Coming up the last 20 feet of Steorts Ridge. Figuering out wich side of the Arete to go up.

In Big Cottonwood Canyon, the approaches are short and scenic. Here I am racking up at the base of the Dead Snag Arete. The area offers 4 multipitch trad routes all 5.8 or easier. The rock is solid and the view is killer. I've been back to this area 4 times; some of the routes are worth doing over and over. What a blast!

Here is Will and I at the trailhead to the Dead Snag Area. Storm Mountain is just across the street. Picture taken by Whitney Williams.

Here's Sam throwing in something big before shooting up the final pitch on Jig's Up at the Dead Snag area. The route is easy and the rock is totally solid and fun. The view is not too bad as well.

I can't believe how awesome this rock is! The stemming doesn't actually start until about 30ft above me. You enter the dehidril and then set up the first belay station on a ledge cut into the left side ofthe dehidral another 60ft or so up the thing.

An old man and his young daughter climbing 2nd pitch on Steorts Ridge. We said 'hi' to them at the rappel station, but didn't catch their names. It was kind of funny, the girl kept dropping the old man's stoppers and the old man kept yelling at us to see if we could see them.

It was pretty cold and the wind at the 1st belay station was pretty nasty, but the climbing was great. I could climb here once a week for the rest of my life. This is the start of the 3-pitch East Dehidrals route. The placements are easy to find after the first 20ft. You are shielded from the wind inside the dehidral; its great!

Here is Will cleaning the first pitch on East Dehidrals in Big Cottonwoon Canyon, UT. (Dead Snag area). He trailed a line for his fiance Whitney and we all had a great time despite the chilly weather. The route is only 5.6 and the protection is pretty east to figure out.

Will lead pitch 2 of East Dehidrals in Big Cottonwood Canyon. I belayed, and Whitney sat there in the cold freezing. What a blast.

Will looks for his first placement on the final pitch of Easy Dehidrals at the Dead Snag area in Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT.

I took this shot of Will as he made the 2nd rappel off of the Dead Snag Area cliff. You have tomake 3 rapps unless you bring 2 ropes. It started raining alittle just after this shot; we got down just in time.

This is my first trad lead on a multi-pitch climb. The Dead Snag area in BCC is a great place to learn, with chain anchors where you can swap leads, and "learn the ropes". This is me following on the last pitch of the climb, about 500 feet off the deck. This climb was a blast, and is still one of one my favorites. Just a lot of fun.

Working my way up to the splitter crack

On the Arete

about now was when it started to dump

glad the rain stopped as we started heading down

ahh the mountains