Utah's Un-winter: Desolate Desert Destinationz
Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 5:36 am
With this year's persistently dismal snowpack and unpredictably deadly near-ground snowpack weaknesses, we've basically abandoned all hope and started playing darts and tennis.
I have been to the San Raphael Swell several times, mainly for exploratory mental exercises and rifle practice. The combination of being nearly 2 hours closer to Park City than Indian Creek and the insanely magical scenery combined with the lack of heavy regulation have made it our new happy place.
Though not as concentrated in high-grade splitter as the Creek, you can get everything you need and more in the Swell.
We arrived Saturday morning to rendezvous with another detachment at the Dylan Wall, the areas highest concentration of moderate to difficult splitter routes. I was blown away with the quality and pant-shitting vistas. Camp was typical SRS style, in a nice drainage with spectacular east views and rock formations and towers and whathaveyous.
Day 2 was spent evacuating to Moab to take cover from heavy rainfail. Luckily hotels rooms are free there. The evening cleared up and warm temps allowed us a slightly buzzed night time Wall Street session. Jean-Charles, my room mate in Switzerland was baptized in the ways of the Crack. After leading his first crack on Wall Street, his appetite for splitter has been whet, and this man will stop at nothing to feed the hunger.
Day 3 we went to Longs Canyon where I thought I would blow an O-ring by sending two routes that provided a formidable challenge: Electronic Battleship (very reminiscent of Scarface at the Creek) and Nina (hard as shit and steep). You gotta learn how to tackle the wide stuff somewhere. I'm starting to like the challenge of suffering up a 5 inch crack.
EB
Nina
I have been to the San Raphael Swell several times, mainly for exploratory mental exercises and rifle practice. The combination of being nearly 2 hours closer to Park City than Indian Creek and the insanely magical scenery combined with the lack of heavy regulation have made it our new happy place.
Though not as concentrated in high-grade splitter as the Creek, you can get everything you need and more in the Swell.
We arrived Saturday morning to rendezvous with another detachment at the Dylan Wall, the areas highest concentration of moderate to difficult splitter routes. I was blown away with the quality and pant-shitting vistas. Camp was typical SRS style, in a nice drainage with spectacular east views and rock formations and towers and whathaveyous.
Day 2 was spent evacuating to Moab to take cover from heavy rainfail. Luckily hotels rooms are free there. The evening cleared up and warm temps allowed us a slightly buzzed night time Wall Street session. Jean-Charles, my room mate in Switzerland was baptized in the ways of the Crack. After leading his first crack on Wall Street, his appetite for splitter has been whet, and this man will stop at nothing to feed the hunger.
Day 3 we went to Longs Canyon where I thought I would blow an O-ring by sending two routes that provided a formidable challenge: Electronic Battleship (very reminiscent of Scarface at the Creek) and Nina (hard as shit and steep). You gotta learn how to tackle the wide stuff somewhere. I'm starting to like the challenge of suffering up a 5 inch crack.
EB
Nina