Spring/Summer/Fall

This route was pretty good! As I mention in my previous Squamish post, the rating felt off. It is rated a 5.8 in the guide book and 5.8 on Mountain Project and I am ok with that rating, because the climbing felt about 5.8. However, the gear placements are what felt weird to me. For a route […]

To start off, I’d like to comment on the fact that the Squamish Guide Book rates the climbs differently than Mountain Project does. It’s a little confusing because the grades that I felt were a bit soft were rated harder and the ones I thought were hard were graded easier… Anyways, Bilbo Baggins is a […]

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, […]

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 […]

Because it has been so rainy in Salt Lake City the last few weeks, Kirk and I were able to sneak away to the City of Rocks on Saturday to take advantage of a day of clear weather. We got on three routes each. At the city, you have to build anchors at the top of […]

Spring is here in Utah and that has meant a few weekend trips to Moab, Indian Creek, and Castle Valley. On the first trip to Indian Creek we jumped on “Jolly Rancher,” a 5.10, 140ft hand crack. I have never led in Indian Creek before, I had never led a 5.10 before, and I had […]

This is my first post about a classic sport climb in Big Cottonwood, so we’ll see how it goes. Black Monday is a near 4 star 5.11a sport route. The route starts off as a bit of a boulder problem. It becomes less than vertical and allows for a no hands rest before moving through […]

When I finished leading all three pitches of Steort’s Ridge in Big Cottonwood I wrote a post about it. I have now led all three pitches of Outside Corner and feel like I can present my full opinion of the route. I feel that it isn’t until you have led the pitches of a route […]

In the spring of this year, I began rock climbing on gear. Mixed within the learning, the fear, and the failed attempts, I have been lucky enough to tick off quite a few classic Wasatch climbs. Steurt’s Ridge is a sharp, north facing arete in Big Cottonwood Canyon. It is quartzite and provides 3 pitches […]