Sawtooth Canyon

This weekend I taught a rock climbing training course for the indoor climbing wall staff at Westminster College. We went to Sawtooth Canyon in the House Range of Western Utah. The House Range is one of my favorite places to climb. Granite slabs, challenging cracks, and patina edges characterize the routes. It's also a good place to take institutions, because rarely are there other climbers there.

The course went well. Students learned about protection placement, anchor construction, top-rope site management, and institutional climbing standards.

I also got to hop on my favorite climb: The Optimizer! The Optimizer (.11c/d) is eighty feet of quality jamming. It's one of those climbs that doesn't really have a crux section, just requires endurance and a plethora of jamming techniques. A little bit of chimney, a bunch of hands, some challenging off-width, and flaring cups. It's not terribly hard at any point, but a powerful journey. I read Pat Ament's description of climbing The Crack of Fear in Estes Park. He remarks about how he returns to the climb year after year. It's a ritual for him. I feel the same way about the Optimizer. It's a part of my soul.


The students from the course were good. It was great to soak up their psyche for climbing. They vary in skill and ability greatly, and most of the challenges of teaching this course stemmed from that problem. Some of the students were up there at midnight top-roping The Optimizer by headlamp. How cool is that! I may have been up there with them as well if not for sore elbows that are tweaked after a difficult day on Sunlight Buttress in Zion.

When I returned home from the course, Jessie had made me the best chicken enchiladas. She had even purchased some full strength Pete's Wicked from the State Liquor Store to compliment them. What a treat!

Cheers,
Nate