Routes in Little Cottonwood Canyon

A great 3 pitch climb that offers a bit of everything.

The first pitch is usually the Cresent Crack route rated at 5.7. Great for the budding leader. Instead of belaying in the trees as shown in the guidebook, go further up to the chains just below the offwidth crack on the second pitch. This gives you the option to stretch the second pitch up to the belay chains on the slab for the third pitch. The offwidth crack at begining of the second pitch is a bit of a grunt and can be troublesome for many. A helpfull hint is to put your back against the sloping wall and reach up with your left hand to feel for a hold the runs along the upper edge. At the point where Cresent Crack route follows the downsloping ramp, continue following the crack up and to the right. If your rope is short or the belayer wants to watch, downclimb the ledge and start a new belay. The crack is a bit more difficult (.9) but is fun, protects well and there is a fixed pin halfway up. Going up and over the spike at the end of the crack is thrilling. After the spike clip a bolt and mantel up onto the slab and shuffle left to the belay chains. The third pitch is fun friction with the bolts spaced far enough apart to make it exciting.

What more can you ask! Start with fun crack climbing, add in some mild laybacking, grunt up an outward flaring offwidth, scamper up a good small finger crack, pull an overhang, make a delicate mantle and then friction to the finish.

Micro nuts. Fun climb while waiting for Mexican Crack

A new bolt added at the beginning portion of the first pitch. New belay bolts added for second pitch. Book shows sling belay in the corner by two pins. 2 Bolt belay is above the sling belay and just above the Dike. This can eliminate what is shown in the guide book as the belay for the third pitch which is at a very old bolt. A new bolt added at the end of the crack on the 3rd pitch (4th in the guide book) where you mantel up onto the arete and scamper up the easy 5.6 to the rappell.