5.11 in Little Cottonwood

[begin super geeky blog]
It feels like the end of the most of the season in the Wasatch today. The weather yesterday was perfect and dry and today the snow is lake effecting down hard at my house. I'm already missing the season, but how cool it is to have these canyons at our back yard!
Yesterday a couple of friends and I did Shingo and Andy's route Enter the Dragon and it was super fun. It got me thinking about how much fun 5.11 in LCC can be. For years, I felt like this was an inaccessible grade there for me. I wasn't sure what progression to make or what routes were safe enough for me to make a mistake on and not hurt myself. I've been super intimidated on 5.10 there and sometimes found .12 to be fairly straightforward. What gives?
What were your first few .11's in LCC and what would have been a better way to go?
[/end super geeky blog]

I did a route search and found this

5.11 in LCC is hard!

I don't have much experience at 11a in LCC and have not redpointed any of them yet, but I do have 2 really safe suggestions.

Equipment Overhang Left
Pro: Seems soft even compared to the harder 10's. Potentially good fall experience at the upper crux (my most recent result).
Con: Not really a trad 11a as the crux is well bolted. Falling at the upper crux may result in quite a rock rash.

Tick Fever
Pro: Good trad gear the entire way. 3 very good evenly spaced rests, two of which are no hands.
Con: Burly!

Apart from the less-than-desirable approach, Coyne Crack protects super well. Some people complain it's too short. I say it's long enough for me!

I know that Tenesmus has climbed all the routes suggested so far...I would love to see his list of what he considers the best 5.11 in LCC.
I belayed you on Looney Tunes and thought it was hard but fun. What about Gordons Direct.
I just need to go out with you guys and get my but kicked in a major but good way. It has been way to long...
Dallen

Christopher of the Everglades. Super awesome crazy granite funk.

Greg Z wrote:I don't have much experience at 11a in LCC and have not redpointed any of them yet, but I do have 2 really safe suggestions. Equipment Overhang Left Pro: Seems soft even compared to the harder 10's. Potentially good fall experience at the upper crux (my most recent result). Con: Not really a trad 11a as the crux is well bolted. Falling at the upper crux may result in quite a rock rash. Tick Fever Pro: Good trad gear the entire way. 3 very good evenly spaced rests, two of which are no hands. Con: Burly!

My first two were these. At the time, I loved that the crux of E.Left was bolt protected.
I flailed like crazy the first few times I tried Tick Fever. Finally figured out that there is a bomber finger lock to pull the last crux. Not doing the crazy mantle out left and then getting back right made it way more chill.
Looney Tunes scares the hell out of me and I really do think Trinity Right is way easier.
+1 on Christopher of the Everglades, although I have not been back to redpoint in lieu of trying the other .11's up there.

But what other .11's do you guys like?
And although the route is classic, the .11 move on Stiffler's doesn't count.

Perhaps my first month in Salt Lake back in 2006, Chris Covington got me up to Stormy Resurrection. That thing is still one of my favorites in the canyon.

My goal for life is to redpoint what I consider to be the "sandbagged 11c's of LCC". Aka if you can do these ones, you're sitting pretty well.

-gargoyle
-Mother of pearl
-spring and fall
-wing nut

so far not going so good. only 1/4. but it presents a fun challenge.

tenesmus wrote: Looney Tunes scares the hell out of me and I really do think Trinity Right is way easier.

Way easier? Come on now, let's not get carried away, Looney has 1 hard move which is scary, Trinity has a whole bunch of them, half being lieback moves which automatically up the scare factor. Bring a pad for Looney and pretend it's a boulder problem.

Stormy's is great, intimidating at first but a beta run makes it a lot more approchable. Previewing the moves to get out of the cave and out of the traverse make all the difference. Tick Fever is the same, the very first time I tried it I was frozen solid and couldn't do a single move, after running up it on TR it comes together nicely although I could use a bomber finger lock a the crux (note: haven't been back to either for the send).
I still feel like Gordon's Direct is rough although there are great stances to place from. Always feels greasy for some reason and the ever thinning nature of the holds combined with the increasing pump still bother me. Coyne left me bloodied and pissed off. It does protect really well and it is quite short though.
I'd throw in Gargoyle as a route which isn't easy but quite straighforward (and aidable if needed) with good gear and an upper section that can force you to commit.

[begin even geekier blog]

The thing which has worked really well for me this year is to approach harder trad lines as sport projects. Onsights don't exist in my world since fear trumps style every time. If I ever want to send (let alone enjoy) the route I need to take a good look at it in a "controlled environment" aka TR. Ideally I belay someone who can rock climb and then take a look or on the few occasions I have to go first I just focus on getting to the top on the first go. I climb until I'm pumped silly or scared shitless (usually both), rest, repeat in short blocks or aid if needed.
Once on TR I can do a couple laps working out the moves that don't come naturally and I can find gear which makes me feel like the route is bolted. Once that's out of the way I can go for it. I'm still gripped as hell but I know where the gear is, where I can rest, where I need to punch it, etc... and it's usually enough to get to the top without throwing a giant fit and resting. Maybe one day I'll get a solid head but for now that's the only way I've found to touch 11s and it's made me really comfortable when I re-visit easier stuff which used to bother me or even walk up to a 10 and do it confidently.

[/end even geekier blog]

Tene, how about those new upper E Gate routes you did with Drew? Good 11 cracks or funky ones?
The best 5.11 to try in LCC for a first of the grade is in Ferguson anyway (Fortress). Granite is granite.

Spencer Weiler wrote:My goal for life is to redpoint what I consider to be the "sandbagged 11c's of LCC". Aka if you can do these ones, you're sitting pretty well. -gargoyle -Mother of pearl -spring and fall -wing nut so far not going so good. only 1/4. but it presents a fun challenge.

