“A man does not climb a mountain without bringing some of it
away with him and leaving something of himself upon it.” —Martin Conway
On May 11th, 2012, Chris El-Deiry and I made what we believe is the first ascent of the direct west face of Suicide Rock, a 1,491-meter summit kind of near the Wasatch Mountain Range in Utah in the United States. We chose Suicide Rock for its distinct summit and prominence, as well as the fact that you totally can’t miss it every time you drive north on the 215.
Also, because it is there.
We chose to do this route alpine style, as light and fast as safely possible with no high camps or bivy gear, after work on a Friday.
We approached via the bike path starting from the parking lot at the dead end of Wasatch Boulevard. The approach presented no major routefinding difficulties, aside from when we had to decide whether or not to crawl through a giant hole in the fence that led to a shortcut down a gully.
Our approximate approach is marked in yellow.
We racked up at the base of the climb at approximately 6:30 p.m. Our rack consisted of two 60-meter ropes, double Camalots from .3 through #3, one #4 and one #5. We brought a single set of ice tools.
I led the first block of pitches to a ledge partway up the right side of the west face. There is plenty of loose rock on the route, and protection is marginal, possibly enough for future climbers to give our route an “R” rating. We did not carry a bolt kit.
“Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb.” —Greg Child
Chris led the second block of pitches to the summit block, where the rock steepens leading to the true summit. The crux of the route was the final section of the last pitch, pulling over a bulge to the summit with sparse protection below.
As I joined Chris at the summit, we clasped hands victoriously amidst the light whisper of a mountain breeze blowing down Parley’s Canyon. And some honking horns from people driving by on the 215, which is basically eye-level with the summit, which is kind of weird.
We coiled ropes and walked off the summit on terrain just to the left of our line, which photographer Joe Penacoli had free-soloed as we climbed.
We believe our line to go at IV 5.11 A0, although changes in route conditions may force subsequent climbing parties to variations that could make the route more difficult. We have named our route “The Nose.” We believe other lines are possible on Suicide Rock, and exploration of this pristine mountain will only be limited by future climbers’ imaginations and boldness.
“One does not climb to attain enlightenment; rather one climbs because he is enlightened.” —Zen Master Futomaki
(all photos by the talented, young and bold Joe Penacoli)
-Brendan
That kid soloing in skate shoes is pretty ballsy.
Congratulations! Epic! And inspiring! I hope to someday visit this remote peak in a few years when I have bought more gear.
OMG I friggen love you dude! Those pics are amazing! So glad you and Chris are safe.
Great! I laughed and smile every pic, every paragraph.
Thanks for the “fresh look”….
Ahhhhh thank you for the refreshing laugh in the middle of the work day!
This bold ascent is so inspirational it is irrational! Truly years ahead of its time.
Shew! I was shakin’ in my boots for a second there about that last pitch. Congrats!
This looks waaaaay more than just semi-rad to me 🙂
What an amazing send! Thank you for all of the detailed beta. I am adding this to my peak bagging list for sure! I just need to practice aiding a bit more first, not sure I’m ready for a climb of this caliber yet.
I’ve read alot of trip reports, but none has had me so tense as I read down the page. Your commitment and dedication to our sport is inspiring on many levels. I can’t imagine there will be a repeat of this line(unless there is a 3rd grade class trip, they freaking pull down!) for sometime, but I look forward to seeing how the grade shakes out over time. Well done gents!
Amazing. I’ll look forward to the full summit report in an upcoming issue of AAJ.
Did you bring any wands with you? I’ve read historical accounts of folks getting lost on the descent to the bikepath.
Swiss machine my ass. Let’s see Uli stop messing around on the Eiger and try a real route like this one.
Ohmygods. You made me blow gin and tonic out my own nose. Too much!
pregression
Sorry But I all ready bagged the first ascent 25 years ago, speed free solo, in the winter, naked, in one minute. Just my boots and crampons, I was afraid to take an ice axe, for fear of hurting my bio gear. Good climbing though mates.
Eat your heart out Uli Steck!
This route doesn’t look that hard. I took my Thinkpad to REI and showed the climbing expert this page. He agreed. So it’s bullshit. Even with the pics.
An ascent that will stand the test of time. After all the suffering, all the cold, all the fear… After you’ve finally made it down to rest safely among friends and family again… Let me ask. Was it worth it?