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Starlord

5.11d, Trad, 360 ft (109 m), 3 pitches, Grade III,  Avg: 3.5 from 15 votes
FA: Tim Keyt, Alyse Dietel
Arizona > Northern Arizona > Sedona Area > Sedona > Mormon Canyon

Description

Starlord climbs the obvious and stunning steep crack on the left tower-wannabe in the back of the canyon just past Goliath. This stunning route boasts three stellar pitches, two with perfect patina splitters unlike almost anything else found in Sedona. Bomber rock, bomber placements, and just a good ole time in the galaxy more than make up for the hour approach. This route is high up in the canyon, so count on it being about 20 degrees colder than Sedona proper. In the shade most of the day, with an alpine start you can avoid sun. Upper pitches get sun at about 2:30.

P1: Start in the clearing at the base of a short stembox with a bolt. Wiggle up the stembox and doe-si-doe around the corner to another directional bolt. Climb right on easy ground to the right of the bulge then move left and over the bulge to the flared hand jam. Pull through this funkadelic move to wild juggy flakes straight up to the belay below the roof. 10a

P2: Money! It’s pretty hard to get lost on this pitch, as it’s a perfect splitter almost the whole way. Make good use of runners under the roof and punch it! After the tight hands thrash and dangle, reap the reward of perfect, steep, splitter hands! Keep going past the rap chains to the belay just past the last ten feet of easy blocks. 11+

P3: Prepare to enter the rabbit hole! Head to the other side of the flake that’s just to the right of the belay. Waltz up the crack to broken twin cracks leading to a wide slot. Finagle your way up the slot and out right onto a ledge. Stand up, regain your dignity, and prepare to lose it again wiggling up and into a stunning open book feature where you will use not one, but three styles of climbing to follow the crack up and right. Take a #3 camalot for a walk up this crack to prevent drag. At the end of the book, leave your #3 at the door and get ready for some serious exposure! Edge your way out of the book and onto the exposed face splitter of glory. Follow the splitter to the corner and stem and jam your way up to the final mantle. Continue up easy ground onto the belay ledge and build an anchor (.3, .4, .5). Once your follower is up, belay each other down to the rap anchor to the climber’s left of the agave on the edge of the summit. DO NOT unrope and walk to the rap anchor. Rap with a single 70m to the next rap chains that you passed on pitch two. 10a

Location

Approach as you would for Goliath in Mormon Canyon. Follow cairns and cut right from the wash up and to the right of Goliath into “middle wash”. Follow the wash and cairns to “upper wash” past Goliath to the back of the canyon. Follow cairns. Look for a whitewashed finger-looking crack on a tower-esque feature on your left. Starlord is around the corner on this feature. Look for the obvious roof splitter. You will dead end at a grey slab wall, leave your packs here, then walk up dirt ramp between shrubs to mini chimney.

Protection

One 70m rope
Nuts/sliders
1x green C3 – yellow C3
1x .3, .4, .5, #4
2x .75, #3
3-4x #1, #2
2 draws
7-10 runners

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Alyse Dietel on the splitter hands on pitch two. [[www.blakemccordphoto.com]]
[Hide Photo] Alyse Dietel on the splitter hands on pitch two. www.blakemccordphoto.com
The incredible tight-hands splitter roof on the beginning on pitch two. Photo by Blake McCord, blakemccordphoto.com
[Hide Photo] The incredible tight-hands splitter roof on the beginning on pitch two. Photo by Blake McCord, blakemccordphoto.com
Pulling the lip of the roof on P2
[Hide Photo] Pulling the lip of the roof on P2
Views down canyon getting ready to rappel the route
[Hide Photo] Views down canyon getting ready to rappel the route
Overview of pitches 1 + 2
[Hide Photo] Overview of pitches 1 + 2
google map
[Hide Photo] google map
View from the base
[Hide Photo] View from the base
After freeing the roof crux
[Hide Photo] After freeing the roof crux
Tim stoked after a day of free sending!
[Hide Photo] Tim stoked after a day of free sending!
Tim drilling the belay anchor for pitch one below the stellar splitter on pitch two.
[Hide Photo] Tim drilling the belay anchor for pitch one below the stellar splitter on pitch two.
Topo for Starlord
[Hide Photo] Topo for Starlord

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

[Hide Comment] Ahhh darn...
some one finally found this one.
I've only been thinking about doing this for 30 years...

Good job! Was there a flake near the "roof" that had to get pealed off? May 16, 2016
Jeffrey Snyder
Flagstaff, AZ
[Hide Comment] You mean these routes sit around forever?! Funny cause I remember TNT mentioning this splitter in a roof also... You guys really like to let these things marinate! May 17, 2016
Tim Heid
AZ
 
[Hide Comment] Got on it the other day. First pitch had some so-so rock. The spicy section just above the ledge around the v-slot took a .3 well...which I whipped on when a foothold blew, so it's good, but a bit nerve racking since you'd ledge out if it didn't. The upper section takes more smallish gear and you are pulling on hollow sounding stuff that I don't know that I'd want to fall on. Just a little Earn-Your-Burn. Once you hit the 2nd pitch though the quality is great(and that's why you came here anyways, right?!).

Found it reasonable to link P1&2 since the gear needs are totally different. That makes it about a 115' pitch. That upper splitter is SO damn good!

I did get poison ivy from this area as an FYI....

Jeff & Paul any other known routes in this canyon? Looked like some lines were rip for the picking and I couldn't find any info.... May 17, 2016
SummitSender
  5.11d
[Hide Comment] Ya I was randomly hiking up there one day looking for a old line and once in the back of the canyon I saw this looking at me. I thought it was sent by now for sure but after the "hotel maid cleaning" just to get to the money pitch I knew it wasn't. I was lucky to find it and get the F.A. I knew Snyder had seen it almost the same time I did, which meant he was gonna have ANOTHER awesome route with his name on it... So I jumped on it fast. Thanks for the stoke Snyder!

That big flake is still there... I couldn't reach it from the route and it looks solid.

First pitch rock is more bomber than it seems. I took a crowbar to every suspicious flake and they are solid! May 24, 2016
Jeffrey Snyder
Flagstaff, AZ
[Hide Comment] Naw wouldn't have been me... Wilson and Casey certainly had it in their crosshairs though. You got it just in time but I don't think anyone is complaining that there is now a route ready to go! May 28, 2016
[Hide Comment] So is this thing a legit tower, a kinda tower if you employ imagination, or a not a tower even remotely? Aug 17, 2016
[Hide Comment] Not a tower Sep 9, 2016
markguycan
flagstaff, AZ
  5.11c/d
[Hide Comment] Great route, I'd only bring 3 #1 and #2's next time. Seemed easier (but more sustained) than the second pitch of Castles in the Sand. Although I hear that "Castles" is easier now that part of it fell off. Nov 15, 2016
Derek Schad
McCarthy, AK
 
[Hide Comment] Beautiful second pitch. Adding to Tim's comment on poison ivy - its very much present! Ivy lines the base of the slab where you drop packs. Woody stems don't hold their leaves in the winter while this route is in so be aware!

That said, I'd get covered a hundred times over for that second pitch! Cheers to this stellar little gem. Feb 24, 2017
take TAKE
Mass
 
[Hide Comment] May 2024 update: Still lots of poison ivy/shrubs all around the base. To approach, keep climber's left! May 26, 2024
Jav G
AZ
  5.11d
[Hide Comment] Please note that at this time of year (May) the route is already in the sun by noon , and the final pitch only started getting shade around 2:30. Also, second the above comment, the base is riddled with poison ivy. Gloves, long sleeves, and pants highly recommended. May 28, 2024