Arm and Hammer 

One of the better routes I've ever done in the Salt Lake area. The exposure is great, its a sweet sight of the valley, and the rock is really clean up until the 4th pitch. The gear on this route takes everything, and the pitches are long so gear up.(5.10a A0)

mmm mmm good I wouldn't like to fall on anything placed in the curtain

The fourth pitch climbs a hand crack above the anchors above Zion Curtain, and continues for a while until it hits a roof, then it goes left at the roof and gains the tree.
This wasn't all that clear for me today, so I thought I would clarify.
Great route, didn't get to do the slab above the tree, and on the post Zion Curtain pitch, we traversed right (by accident) and ended up in the 5.10b chimney of Butcher Knife. Nice!! Got to the 5.10c roof and traversed on the runout slab, missed a bolt protecting the 5.10d roof move of Cymbals of the Sun, and made it back in a very circuitous manner to the now obvious hand crack. Doh!!

Pitch five (second above the curtain) was super gritty and fairly insecure, but relatively easy (we hung right above the belay). Belay at another tree and scramble to the summit pinnacles. The hike off to the east gully was easy and beat rapping the route (there is one 20ft rap/batman in the gully). This could save dragging a second rope for the raps (committing...)(albeit bringing shoes can be a drag). Although I initially argued for the rap, I'd now take the hike-off any day. Cheers.

Tony said,"Start: The 2-bolt/chain belay on the spacious ledge atop the 1st pitch of The Ellsworth-McQuarrie Route.
Pitch 1: Immediately traverse 25 feet down/left (5.11c) using a 5-foot long stainless-steel cable on a 3/8" bolt for protection or pendulum (A0) on the cable to grab a flake (A redundant 1/4" bolt can be removed here). Climb up terraced ledges to a thin (5.10a) face protected by two 3/8" bolts (2 redundant 1/4" bolts can be removed here). Belay at a 2-bolt [short chains] station (A redundant 1/4" bolt can be removed here). The pitch is about 130 feet long.
Pitch 2: Immediately traverse 30 feet left (5.11c) using a 3/8" bolt for protection or pendulum (A0) from the bolt using your rope (A redundant 1/4" bolt can be removed here). Grab the Zion Curtain flake. Back-up the 1/4" bolt at the bottom of the flake with a solid cam in the crack immediately left. Climb the flake. Back-up the 1/4" bolt at the top of the flake with a solid cam in the crack immediately left. Belay at a 2-bolt/chain station (A redundant 1/4" bolt can be removed here). The pitch is about 150 feet long.
Pitch 3: Climb 150 feet straight up a shallow dihedral, a hand crack and left around a 5.8 roof to a bush growing from under a detached flake. Do not climb into the gully to the left. You could find yourself stranded up here with stuck ropes. Belay at a 2-bolt [short chains] station immediately right of the bush.
Pitch 4: Climb 70 feet right & up a flakey slab to a bush. Belay at a 2-bolt/chain/rap-hanger station immediately left of the bush. "


Wait, I don't get the new bolt count? Are the 3/8's new and the 1/4's from the fa?

Thank you for clarifying the pitches after the curtain. I got sucked left when I couldn't see the anchors on the right. myopic again.

Who added the 'wire' at the pendulum?

...weird.

I believe the original 4th pitch does goes left into the chimney with the 'junk' chockstones. From here, you can do a 5th pitch by stemming off the belay to reach a thin crack that traverses right to a hand crack. From here you can continue past the new bolt anchors (at tope of 4th pitch of Butcher Knife/Cymbals) to another newly bolted anchor next to a mahogany and just below the ridge crest.
This is a good pitch (5.8) but the rock is a pretty gritty.

A comment about the 'redundant' bolts. I don't understand why retro-bolters are not removing the original bolts and using the same hole for the new bolt? The new bolt at the pendulum is about a foot further to the left than the original and could not have been drilled there on lead. That foot makes the pendulum easier, changing the character of the climb. In that case, I was glad the 'redundant' bolt was left so I could do the pendulum as the FA party did!

Thanks to whoever added the upper rap stations and gave extended life to the trees!

Awesome route! Great exposure, fantastic views, and excellent rock (until the last pitch at least).

When I return I'll bring the following rack:

1 set of nuts, a single set of camalots thru #4 with an extra #2 & #3 each for the "Zion Curtain" pitch.

Enough praise has been given to the lower pitches already, so I won't go there. It doesn't get better than the Zion Curtain if you keep going, but the pitch above it would be a 5 stars classic if it was on any other route. Spicy climbing up a dihedral to a finger crack that opens into a long hand crack, putting you under a roof. That section is quite long a gobbles gear so if you're planning on tackling the roof (traversing left under it that is) make sure you have at least a #2 and some .4 and .5 left, otherwise you'll be very sad.

If you're short on gear or on nerves like I was, get on the original pitch by traversing left in the gully to a sling anchor around blocks. Interesting geology in there... Chimney up until you get to the finger crack, traverse right onto the slab if you're feeling burly, or use my now fixed #1 nut for yet another tension traverse that gets you to the dihedral formed by the slab and the roof, then climb up to the anchor.
The last pitch goes right for some unnerving slab moves (is that foot gonna disintegrate before I rip out that flake?) leading to easier but slippery ground until you reach a 2 bolt anchor and then scramble to the summit.

From there take a walk east to where the ridge gets pretty narrow and take a look in Little Cottonwood. That's right, you're about as high as the Pawn! Keep going east until the ridge drops then start climbing again then pick the least heinous way down the gully, staying close to the buttress to the east. The handlines are gone but 2 short raps from solid sling anchors and some fairly heinous bushwacking brings you back to the packs.

Gear: 1 set of nuts and micros, cams up to #4 with doubles from .5 to 2, maybe a third .75 for the curtain.

Great Route. It might be blasphemy to say this but I liked the 4th pitch a bit more even than the Zion Curtain!!! (gasp). Do as Boissal recommends and make sure you save at least a number 2 for the roof. Also put on a long runner. After you have gone around the roof move on to the slab and go to the right of the tree(there is another hand crack directly below the tree) and flip the rope over the top of the roof rather than around it. Run it out to the anchors if you can or you may be lowering to clean all of it so you can pull the rope up...

Seems like a mechanical engineer could figure all that out WHILE on lead. (he he he)

That consensus grade has got to be for the A0 version. Don't short change yourself. P2 is awesome at steep, fun 11a/b.

A fun route! If you think the slab is hard on this one than do Cymbals of the Sun. The Zion Curtain definitely makes it worth it but sadly you shoot up it within 30 seconds. You almost want to rappel and do it again.

You can reach the ground with a double rope rappel on 60m ropes from the belay station right before the curtain.