Ascents in Arizona having Beta

Had almost canned the idea of climbing at Sedona once I figured how cooked the camping situation was. But my Flagstaff Walmart car nap was interrupted at 11pm by a thankful text from Dillon.

Probably one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, shame about all the rich people with cooked houses ruining the area.

We decided on the mace as our route of choice - a strikingly visible from the highway sandstone tower.

Listed as 5.9+ on Mountain project - big emphasis on the plus at parts. Who knew 1954 FAs might be even thrutchier than the Aussie equivalent. Sick climbing, incredible positions, and the step across the void to gain the true summit on pitch 5 is particularly novel. As well as the rap off the logbook bollard with a rattly lid. Rad day out.

Ewephoria 5.8

One of the best! Cool tricky engaging slab

Ah if only had time to try this again. Really cool crux!

TR to protect knee. One of the coolest climbs I’ve done. Thought provoking and technical! No filler

One to come back for if I'm ever back in the area. This thing might be the best route I've ever had the pleasure of dogging.

Awesome and hard for fuuuuucking ages.

Pretty interesting corner climbing.

Unreal.

Like Khaleesi but harder. Just as good.

Can a climb get ten stars? Wow.

Very average

This is superb. So good I did it twice.

11c I reckon

Had to aid my way up the back half. Looks like a trade off between very chalked jugs to the far left and blank

Geee that second clip is much scarier on lead. Stick clipped it on the first go and felt chill.

really stout crux

No luck on the middle boulder but have the top one more or less sorted. Hard and very tricky.

Whet and chossy fun.

Did this about 4 times while working the extension.

Stoked with this! Super steep thugging to fun finish

Megadeath started the send train and I managed to get on board as well! Mega classic endurance thugging on neverending jugs with a surprisingly gnarly boulder crux right at the very end when you're bricked off your noggin. Very good. Would recommend.

Awesome high point second go totally pumped out if my brain. Will I do the two move power jump at end or 6 move static? Hard to tell both seem tricky

Jugs forever with the hardest move waiting to slap you around right at the anchor. Oof.

Gave this a few tries. Links together some of the most fun steep juggery I've ever tried. Dropped my best attempt just before a knee-bar and thread rest but not even mad about it. Keen to give this another whirl.

Not the warmup I was expecting. Crazy fun route though!

Beginning to feel like a rock climber again.

Epic climb with 360 degree exposure and an amazing 150' rappel.

with Ronnie, Jan 2019

top rope solo

2nd try send, blew onsight by bumping helmet and losing balance

Not every day you cop a 50m limestone pitch with this much going on. Awesome dihedral climbing. Done at 6pm with full moon out and sundown views over north west arizona. Accompanying this over the 2 unplanned days at the grail were some 11d slab pitches with exciting edge dancing, another cool 3d pitch in the lower 11s and the crag classic, 2 pitch route vesper. Shit name but very unique route. Verdon-grey limestone blankness with a sloper layback rail leading to a bulge. Stopper crux shut me down but nice that tony and i both squeaked leads in on the crux pitch before the rain came in and chased us off to utah.

Super great route. Almost did it. Only had one fall climbed the reat without break. Beta for later tries: In the tufa section take the left tufa, step higher and take right sidepulls left next to the right tufa. Then step to the left of the left tufa and take left tufa where it goes a bit into an undercling. Then turn in to the left and grab with right hand to a super hold next to the QuickDraw. Right foot right high and clip. Left foot higher on the left to small foothold and then to take the good hold right on top of the tufa (it's a bit brown), then turn in to the right (left foot far right) and take the left sidepull (more at the bottom of the hold), then left foot high and left on the good foot hold (I put a tick mark) and right foot hooks the right tufa. Then clip and go with right into the finger hole. Left hand into intermediate side pull. Then left foot left on great foot holds, right foot high into the middle of the tufas (it is black and usually very wet). Then bump into undercling. Match and clip. Right hand to crimp, then right foot a bit up and left (turn in to the left) to take sidepull with the right. Then left foot a bit higher and slightly more tight than the right foot (it is black and a great foot hold, but not visible from above so has a tick mark). Then right foot very high right below the crimps there is some crumbly foothold. Then left hand to intermediate and then better hold. Left foot higher to something. Right foot on lower slightly smaller crimp. Move up hip and then move with right hand a bit higher up (only some centimeters) to reach the best undercling ever. Then left foot slightly up onto some non existent foot hold and clip the next draw (it's quite high at that point). Then left hand into great tufa side pull. Right foot up and right hand into even greater tufa side pull (it is more a side pull. Then left hand into undercling and rest. Right and left foot a bit up and right (not too high) both footholds are ticket. Then left hand to the side pull (take with shoulder)right foot very high up to the small black foothold (very close to the middle of the body). Then left foot on foothold to left. Take sidepull with right a bit above the sidepull from before. Reach with left hand far left onto very good side pull. Then right foot up to very big foot hold (it is also a hold) and clip. Relax a bit then go up with left to good hold. Feet a bit right to footholds. (Left foot goes left) and go to sloper with right. Left hand goes to good hold (a bit smaller). Then right foot a bit up. Left foot a bit up and left and go to sloper on the left with left hand. Then keep close to the rock and go with right into smaller hold (it's brown and also looks a bit like a side pull). Then right foot high up and move hip onto belly.

Great route but for me not the greatest warm up since it is already a bit hard. Its crux is a far move and then traverse to the right which is not easy to figure out. But luckily there is a rest right below. You can go back there from the crux any time.

Very good warm up route

Last route of the day, wanted to give it a quick go. Extremely overhanging and long for such an overhanging route, but also mostly jugs. More kneebar opportunities than I've ever seen before in a route - kneepad on right knee is a good idea. Came a bit more than halfway in my onsight, then I hesitated too long trying to get a better grip on a hold when I should have just gone on to the jug. However, I probably would have fallen at the crux anyway which consists in reaching the final jug at the anchor - the holds just before are the worst of the route.