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Voodoo Child

5.11c, Trad, 480 ft (145 m), 4 pitches,  Avg: 3.7 from 32 votes
FA: Jay Smith et al
Utah > Southeast Utah > Castle Valley > Parriot Mesa
Warning Access Issue: RAIN, WET ROCK and RAPTOR CLOSURES: The sandstone around Moab is fragile and is very easily damaged when it is wet. Also please ask and be aware of Raptor Closures in areas such as CAT WALL and RESERVOIR WALL in Indian Creek DetailsDrop down

Description

A great route that is a little bit more off the beaten path than many of the nearby classics. It amazingly links together several sections of great crack climbing with improbable face moves. Definitely a little bit heads up, but the difficulties tend to back down or bolts tend to sprout up when you need them to. The route has mostly good rock, a 180-foot pitch that takes 7 widely spaced yellow camalots in a row, and a steep bolted upper pitch with great sports action.

See topo added as beta photo.

P1. Climb up to the tombstone and slither behind it, clipping 3 bolts along the way. On ledgy ground above, traverse left a little further than you think you should and gain a thin hands/finger crack in a corner. Exit the crack to the right where it starts to get a bit wider, and a bolt appears. Thin face moves past the bolt get easier, but the rock gets softer, too. Wander up and right to a 2-bolt belay on a ledge next to a gully. 160', 5.10+/11-.

P2. Scramble up and left in the gully for about 30 feet, aiming for the flake system that starts as steep fingers/thin hands and turns into about 1 mile of hands. Clip a bolt past a wide section/flake, and eventually cut right below a roof to gain another ledge with 2 bolts. Save a few thin hands/fingers size pieces for the last 30 feet. 180', 5.11.

P3. Climb the striking finger crack until it ends about 20 feet above the belay. Continue up blocky terrain to a spot where the wall kind of blanks out. Stuff some cams in a horizontal, and leave it all behind by climbing up and left on face holds. Like George Michael said in 1986, "You gotta have faith-a-faith-a-faith!" Once the difficulties back off, wander up and right to another 2-bolt belay on a ledge. 60', 5.11.

P4. Climb up the bolted shallow corner system just right of the anchor. Feels steep for the desert, and requires a bit of body English, too. Skootch left in a strange horizontal feature between a closely spaced ledge and roof with some loose rock between. After this, climb up through a weakness to another ledge. You could probably climb straight up for about 25 feet to the top from here, but the rock is pretty loose and the pro not so great. I walked to the right along the ledge about 35 feet to where I could access the top via 3rd class terrain. Once on top, I walked back left to the anchors. 80', 5.11+.

Descend by rappelling the route with 2 ropes.

Location

Located on the NW side (Castle Valley side, close to US-128 River Road) of Parriot Mesa.

Approach from same wash as for Sister Superior and the Convent. Drive (usually rugged high-clearance required) or walk up wash approximately 1 mile, looking for large, ~20' tall boulder about 100 yards away from wash on the right. You can see this boulder from a long ways off. A cairn-marked trail leads from the wash past the boulder and up a ridge to the base of Parriot Mesa. Contour North (right) past Crooked Arrow Spire and around the prow to the West side of the Mesa. Voodoo Child is about 200 feet past the prow. The route starts below a huge corner system with lots of white calcite rock about 200 feet up. Look for the Voodoo Child at the base of the route and some black bolt hangers on a 30-foot tall tombstone that you'll want to clip on the first Pitch.

Descend by rappelling the route with 2 ropes.

Protection

1-2x purple tcu, 2-3x blue/yellow tcu, 3x purple-red camalot, 7x yellow camalot, 1x blue camalot, 1x #4 camalot (first pitch only), stoppers, 13-15 QDs/runners (many long)

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Pitch 4
[Hide Photo] Pitch 4
Andrea Shotwell getting us started on the first pitch of Voodoo Child..
[Hide Photo] Andrea Shotwell getting us started on the first pitch of Voodoo Child..
I saved this topo from a Kurt Smith authored online article a awhile ago intending to go check this route out, but haven't yet. Looks like Ari's is similar.
[Hide Photo] I saved this topo from a Kurt Smith authored online article a awhile ago intending to go check this route out, but haven't yet. Looks like Ari's is similar.
Approach map.  Yellow line marks the approximate location of the trail from the wash to the base of the route
[Hide Photo] Approach map. Yellow line marks the approximate location of the trail from the wash to the base of the route
Route topo.
[Hide Photo] Route topo.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Steven Lucarelli
Izola, SI
  5.11c
[Hide Comment] An outstanding desert adventure but you better be solid at the grade and an experienced desert climber. Jay Smith sure has an eye for good lines! May 7, 2014
Greg Gavin
SLC, UT
 
[Hide Comment] We climbed infrared the day prior to doing this route, and both my partner and I thought the last pitch of this was way harder than the last pitch of Infrared. I'd give that last pitch 11++. Oct 17, 2014
Bob Rotert
Broomfield
  5.11+
[Hide Comment] Awesome route! Lots of varied climbing from bottom to top. Kudos to Jay Smith's prolific efforts with his partners for adding another desert classic!! Was too worried to exit left at the last bolt on the coffin traverse at the top due to loose looking rock and danger to putting your belayer in a coffin... So after ecountering that, I moved down at the last bolt, and did a hand traverse right , then went to the top with no pro and flipped the rope over so second could come up via the coffin traverse. Jay later told me he had tried removing the very loose looking pinched block you would use and could not get it to come out. However even the ledge for your feet looked suspect. We didn't try and clean and knock anything off on rappel for fear of hitting the ropes and it was getting late in the day.

