dowww's Logbook (600 ascents)

Short, but good. This is one of my choices for teaching trad leading on.

I never clip bolts, but this route is worthy. Very fun angling slab with the crux up and left. From below it looks like there will be more pronounced features, but once traversing left through it, it is tricky. Side pull right as I recall and reach high left. Might want your sport shoes for this one even though the crux is short lived. The flare up high is easy climbing with no need for gear.

The most difficult 5.10a I have done at Jtree and I have climbed over a hundred of them. Of course, it is just the cruxy start as is typical. I am not a boulderer or sport climber and there is definitely a specific sequence to follow before you can enter the crack above. A Metolious #0 can be placed from the ground, but then the route offers decking potential if you fail before your next placement. I am 5'11" and chose to use an insecure hand jam in a short flaring crack off left, right foot stemming up the obvious feature with a bounce to a finger ledge. One more pumpy move gets you to positive ground. The crack is straight forward after all that excitement. Walk off to the right.

Almost climbed it on the 15th! In mid April IRS wall does not get shade until well past noon. Taxman and Evasion (just a different finish) are well deserved of their praise in Miramontes guide. Great positioning high up on the wall with the belay surrounded by boulders giving you a sense of quiet and peace mid week at least. Outside of the crux for Taxman down low, the only other crux on Tax Evasion is after you traverse out left. The first move up is easy, but maybe the 2nd move is 5.10b (what Miramonte has it at). Kind of an awkward mantel/stem deal. Definitely just one hard move then smooth sailing again. You will need medium gear for that traverse and definitely extend your placements to avoid rope drag. Rock quality on the traverse is a little crunchy.

Almost climbed it on the 15th! In mid April IRS wall does not get shade until well past noon. Taxman is well deserved of its four stars in Miramontes guide. Great positioning high up on the wall with the belay surrounded by boulders giving you a sense of quiet and peace mid week at least. The crux is several meters off the deck but well protected by C4.3's and/or .4s (I placed nothing larger than a .75) I am one to avoid layback moves while leading at all cost and mostly did get this tips crack straight in. There is a .4 pod you need to avoid placing gear in at several meters height as you will need it for your fingers. There might be a layback move or two required to get at a stance, but nothing to ominous. The upper part through the roof is mostly fun hands. We also did the Tax Evasion version which is definitely worth doing. Taxman is right on par with Bird of Fire in terms of style and difficulty.

One of Red Rock's finer crack pitches. The first 40' goes quick and easy, save your small stuff! Handren references double's to 4" which does not make sense. A single to 4" with doubles or triples from C4 .3 to .5 and a couple of Metolius 0's or equivalant. I placed no wires and only had one Metolius 0 and got along fine. The crux is a few meters of Metolius 0 in the middle of the route which is too small for tips for me. Just so happens to be the most blank spot for feet as well. I did an odd arm stem off of a suspect left toe and sprung up for a right hand edge. I thought it a tough crux move for the grade. After that, a sweet ride with more or less 5.9 corner climbing. The last move was kind of cool. Fixed hanging rap, but I suggest pulling out of the corner to the rap nest above with a comfortable belay. This comfortable belay will set you up for a single 70m rap to the fixed rap on top of Straight Shot, thus no need for doubles.

Voodoo Doo is the best route on this wall, Black Magic 2nd and Baja's Brew and Lotta Balls tie for 3rd. The roof of course is the feature. Clip off a cam in the left side of the roof with a double runner. Make the fun (crux) traverse right to the arete and reach back and add another sling to avoid rope drag. You get one horizontal piece before the rusty (2014) hanger. Then angle up and right avoiding Lotta Ball's fixed station to the left. Head for the short yellow corner and belay from a fixed station above a stance. The 2nd pitch is mostly straight up the dishes and easy face climbing with plenty of pro when you need it. If Black Magic is busy, build your station in the main crack between Lotta Balls and Black Magic about 30-40' below the roof. This sets you up for angling right and just avoid the fixed station for Black Magic so you can pull the bulge above, hit the ramp going back left and avoid any traffic jams. There is one bolt at the start of this ramp and plenty of pro opportunities. Double sling anything you place as you will not pull onto the yellow face above until above that crack you belayed at below creating tons of rope drag if you don't use common sense. Belay in a 3-4" crack above. We un-roped and soloed this large crack to the top.

Great trad pitch for this area. The crux is getting started. It is a bit blind moving into the twin cracks from the right. You can get a C4#1 in before making the move. Easy climbing gets you up to the fun overhanging hand crack. Feet are always there and hands are bomber, but challenging for the novice crack climber no doubt. Rap the tree to the left. Decent morning shade in April.

This is the best trad route in Snow Canyon. The first pitch stems up twin cracks with small, but good pro to a comfortable ledge with a fixed station. The second pitch is an Indian Creek quality corner of mostly C4#.75-1's. You will not get a #2 in until the top. Climb out to the ledge out right. The rap anchor is way out right offering a free air (full single 60m rope makes it, no need for double ropes as stated here) rap back to the base. There has been a 3rd pitch added up through the roof, you can see its fixed rap from the trail.

One of the best trad pitches in Snow Canyon. Hard to beat Atomic Indian for a pure corner/splitter, but this route is much longer and more varied. The rock is exceptional for Snow Canyon and quite clean. You could sew it up with triple .3's and .4's which take you through the crux section below the roof which is a body wide flare with a finger crack in the back for several meters. The pull itself is not to bad. I prefer to take the crack direct, possible to stem no doubt which must have been Ron's preferred method as he set a pin way out right. This pitch protects very well with modern gear and there is no need to clip that single fixed pin. Chained anchor is in good shape in 2014. Canyoneers have another fixer rap at the top of the black cap stone above. 60m rope works fine.