Type: Trad, 280 ft (85 m), 3 pitches
FA: T. Phillips, C. Martin, L. Douglas, B. Sadowsky - 2012/13
Page Views: 2,025 total · 22/month
Shared By: Boissal . on Jul 2, 2017 · Updates
Admins: Perin Blanchard, GRK, David Crane

You & This Route


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Warning Access Issue: Gate Buttress Area Recreational Lease: Climbs on Church Buttress above vault remain closed DetailsDrop down

Description Suggest change

Yet another great vision from prolific choss munchers TP & co, this 3-pitcher takes you for a wild ride up the far right side of the Hidden Heavenly Slab, mixing ridiculously steep juggy moves with delicate slab work.

Locate the handline and establish on a shelf about 15 feet up with two bolts.

Pitch 1 - Straight to business: after a couple of moves and the first clip, tackle a steep bulge on black rock using bad smears and not-so-great sidepulls. Make a second clip and establish on a small shelf. From there, follow a short crack and cruise up the water streak toward the diagonal roof band, clipping bolts and using the occasional piece of gear. Diagonal along the lip until you can surmount the roof, cross a major choss garden, and follow zig-zagging ramps (left then right) to a 2-bolt belay. A stout warm up, feels more like techy LCC 10+.

7 bolts (ish) + small/med gear.

Pitch 2 - Scamper up the gully to your right for a couple moves before establishing on the slab and follow a wandering line of bolts toward a steep section (some runners helpful). Once things tilt back a bit, follow a right-trending line of decent edges culminating in a wild and very-gym like set of moves to establish on a shelf below the lip of the roof. Pull this and traverse left to a set of anchors below a much bigger and steeper overhang.

8 bolts (ish) + optional small stuff?

Pitch 3 - Take a deep breath and traverse left on the ledge to get below a steep dihedral feature. Stem, yard on creaky jugs, clip a bolt, place a couple small pieces, and eventually roll over the lip of the White Lines-like overhang (in steepness, not grade). Stroll up the slab above, clipping spaced out bolts on immaculate rock. Slide right to the two belay bolts without chain.

6 or 7 bolts, small to medium gear (up to #1).

Pitch 4- Pad up the featured slab to some cool rails and jugs, all bolts. A super fun pitch! 5.10a

Alt Pitch 4 - 5.12 b/c FA Todd Hammond and Clay Watson

UPDATE: This year's huge avalanches and flash flooding severely eroded the base of the climb. In spite of the erosion, this is still one of the multi-pitch outings in the Wasatch.

You now need a hand-sized cam (2 or 3 camalot?) to reach the first bolt. But you'll also have to deal with 30' of medium angle choss to reach the actual climbing. Like all the erosion over the years, a pathway will emerge and clean up. Guessing the winter will help a lot.

We went up to the ever-shrinking regular belay ledge and it feels not long for this world. Moving forward, it might be better to belay from over to the side on one of the nice flat spots down by the creek. That way, only one of your party will have to deal with the erosion hell to reach the actual climbing.

A 35M rappel easily gets you from the top of the first pitch down into the flat spots in the creek.

Location Suggest change

The route starts a couple hundred feet up canyon from the 7th way. Look for a right trending narrow ramp at the base and a right trending roof band about 50' up. Several black water marks streak the face, the first bolt sits in one of them, it's painted light orange.

Protection Suggest change

8-ish draws and a few runners. Gear to a #2 (never found a hand-sized placement but there must be one somewhere).
A #3 secures the belayer before the 1st clip is made.
Bolted anchors, rap the route, looks like a 60m would work but I only used a 70m.

Photos

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