On the second pitch you need to really watch the rope drag. Being a very long pitch with the crux at the top. it doesn't take much for it to become a big issue. Best to reach back and clean any pro under the left arching roof that you climb at the bottom before getting into the hand crack.

I would agree with Steve Lucarelli's comments be solid at the grade for this route. Oct 31, 2016
EDJ Johnson
Eldorado Springs, Colorado
 
[Hide Comment] This climb is so awesome!! You must do this route without a doubt. Every pitch is great Send it! Oct 7, 2019
MauryB
Boulder, CO
  5.11
[Hide Comment] Delightfully fun and varied climbing of every style. NB: We followed the topo in High on Moab which is incorrect and led us to climb the first pitch of Spirit World, not terrible but not nearly as good looking as the proper first pitch of Voodoo.

I would take a standard double rack w/ 4x #2 (placed 3), no stoppers - with the caveat above. Apr 8, 2021
Ben F
SLC
 
[Hide Comment] Super sick! & to be honest, i think this route is pretty approachable for the grade. you do want to be comfortable on desert rock (be gentle!), but i didn't think it was particularly gnarly. the hardest moves are well protected, and the short sections of unprotected/loose rock are relatively easy (but if you don't feel good about runout/traversing/loose 5.9+/10-, probably not the climb for you). here's my take on the breakdown-

P1: Couple easy moves with bad fall potential, couple harder moves with great pro. fun stuff overall, super varied climbing

P2: Money. Stiff start, and then eases up into seemingly endless perfect hands that get progressively steeper. Didn't find the #4 useful here (by the time you can place it you're at the bolt), you can probably use it on P1, we didn't. I placed 6 generously spaced #2s, four before the bolt and two after. Save a purple, green and red camalot (and some long slings) for the last 10-15m, its the hard part. On that note, you don't want to be cruxing out with heinous rope drag, so extend things and plan accordingly.

P3: Hardest moves are right off the anchor above a ledge, but takes great pro here. Gets headier and runout above, but much easier. Fun mix of face and crack climbing.

P4: Wasn't sure what to expect from this one, but it was awesome. Climbs like a (well bolted) sport route until you hit the traverse, at which point it eases off, and gets super awkward. After the traverse I went straight up to the top- you get a short, fun section of fingers, and a potentially heartbreaking final roof-pull. Plenty of ways to traverse off left or right and make it super easy, and then come back over to the anchor.

TLDR; gem of a climb, go get on it! Nov 2, 2021
Jarrod K
Durango
[Hide Comment] There’s a rather large loose block just before pulling up to the bolt on P1. Hard to avoid using it since it makes up the last 8-10 feet of the layback section. It could be very bad if anyone was below when it goes. Oct 21, 2022
Bolting Karen
Denver, CO
[Hide Comment] My favorite desert multi-pitch, it has a little bit of everything at a consistent grade. Pitch 3 was the money one for me, great finger crack to exciting sporty movement, just fantastic. Dec 7, 2022
Noah McKelvin
Nomad
  5.11+
[Hide Comment] I think this route is in the middle from the opinions in the comments. Something that you can push yourself on but also do it within reason. I felt like there was some heady climbing in the 5.10 range. More so, if you’re not used to climbing routes with loose blocks occasionally and knowing how to be gentle, this route might not be fun for you.

P1 was my least favorite pitch. The traverse after the ow pillar is inobvious. I think we went too high and it was a solid 5.11 move to traverse. There is some loose blocks on this pitch that move but they’re big enough and are wedged in the crack pretty well. Top half of this pitch is great!

P2 sustained and good. Also a couple good rests throughout. Bring a few #1s too. And .75/singles fingers for start. Top is the crux but only for a short .75 section.

P3 really good. Some heady face climbing above the start but just enough gear to not be R. Bring all your gear from small to #1. Specifically fingers.

P4 awesome pitch. 7 bolts. If you traverse right at coffin you only need 6 draws and one alpine (extend last bolt) but if you do the og finish bring singles.

Fantastic adventurous route with incredible views. If you have cruised infrared, you’ll be psyched on this thing as it’s a tad bit harder.

BUT don't climb it in 106 degrees like us. WILD. lol Jun 25, 2024