USA

Brain Full of Spiders is a pretty fun, 4 pitch route just west of Provo, Utah in Rock Canyon. The route is bolted, rated 5.9+ and a perfect combination of difficulty for my girlfriend Kim and I. She had never led anything on a multipitch route and the upper pitches are easier with a fair […]

I love this route. I think it is my favorite 5.8 in little cottonwood. It is stiff and scary. The route starts on a steep, sustained face for about 50 feet. It is every size. Perfect hands to fist. Fingers and face climbing. It as a good variety. You pull over the face onto a big […]

This climb was a somewhat intimidating onsite for me. It’s long and 5.9. Usually, I try not to onsite 5.9 in little cottonwood because I still feel new enough to trad climbing that I don’t want to get myself in over my head too much, but I decided to give it a try anyways. I’m glad […]

We began hiking up Jacob’s Ladder trail just as the sun started lighting the horizon and the stars faded into the dull grey. The low-light, black and white landscape slowly filled with color as the brightness of the day began to warm the cool fall air. Step by step, Kirk and I lugged our climbing gear, food, and water […]

Sweet Jane sits in the same area as Beckey’s Wall and Satan’s Corner so it is hard to compare with these two super classic climbs, but I still found it to be an enjoyable two pitches. The route starts by scrambling to the actual base of the climb up a 15 foot easy 5th class […]

I find it interesting how intense the alpine world is. I have spent the last few years gradually climbing harder and harder mountains. It never ceases to amaze me how insignificant I feel when I commit to a big climb. The CMC Route on Mount Moran is an Alpine grade II and the face is […]

This route gets overshadowed because it is right next to PentaPitch and Sasquatch which are both awesome climbs. However, I think “Stiffler’s Mom” is a really great climb. We only did pitches one through three because the route is 12 pitches and 5.11a… I normally wouldn’t write about a route unless I lead it all, […]

“Squeeze my Lemon” is one of my favorite climbs in Little Cottonwood. My friends and I just led it again this year, so I thought I’d add it to the blog. I don’t know if it is technically considered a classic climb, but it has 3 stars and personally, I think it is the best […]

If you mention the route “Sasquatch” to the trad climbing community around Salt Lake City, you might here comments like this: “The best finger crack in Little Cottonwood,” or “the most aesthetic 5.9 in Little Cottonwood.” This route is fantastic. I top roped it following my friend, Jesse, last summer when I was first starting […]

I have made it a policy for myself that I cannot write about a climb unless I lead it. So, I am happy to finally get to post about an amazing classic climb in Little Cottonwood called “The Coffin.” Anyone that climbs trad in the Salt Lake area knows or has at least heard of […]