[Hide Comment] Awesome climb - best route I've done in the Wasatch.

Pitch 1 starts well up and right of the rap anchor on Pete's Staircase. If you are using a rope on Pete's Staircase, it is probably best to belay at the first rap anchor and then again at the base of the dihedral. The dihedral pitch is amazing.

Pitch 2 is weird and traverses a lot. It is very easy to belay too low, and if you do I'm not at all sure you can make it to the top of pitch 3 with a 60 meter rope. Don't be tempted to belay at the first good ledge with a steep crack above it. Climb the crack for another 30 feet to another good ledge.

Pitch 3 is unreal. Fairly runout, but the chickenheads keep it comfortable. Very long and the features just keep coming until the spectacular topout. This is one of the best pitches I have ever done, anywhere. Aug 30, 2004

[Hide Comment] A total classic! The dihedral is beyond fun with totally solid hand and foot jams and the last pitch is a dream of patina with INSANE exposure! The final pitch really protects quite well, however, the climbing is so fun and easy that, before you know it you may be twenty feet past yr last piece. The only bummer is,of course, the approach. But hey, it is a character building experience.I did this as a day trip which I really regret. The extra gear for an overnighter would be well worth it in my opinion. Once you are up there, you will not want to leave. Sep 21, 2005

[Hide Comment] I guess I always knew the Lowe route was the most popular in the cirque, but this last weekend the large majority of the people coming up were there ONLY for the Lowe route. I can't imagine doing that hike for 3 pitches of climbing. They are some pretty awesome pitches though. The last pitch really is as good as everyone says, patina that comes right out of a dream. Jun 26, 2007

[Hide Comment] I agree with all of the above. The first pitch is a great crack with bomber hand jams. Really fun.
For some reason I remembered the second pitch as being easier, but the second time around it felt like a solid 5.7, especially the crack leading up to the belay for the 3rd pitch.
What can I say about the last pitch? Leading it is a sweet experience. I found it a little hard to protect and as a result, ran it out until there was a place to put pro. But the holds are so good that it wasn't too scary. Just don't look down too often! Sep 22, 2008

[Hide Comment] Just wanted to add that it is possible to do the 3rd pitch from the lower belay ledge with a 60m rope. We did it this weekend while waiting for a party that was still at the normal belay ledge and had plenty of cord. If you stop here to wait for a group or simply by accident, you don't need to make this into a four pitch climb. Aug 8, 2011

[Hide Comment] Great climb. Pitch 1 is really cool with a 2 pin anchor on top of the pillar that can be backed up with hand sized gear. Pitch 2 is a bit confusing, here are some landmarks to keep you on track: Obvious thin hands crack to a short traverse on ledges to the huge bong piton. Head up and you should see a bolt above you(you won't use it as it is not on route) where you begin to traverse back right. After traversing right you should spot the big grassy ledge above you. Do one more left then right and this will land you on this big ledge, with a good vertical crack for a belay. I recommend stopping here rather than continuing as this belay is much more comfortable and has more convenient gear then 30 feet higher on the 2nd ledge, though this makes pitch 3 longer and you can't see the climber for most of it, so take that into consideration. It is about 15 feet off the 2nd ledge to your first piece of pro but after that gear occurs pretty regularly through the patina. Sep 6, 2011

[Hide Comment] There is a short traverse out right at the start of pitch 3. I would not have recognized this if my buddy hadn;t done the route before. You can only get gear way out right. So find your longest sling or wait til you get higher and try not to factor 2 onto your belay. Third pitch is amazing! A must do warm-up for any trip to the cirque Mar 3, 2012

[Hide Comment] I think it is a good intro to the cirque since it's short enough and easy enough to get to. That first pitch (5.8 dihedral) is pretty short. The second pitch zig-zagged on ledgey stuff most of the way. To get to it, find the top rap station on Pete's Staircase. You're kind of in a left facing corner. Climb that corner (thin flakes forming wide cracks) and mantle up on top to that nice ledge with slings on two pitons. Peek over the block and there's another nice ledge at the base of the dihedral pitch. You could belay from the tp rap station on Pete's Staircase since the first pitch is short, but you may get rope drag. From the top rap station, you probably could go down and around climber's right so you don't have to climb those flakes (didn't seem like good pro - I didn't place any). Jul 2, 2013

[Hide Comment] An excellent variation is to substitute the second pitch of The Answer. This gives you an extra pitch of amazing 5.8 patina pulling. It's super easy to link back to the last pitch of the Lowe Route, simply head straight up the incipient crack after traversing right off the belay around the overhang. Jul 28, 2014

[Hide Comment] Not only the best 5.8 in the Cirque, I'd go so far as to call it the best 5.8 in Utah, and maybe in North America. Ultra Classic moves on perfect rock in a spectacular setting. This route epitomizes why I love alpine climbing. Sep 23, 2014

