Adrenaline Junkies

While the name of this line is typically something you'd hear from Grandma when she talks about your climbing habit (or a KSL news anchor reporting on any number of "extreme" sports), you'd be foolish to expect a tame adventure. The climbing has a typical Ibex feel (thin, funky, exposed) and the Bronze Age hardware keeps things spicy!

P1. Start in an alcove below a steep bolted dihedral. Scramble to a pin then commit to steepening moves on worsening holds to get over the first of many bulges. A ridiculously wide stem maneuver seems mandatory: you might split your crotch but at least you're clipping bolts. Slightly easier climbing past more bulges protected by amusing fixed antiques (and the gear you should have brought) will deposit you at a two-bolt anchor. 5.11a, 35m.

P2. Intricate face moves off the belay lead to a beautiful arete sequence protected by a bolt and a pin. No stemming to be found here, just battle the arete then shuffle right, surmount a tricky bulge and take a deep breath when you get to a perfect ledge. Don't get carried away and keep going, there's a bolted anchor to the right. Solid 5.11, 15m.

P3. From the belay traverse back left to the bolt and shoot up the spur feature clipping the occasional bolt. Stay on the spur until a pin appears then commit to a few bulgy moves on less than inviting rock to get to a last bolt (stemming to the left is appealing but not recommended: you'll find a crack and gear placements but also a bunch of loose flakes and choss). Wander up and left to reach a crack (those quickdraws don't work too well in there) and top out. 5.10c, 20m.

Collect a piece of what's left of the anchor rope for your tat collection. Try not to pull on the pin, it's already coming out on its own.

Drive about 200' S from the

Red Monster

toward the

Corral

and park at a pull out a few feet past a fork in the road.

Locate the groove that separates

Severity Buttress

from the

Syringe

and drag yourself to the base of said groove (5 min). The line follows the left blunt arete of

Severity Buttress

. A pin a a few bolts leading out of a steep alcove mark the start.

JG recommends rapping the route. The state of the upper anchor should discourage any but the most experienced canyoneers from doing so. If you insist, bring a knife to de-tat the hardware, fresh webbing and a hammer to pound the pin back in.

If you're sound of mind and want to live a bit longer, walk N along the top of the tower to the chain anchor of Without Despair (bolts/chain painted black). Two raps with a 70m will put you on the ground.

You will see at least one other rap station (top of Severity Disparity?) really close to where you top out but I'm not sure if you can get off with one rope.

The new JG West Desert bible recommends 12 draws for bolts and pitons. While this Maple Canyon rack is sufficient to make it to the top, a set of medium to large nuts and cams from BD .4 to #2 with optional double #1 will spare the local wildlife from a loud stream of expletives as you run it out past home-made pitons pounded in perfect cracks...