TR: Moonlight Buttress

Finally finished up my first trip report from an ascent of Moonlight over St. Patrick's day. Enjoy.

ghowland.blogspot.com/2011/…

Awesome! Thanks for posting the link.

Awesome!
I think my buddy said it best after we topped out Moonlight and were hiking down...

"Someone could run up and punch me in the face right now, and I'd still be smiling ear-to-ear."

It's that good.

Very cool report! Curious, what did you take for a rack?

Going off of memory we took:

1 black alien
1 blue alien
3 #1 Blue Metolius/ .3 Blue BD
5 #2 Yellow Metolius/ .4 Gray BD
3 Orange Metolius
1 Red Alien
2 .5 Purple BD
1 #4 Red Metolius
2 .75 Green BD
2 #1 Red BD
2 #2 Yellow BD
1 #3 Blue BD
00/0 and 1/2 Offset Masters
0/1 and 2/3 Offset TCUs

1 Set of stoppers (Doubles in Mid sizes 8-11 Black Diamond)
DMM Alloy Offsets
DMM Brass Offsets 4 and 5
Tricams .5-2
1 Talon
1 Red Ball Nut
Pretty sure I didn't forget anyting

What we used/ needed:
2 #1 Metolius
4 #2 Metolius ( could do 3 if comfortable back cleaning a ways)
3 #3 Metolius
2 .5 BD
2 .75 BD
2 #1 BD
2 #2 BD
BD Stoppers 4-13 doubles in 8-11
DMM Offset Alloys
Red Ball Nut used once(Can make a free move to get around placing this on P2)
1 #2 tri-cam placement on P2 (Absolutely unnecessary though).

Notes: We back cleaned a ton. Really splitter on the upper headwall (Check my blog for a picture of it). Left stoppers as pro. I didn't feel like I had to leave cams since everything I was standing on was bomber. I felt comfortable with only 3 #3 Metolius and I haven't aided a ton. Would have been just as fine with only 2. Offset masters were AWESOME to have up there. 1/2 and 2/3 were most used of the set. Most pitches were .5 BD and smaller with 1 or 2 placements larger on the whole pitch. P1 ate the most big gear.

Greg Howland wrote: What we used/ needed: 2 #1 Metolius 4 #2 Metolius ( could do 3 if comfortable back cleaning a ways) 3 #3 Metolius 2 .5 BD 2 .75 BD 2 #1 BD 2 #2 BD BD Stoppers 4-13 doubles in 8-11 DMM Offset Alloys Red Ball Nut used once(Can make a free move to get around placing this on P2) 1 #2 tri-cam placement on P2 (Absolutely unnecessary though) ... Most pitches were .5 BD and smaller with 1 or 2 placements larger on the whole pitch. P1 ate the most big gear.

Looks like you guys had a great time.

The ST guidebook calls for a 4/4.5 piece but you guys found it pretty straightforward without using anything bigger than a 2? Did that require tricky aid shenanigans to avoid or is the Taco just being melodramatic?

Thanks for the write up and the photos. They are really making me wish my Zion trip hadn't fallen through this winter!

Yarp wrote: The ST guidebook calls for a 4/4.5 piece but you guys found it pretty straightforward without using anything bigger than a 2? Did that require tricky aid shenanigans to avoid or is the Taco just being melodramatic?

I can't even think of a place where you would place it. Maybe on the 1st pitch? There's only one spot that I can think of on that pitch that took a #3 BD which I took out and placed a #2 not too far from it. Maybe on the chimney up on P5. I didn't lead that pitch but it looked too flared to place anything. There was a fixed #1 metolius at the base of the chimney (not sure if my partner used it). He said there was a little ledge to stand on once inside the chimney where he could barely, at around 6', clip the bolt. It seemed like even if you were short you would have to only make 1 or 2 free moves to clip the bolt with pro at your feet. Both of us agreed that the #3 BD could have been left on the ground. Wishing we had bigger gear did not cross either of our mind's at all. No aid trickery involved. I don't even know any yet and I felt fine. If you brought the "rack we took" with an extra #3 metolius, it would be more than enough.

Get back out there and get on it. Just be psyched! If you're psyched everything else will work itself out up there.

Feel free to PM me with any questions.

partner call for this route starting early next week.
Who's comin with me?
chadfurman@gmail.com

nice TR bro! my trip up moonlight sounds very similar to yours. congrats on the send!