Avg: 2.5 from 22
votes
Straightforward, fun face climbing on gigantic holds and originally done on all gear. Several old-school traddy friends highly encouraged us to add guidance bolts. "Even the Ruckmans put guidance bolts on Weenie Roast."
Once you can figure out the Big Cottonwood Lean, all the gear placements are from solid foot stances.
Way back in the day, Scott Keller helped me figure out how to establish a new route when we did Hibachi Time. As much as I still really like that climb, this is way more fun. The line is more straightforward and the climbing is more consistently at the grade. Even better: You still get to place a solid piece of gear, then move above it and turn your hips/back step/rock over/gaston/undercling, etc.
Finally, the straighter line makes this a lot less stressful for an inexperienced follower.
Look for a red bolt on a small vertical face about 15 feet left of The Raw and The Cooked. Standing back from the cliff a little lets you see all 3 bolts and the upper anchors.
NOTE: Look up at the green patch of nettle just to the right of vertical face where the description says the route starts. Climb straight for the nettle. Roll in it. Inhale the sting. Rub it on your arms. Your knees. Your ankles. Rest in it. You are off route and it's not our fault.
Standard rack from yellow TCU through #3 camalot. You could bring doubles in .4-1 camalots but seriously, part of the fun is figuring out the gear. Save a hand or fist sized piece for the last move.
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Salt Lake City
SLC, UT
The movement can be cool at times, but the line is far from obvious, and it's easy to get sucked a few feet right or left into bad rock. Not at all obvious or even logical, but I guess if you like feeling like you're doing an FA and enjoy pulling hard moves (for a 5.8) on questionable rock with sometimes iffy gear, this is the climb for you.
If you do decide to get on this, beware the stinging nettle, and maybe consider a brush for all the lichen. Doubles of .3-.75 were especially helpful, and don't make the mistake I made of listening to a random mountain project comment and leaving the nuts on the ground. Jun 3, 2021
SLC, UT
I just wanted to provide my opinion here and hopefully counterbalance the first-ascent fanboying going on. If this were cleaned up well (and the bottom miraculously dried out) I could see it being a decent two star addition to the crag. Jun 4, 2021
Seriously, I'm not sure what you were expecting when you went climbing at a place called Moss Ledges?
You say it's contrived:
You DO realize that this is crappy little Moss Ledges, where ALL the lines there are basically contrived? That's the problem when wall is covered in holds and features. Have you ever been to Maple or AF?
You say it's squeezed:
I'm not sure what's squeezed about a gear line with no bolts, that is 20' left of a mixed line, which shares the anchor with another mixed line, that starts 20' farther right.
You say it's not obvious or logical:
Stand back enough to see the top anchor. Walk back to the wall. Start at the bottom and connect the dots, which is like 99% of the sport climbs out there. Only instead of bolts, you have a full rack-and-a-half's worth of gear placements in 90' of climbing.
I'm trying really hard not to think about your decision to save weight by leaving your nuts behind on a 5.8.
Finally, you say it's dirty?
My friends and I have a pretty good track record of cleaning with due diligence. Maybe we missed a spot? They didn't name that place "Squeaky Clean Ledges", they named it MOSS Ledges. Jun 4, 2021
SLC, UT
I understand that the route is at Moss Ledges - I've done many of the other routes at Moss and thought that they were actually phenomenal. Good work on them! I just respectfully feel that this route was pretty piss poor. I don't mean to attack you or Zoso in pointing that out, I just wanted to share my opinion.
On cleanliness:
- Tons of lichen everywhere. A nuisance but not a safety hazard, unless you slip on it.
- I took down multiple baseball+ size pieces and left a few others. There also seemed to be a few suspect features, but I tried to tread lightly
- Honestly, the climbing wasn't very good at all - mediocre at best. It's not your fault, please don't take it personally, I just thought it wasn't all that great.
So, at the end of the day, what are we left with? It's a mediocre route with (some) mediocre gear, lichen, water, stinging nettle, and (some) loose rock. I'm not trying to be inflammatory, that's honestly my experience. Unfortunately there's no way to
communicate that without coming across as a dick - but please know that's not my intent. Please see my other (very positive) comments on your routes as evidence of my positive intent
Happy to grab a beer to chat, I didn't think I would get such a reaction from such a route at such a crag. Jun 4, 2021
Cottonwood Heights, UT
Liberty Wells, UT
Salt Lake City, UT
Cottonwood Heights, UT
Salt Lake City
If your climbing in the nettles you are not on the route. It's generally to the left of the nettles. The first bolt "shows you the way" Sep 9, 2021
Salt Lake