able to TR w/ gear in the wall. If you want to TR, I would belay from above to minimize rope stretch on the technical crux opening moves, then rap when you both are at the anchors (good sized ledge).

A #6 barley fits; a #5 can be skated until the end. A good way to protect the second is to place the #6 (or another #5) at the end, then zipline the #5 down to the piece you placed at the start of the horizontal. The second can then skate the #5 just like the leader. You can do this after reaching the ledge if your tether is long enough.

A #1 can help protect the spicy move after the second bolt. You could go off belay after doing these moves and pull the rope to help with drag. As for the vertical crack, the less gear you plug, the less drag you have. Run it out according to your comfort. #1-3 w/ alpines otherwise. Oct 15, 2017

Love this thing. Got to do it before and after bolts. Hong: “I don’t really care. I don't remember half the stuff we did out there.” Everyone I’ve seen lead it clips em. Pretty chill, lovely route, prolly 5.10ish, utterly awesome. Oct 16, 2018

In case the stoke isn't high enough, here's a sweet video of Devin Finucane cruising Jupiter Crack.
vimeo.com/161482028 Oct 23, 2018

The bolts are placed so low that they are rendered useless - probably deserves some sort of sketch factor (PG-13?) since a fall (although short) would find you hitting a ledge. That being said, the sport moves through the Chinle sandstone are more heady, than hard. Probably 5.9 there.

The rail traverse may have been R-rated (as mentioned in some comments) before people created large cams? It certainly isn't today. Bring a #4, and 2 #5s and you'll be fine on the rail. A 3rd #5 or a #6 could be good if you don't feel like bumping. Oct 30, 2018

best pitch I've ever done. 2 #5s worked for the traverse.
The bolts are strangely placed indeed. Blowing the first crux would lead you to hit the ground, but there's a good #2 placement above the second bolt that keeps that section fine. 2 days ago