View Full Version : Best "climbing" canyon in S.Utah/Southwest?
Title is pretty self explanatory. Being a climber, I think that perhaps the thing that I love about canyoning the most is the downclimbing/chimneying/partner-assists/stems-around-potholes/etc-etc. (swimmings fun too, of course)...
... so if you had to pick a canyon in S.Utah or the southwest that had the most sustained climbing/down-climbing/scrambling/stemming/partner-assists, what would you say is the best?
I'll accept top 3 choices as well, seeing as I'm sure we'll have people that have a tough time choosing just one.
Game on!
Peter
Scott P
07-30-2009, 07:04 PM
... so if you had to pick a canyon in S.Utah or the southwest that had the most sustained climbing/down-climbing/scrambling/stemming/partner-assists, what would you say is the best?
Egypt 4 was pretty tough for me, but there are harder ones around that area that I haven't done. Sleepy Hollow or Bishop Canyon are good examples. The slots around King Mesa too.
Just make sure you know what you are doing before getting into those canyons.
Trail Canyon has stemming/climbing, but is much easier so might be a good introduction to climbing/stemming type canyons.
Bo_Beck
07-30-2009, 08:08 PM
I'll accept top 3 choices as well, seeing as I'm sure we'll have people that have a tough time choosing just one.
Game on!
Peter
Checkerboard Canyon has one exciting downclimb, Gunsight "Heaps" on my first descent had many exciting downclimbs as well as upclimbs, and "Heaps" as a whole has always provided some entertainment, but most recent has got to go to Pandoras Box, aka "Wiggins' outside of Torrey that has some really thought provoking situations?!
ratagonia
07-30-2009, 08:10 PM
Title is pretty self explanatory. Being a climber, I think that perhaps the thing that I love about canyoning the most is the downclimbing/chimneying/partner-assists/stems-around-potholes/etc-etc. (swimmings fun too, of course)...
... so if you had to pick a canyon in S.Utah or the southwest that had the most sustained climbing/down-climbing/scrambling/stemming/partner-assists, what would you say is the best?
I'll accept top 3 choices as well, seeing as I'm sure we'll have people that have a tough time choosing just one.
Game on!
Peter
Careful what you ask for...
Some good fairly hard canyons, to do in the fall when the temps are more amenable to hard work:
Trail Canyon
Hog Trifecta
Upper Stair / Shenanigans (esp with the high exit)
Hard Day Harvey / Good Day Jim
and the ultra classic - Main Leprechaun
Tom
Iceaxe
07-30-2009, 09:32 PM
Hmmmm.... the problem with difficult to climb canyons is if you can't do the climbing you are screwed. It's not like rock climbing where you can just rappel off if you can't do the move.
That being said I'd start with the list Tom gave you. After ticking a few of those off your list post again with your thoughts and we'll all have a nice base line to discuss from.
:popcorn:
Thanks for the thoughts; I'll post back with some of my opinions of those after I've done some of the ones that you all mentioned that I hadn't heard of. Thanks!
hank moon
07-31-2009, 09:14 AM
Hog Trifecta
Upclimb Hog 1 for extra fun! One pack toss "required" and the rest goes aidless...
Iceaxe
07-31-2009, 09:38 AM
That reminds me.... Climbing up Middle Maidenwater and down South Maidenwater is a challenge. Same with down Quandary and up Knotted Rope.
Cool, all of that sounds fun... especially those "up canyon" routes/loops. I've had some fun going up Orderville in Zion before... fun climbing V0-1 stuff with water pouring in your face.... bwahaha.
I was looking up a few more possibilities... Sandthrax sounds right up my alley considering I love OWs and can handle 5.10 trad.
Thanks for even more of those upclimb ideas guys :D
The poison springs canyons; Arscenic, Slideanide and Constrychnine (mostly the first two) have some fun downclimbing options...
Some good stuff, albeit harder, in the Warm Springs area too.
There are several canyons you can loop together. Pasture, as well as the ones Shane just mentioned...
Woot! Thanks for adding more AJ!
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