Wigs in Space

This route has three lackluster pitches to start, five good pitches in the middle, and ends with two more weak pitches and a rap with high potential for snagging your rope. Really deserves 1.5 stars.

This climb is on the southwest buttress of

Red Arch Mountain

and consists primarily of a series of left-facing corners. It can be best seen from about half-way between the Zion Lodge bus stop and the Grotto bus stop.

P1

Climb the finger crack (5.8) then bushwhack up a ledgy area and establish a belay.

P2

Walk around bushes for about 50-100' until another rock step.

P3

Make a 5.7 move up a corner using pockets then follow a right-leaning ramp to a two-bolt belay at the base of the Afro cracks.

P4

(5.11, 130') Thin fingers (crux) up the cracks leads to a left-leaning corner system (mostly hands with a move or two of 5.10) which ends at a ledge below a wide, sandy 30' corner with anchors visible at its top.

Traverse straight right here (5.6 slabbing), past a pin, up a 3" corner then traverse back left to the previously-visible slings. Deft rope management is required during these traverses to avoid potentially killer rope drag which could prevent maintaining a tight rope as the second follows the crux (which is just off the previous belay ledge).

P5

(5.9, 100') Follow the chimney (bolt) up right, then left (bolt) to an interesting exit move. Belay at a ledge with bolts. Note that the original aid line is to the left of the free version described here; the two lines near each other at the chimney exit.

P6

(5.10, 100') Follow the bombay chimney whose continuous difficulty is mitigated by frequent opportunities to place non-wide gear. A wild exit move onto jugs leads to 5.8 face climbing past two bolts and a 10' 5.7 traverse right to a bolted anchor at the base of a long, clean corner.

P7

(5.10, 170') Follow the corner as it steepens (spooky 5.8 on friable flakes) until after about 80', before the corner becomes vertical and very clean, a finger crack diagonals onto the left face.

Follow the finger crack (~9+) with more snappy flake footholds until it becomes a vertical, wide, hand crack. Follow the hand crack (mainly 2.5 - 3.5 Friends) to a bolted anchor in an alcove. This is a classic pitch will get better as the breakable flakes are "consigned to the void."

P8

(5.9, 80') Follow a left-arching slot/chimney to easy face climbing which ends at another bolted anchor. The good climbing ends at this point.

P9

(5.8, 70') Up a mossy, barely-protected 5.7 corner to the base of a large pillar. Tunnel behind the pillar (challenging for the claustrophobic and/or wide bodied) then up another easy corner to a ledge with two bolts.

P10

(5.9R (5.5X), 80') Find a way over the short cliff above the anchor. We chose a spot about 25' right of the anchor where it was possible to get pro for the 5.9 move. Follow low-angled super choss until you reach a tree you can belay from. At this point you are on the shoulder of

Red Arch Mountain

; several hundred feet of class three from the summit.

One each 1-8 Rocks

Two each blue Alien - #2 Friend

Three each #2.5 - #3.5 Friend

One each #3.5, #4, #4.5 Camalot

Long slings and quickdraws