Sheer Lunacy, Moonlight Buttress Area IV 5.9 C2 or 5.12+ or 5.13

 
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Zion National Park, Utah, USA

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Grippa

Trad climber
Salt Lake City, UT
Mar 14, 2014 - 05:17pm
 
This is probably one of the most fun routes I've done in Zion. If freeing or french freeing bring triples from green C3 to .75 camalot. Doubles to #1 with a single 2 and 3 camalot.
Toker Villain

Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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   Nov 18, 2009 - 11:45am
I had not anticipated an all free ascent, but knew most of it would go.
The belays for a roped solo were located accordingly, but I can understand shifting the one below the Primo Crack.

There seem to be a couple of spots people where people can go off route.
The first is going to the right rather than to the belay below the Shroud of Elvis (Nancy did this on the SA and I yelled beta from the road!)
The second is on the Face Crack, again not taking the easier left option.

Seiging much of the route in the early cool hours before the sun hit in midsummer '92 was great fun.
Toquerville Tower got its name by being the farthest from my home there; going up and over might even be faster than rapping off.



I think it would have been better form for Chris to obtain permission for essentially reproducing my original material published in Onsight many years ago.
Legal? Perhaps, but so what? Still bad form.

But this is an old stale debate.

Enjoy the route and try to go lightly.
mikeyschaefer

climber
Sport-o-land
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   Nov 14, 2009 - 08:43pm
I've done this route a couple times now and it is totally amazing. A good intro to some of the harder free climbing in Zion. The Primo crack would be a classic pitch anywhere. A funky boulder problem getting over the initial roof followed by enduro liebacking and stemming protected by small camming units. I've always belayed just underneath the starting roof not down and right as the topo shows.

The next 5.11 pitch is also classic. A couple tricky spots for the pro but it is good once it is in. The belay for this pitch isn't marked on the topo, but it is two drilled angles on a sloping ledge. It is probably possible to link the second crack and the shroud of Elvis if aid climbing but it would be a mistake to link them while free climbing.

Only one #4 camalot is need on the Face Crack pitch if a little bumping of the #4 is done. You will want it for the Hidden Crack section.

I've always taken the right variation on the crux pitch which looks to be much better climbing then the direct way. A boulder problem getting off the ledge leads to good fingers and hands for a bit then an exciting traverse left protected by good finger sized cams. The gear is a little funky once you get into the left crack. a small stopper is needed here. It is also hard to clip the bolt that protects the crux (the bolt is kinda in need of replacing). Save some fingers to thin hands sized pieces for the end of the pitch.

Last pitch is a little sandy and not that great but not really that bad either.

check out some pics here http://mikeylikesrocks.com/blog/?p=14
clustiere

Trad climber
berkeley ca
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   Jul 31, 2009 - 05:57pm
A good route to do if the other more popular lines ,MLB or LX are buisy, still you do share the same first pitches.
Moonlight Buttress Area - Sheer Lunacy IV 5.9 C2 or 5.12+ or 5.13 - Zion National Park, Utah, USA. Click to Enlarge
Photo: Bryan Bird
 
*What is "Route Beta"?
It's climber slang for information or tips on a route as in, "what's the beta on that route?" As a service to fellow climbers we ask SuperTopo guidebook users to post tips and updates to this website if they have relevant information to share after a climb.