But dooooood, you have MOP at 11c, you're probably the only person to have done it and think it's graded appropriately.
Beast.

+1 for coyne crack- Short crux that protects really well.

s-crack- yard up the fixed line and enjoy the hand to finger crack, also protects well.

cracked egg- seems soft for the grade, this aint no MOP 11c

Anyone done Rotert's Rooter? Looks fun but intimidating.

I'd vote Gordons Direct as a good 5.11 gateway. You get to sit on the pedestal before venturing into the thin, but positive sequence before the crux. Are we simply listing only those routes that are crack's though? What about 5.11 slabs?! Prepositional Phrase is a good venue for testing one's mettle on thinner friction. Way easier than Punany for instance...

Tick Fever and Looney Tunes were my most memorable- what a beautiful place- I miss having that in my backyard! Cheers y'all!

Boissal wrote: [begin even geekier blog] The thing which has worked really well for me this year is to approach harder trad lines as sport projects. Onsights don't exist in my world since fear trumps style every time. If I ever want to send (let alone enjoy) the route I need to take a good look at it in a "controlled environment" aka TR. Ideally I belay someone who can rock climb and then take a look or on the few occasions I have to go first I just focus on getting to the top on the first go. I climb until I'm pumped silly or scared shitless (usually both), rest, repeat in short blocks or aid if needed. Once on TR I can do a couple laps working out the moves that don't come naturally and I can find gear which makes me feel like the route is bolted. Once that's out of the way I can go for it. I'm still gripped as hell but I know where the gear is, where I can rest, where I need to punch it, etc... and it's usually enough to get to the top without throwing a giant fit and resting. Maybe one day I'll get a solid head but for now that's the only way I've found to touch 11s and it's made me really comfortable when I re-visit easier stuff which used to bother me or even walk up to a 10 and do it confidently. [/end even geekier blog]

= moment of zen and exactly how I approach a lot of those routes.

Boissal wrote: Tene, how about those new upper E Gate routes you did with Drew? Good 11 cracks or funky ones? The best 5.11 to try in LCC for a first of the grade is in Ferguson anyway (Fortress). Granite is granite.

Total FA bias, but I think the Pipe Dream is super accessible. The beginning crack has a nice pedestal and upper stance to sew up, shake out, maybe even downclimb to before punching it. The crux has a bolt, then cool jugs and dynamic movement. Then finishing on the finger crack on El Chollo rounds it out.
Drew in the business.

I also thought the routes Brian and I cleaned out by the Flakes are super fun. Gran Hermano felt a little more physical than El Segundo , which has a really fun finger crack.
Route 1 is The Flakes Route 2 is Gran Hermano Route 3 is El Segundo

Thread appreciation. Cuz I'm looking for new projects, but can def relate to this:

tenesmus wrote:I wasn't sure what progression to make or what routes were safe enough for me to make a mistake on and not hurt myself.

Greg G wrote:Are we simply listing only those routes that are crack's though? What about 5.11 slabs?! Prepositional Phrase is a good venue for testing one's mettle on thinner friction. Way easier than Punany for instance...

I feel like slabs are in a different class, especially when you get into the 11s... Most of the crack routes listed above have decent gear and if you reach terminal pump or get too spooked you can usually slam something in and regroup. You can aid most of those lines and TR them into submission to build headspace.

[geeky slab blog]

For slabs, excluding those few which are piss hard but well protected (Neuromancer, Punany, or that heinous short one at GWI), it's OS or nothing (at least for me). Getting confortable on hard slabs isn't easy since taking big rides tends to be pretty rattling and you have to figure things out on the fly. I feel like it's more of a style-specific process as opposed to a route-specific one. You do a whole bunch of 5.9 slabs, feel confortable enough to bump it up into the 10s, OS a bunch of them, throw in some R to fortify the mind, push into the scary 10+ realm and eventually you'll come to believe that you can't fall on slabs unless you choose to. That's when you get on the 11s.

[/geeky slab blog]

I thought Neuromancer to Littlefoot was a good intro, Neuro is super well protected when it matters, Littlefoot is a tad harder and a tad more involved. One Time at Band Camp makes up in difficulty what it lacks in scare factor. Toe Shoes felt like a step up from both and considerably more commiting.

Moving to the other side od the canyon, I think Punany is really stout and for being so well bolted you can take some decent falls at the crux. I didn't lead Prepositional but I thought it was as hard and quite committing. Dangling Participle looks even worse. Closet Lycra is a good one too, it gets 10d/11a in the book but it's very much 11a and the bolts get a bit more spread out with some traversing for added fun. Obviously there are dozens of others but that's about where my slab career peaked...

So, I'm laughing at myself, but "If Looks Could Kill" (11d )was EZ. I say this as I somehow blazed up it BITD, but now, there's no way in hell. Proves to me how mental the slab game can be.

Also, "Exsqueeze Me" (11d) on the coffin is amusing as it gives you easy stuff until, BAM, in your face. Good one to TR. Does anyone lead this one?

zoso wrote:So, I'm laughing at myself, but "If Looks Could Kill" (11d )was EZ. I say this as I somehow blazed up it BITD, but now, there's no way in hell. Proves to me how mental the slab game can be. Also, "Exsqueeze Me" (11d) on the coffin is amusing as it gives you easy stuff until, BAM, in your face. Good one to TR. Does anyone lead this one?

Shit, really? I haven't been on it but it looks damn near impossible.
Although I remember getting on Air Express on TR and making all the moves without ever feeling like I was going to fall. Same grade, also R. As for leading it, well...
Exsqueeze me isn't bad to lead, less scary than the Viewing.