[Hide Comment] Two #1's are very nice to have for the first pitch.
Third pitch is absolutely the best 5.8 I've ever done. Jul 17, 2017

[Hide Comment] Can be done in two pitches with a 60m rope with some rope to spare on each pitch. Take the first pitch all the way to the "lower" belay ledge at the top of the second pitch (just after the left, right, left, right section on ledges). Extend gear on the first pitch liberally if you do this. Aug 28, 2017

[Hide Comment] Looking at possibly doing this route in October, I would be interested to know what kind of pro people used since its such a long hike in. Thanks! Aug 21, 2018

[Hide Comment] A better question would be: Has anyone ever climbed here in October? Aug 21, 2018

[Hide Comment] Good point. Has anyone ever climbed here in October? Aug 22, 2018

[Hide Comment] For those asking about climbing in October...we climbed it yesterday, Sept 23rd, and it was a little chilly with the wind. The whole question mark wall stays in the shade until around 4pm, so it can get cold. It looked like the crew climbing Summit Wall in the sun might have enjoyed their day a little more. Bring layers and you'll be fine!

For gear, mid sizes (#.5-2) and a set of nuts work just fine. Sep 23, 2018

[Hide Comment] Absolutely perfect route, with perfect camping, in a perfect alpine setting. The approach is not so perfect.

Pitch 1 is an excellent, pro eating, less than vertical crack with fairly frequent face holds. Very secure lead. 5.8-.

Pitch 2 zigzags naturally up to the lower grassy ledge. The climbing is on huge ledges and flakes. The climbing is easy, ninja-like, and thrilling! Thoughtful sling placement equals zero rope drag. 5.6-5.7.

We belayed at the lower grassy ledge and added a short pitch to the upper ledge via the obvious crack. 5.7+. However, to the left there seemed be an alternative way (easier but less pro) to the upper ledge?

The beginning of Pitch 3 is run out for 15-20 feet. It warranted a PG rating for me, but the climbing was so secure it would be hard to fall. We went up right, then traversed left back to the crack. 5.6.

Upward, happy climbing on positive holds with frequent enough pro. There are some harder moves up top, but nothing concerning. 5.7.

I felt it is easier than Open Book.

This climb has it all! Stoked! Jul 5, 2020

[Hide Comment] Great Climb! If you are a more timid leader like myself, you might want to bring a bit more gear than a single rack of cams, I felt like I wanted more number 1s and .75s on pitch 1. Also, someone got a .5 wild country cam at the pitch 1 pin anchor; kudos to whoever digs it out, its pretty stuck. Jul 14, 2020

[Hide Comment] Gear was a little spicy on this one with just a single rack... Maybe that's alpine climbing. I wish I had brought some extra tight hands pieces as stated above. Yes, the pro is there on the top pitch but it's probably close to 150 ft and felt a bit more spaced out than I would have liked with just a set of cams and nuts. Great route overall. Jul 18, 2020

[Hide Comment] The final pitch is not 90' as depicted in the Granite Guide. By my estimates, 130-145.

Obviously you need to be able to improvise and use good judgement in the alpine. However, there are swaths of areas on the last pitch that would be difficult for building an anchor. Don't want an unplanned simo-climb. Aug 17, 2020

[Hide Comment] Absolutely one of the best routes I've ever done. The hand crack at the beginning is MONEY, and the final pitch is astonishing. Climbing up amazing face holds on the headwall with ridiculous exposure is not to be missed. Do this one. Beta to follow:

Final pitch was much longer than 90'. I used every piece of gear I had and ended up using a natural belay at the top (just used the rope as an anchor around a good block). It was worth taking more than a single rack to sew it up. I even cleaned a nut off the route and placed it later. Jun 18, 2021

[Hide Comment] Every so often, you come across a climb that brings you back to the root of why you love climbing so much. This was one of those for me. I got to the base of the third pitch wondering how it could possibly be better than the brilliant hand crack on the first pitch....and then I found out. Truly an incredible route. Rock quality rivals the bugaboos. Worth the hike (and that’s saying a LOT, seriously Utah, have you heard of switchbacks?). We climbed this route and scrambled over to tag the true summit. About a 15 hour (or so) day with the approach. I’ve done a lot of alpine approaches and this one takes the cake. Absolutely brutal. Worth it, though. Jul 13, 2021

[Hide Comment] Is this route climbable in the winter? South facing and stay dry? Jan 1, 2022

[Hide Comment] Wonderful climb. The crack up the corner to start is glorious. The second pitch is mostly just a transition getting to the base of the third, but has a couple of fun little sections. The third pitch is just fun.
There is a rap station about 25' down and left of the start which leads to a second rap that takes you back down to the base. Sep 8, 2023