Starstruck

Starstruck climbs a line just below the right shoulder of the northwest face of Strone Crag, taking in some beautiful formations and providing good position high above Big Cottonwood Creek.  The belay ledges are good and are rigged for bailing if necessary, and the descent can be made with one long rappel (see below), making this a good intro to multi-pitch climbing.  Stays in the sun in the spring and fall long after the rest of the crags in the lower canyon have been swallowed by darkness. 

 The first pitch begins by climbing a short, clean slab on the right end of the ledge system cutting across the base of Strone Crag's northwest face (see Location). A cam in a horizontal pod and micronuts in a seam protect the slab adequately (there are good slots; look around). Continue up the crack system above the slab to a ledge and take a short, sweet left-facing corner to another ledge. Walk left to a bolted belay. (90 feet).

Pitch two starts by stepping left from the top bolt onto the face. Climb thin cracks into a hanging dihedral. Continue up the dihedral to another ledge and belay from gear in a thin crack or chain anchors a few feet further left. (80 feet).

The last pitch works up the thin crack and over a small roof. Once over the roof, move left around the buttress and face climb to the top and bolt anchors. (50 feet). The last two pitches can be combined with a liberal use of runners.

Starstruck is on the northwest face of Strone Crag, maybe 200 feet right of the pine tree at the base of Le Rap et Tap and Wealth of Nations, above the unappetizing dark shale bands that prevent direct access to the northwest face. The best approach to reach the route, as well as all the other routes on the north face of Strone, is from Challenge Buttress. From the road, walk the well-trod Challenge Buttress trail to where it splits, then take the path to the right (the trail left goes to Challenge's east face). After 40 or so feet, the trail splits again; stay to the right (going left leads to Challenge's north and west faces). Continue along this trail for maybe 200 feet to the far right (west) side of a scree and boulder gully, then switch back up through the pine trees right of the gully. The trail heads back into the gully after a short distance, but it is very easy to follow to the right-end of the ledge system from which all of Strone's routes begin. The start to the ledge system is usually cairned.

Starstruck begins just as you gain the ledge system, on a clean slab reached by a walking a short ledge to the right. Another clue to the start of the route is that the slab is about 15 feet right (west) of the right-facing corner marking the start of Minotaur.

Descent: There are at least three options to get down: (1) Using two 60 meter ropes, you can make one long rappel to the ground. (2) If you have only one 60 meter rope, make two rappels stopping at a two-bolt hanging stance halfway down; bring a sling and quicklink to leave in case the slings that are usually there need replacing or have been stripped. About 25 feet lower and 10 feet to the right of the hanging stance there is a set of chains, but you probably need a 70 meter rope to reach them. (3) If you have a single 50 meter rope (or a 60 meter rope and you don't want to use the hanging stance), make three rappels, first stopping at the chains atop the second pitch of Starstruck, then the aforementioned chains down and right of the hanging stance.