I wanted to sample the quartzite of Big Cottonwood Canyon while I was in the area, so Josh—who I had climbed
Pentapitch w/ Sasquatch var. (5.9+, 4p),
Angering the Angered (5.9+,7p), and
Stiffler's Mom (5.11-, 6p) with the
previous day—suggested a quick morning link-up:
Outside Corner (5.7, 3p) into
Crescendo (5.9, 4p) on JHCOB Wall.
We brought a 40m rope and a couple of microtraxions to keep things moving with some light simul-climbing. Despite it being a Sunday, we scored the first parking spot and headed straight for
Outside Corner. Josh led the first two pitches, linking them with a bit of simuling, and I took the final pitch to the top. The climb took a casual 53 minutes, with fun, ledgy movement on featured quartzite.
After topping out, we descended, swung by the car to drop extra gear and jackets (the sun had finally hit the wall) and grab a few more draws, and headed back up for round two—
Crescendo. Josh again led the first two pitches with some simul-climbing, and I linked the final two into one longer pitch (no simul needed). The exposure along the arete, the steadily increasing difficulty—and quality—and the abundance of bolts made for a really engaging, fun climb. We topped out in about 40 minutes.
Two laps, seven pitches total, and we were done in under three hours—back at the car with most of the day still ahead. Josh peeled off for a full schedule of errands, while I shifted gears to laundry, writing a trip report, and TR-soloing
Bongeater (5.10d) over in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
History note:
Outside Corner—also known as Kelner’s Corner—was first climbed around 1953 by Harold Goodro and Dan Lynch, who left it unnamed (typical for the era). The route gained its alternate name after Alexis Kelner’s memorable 1955 ascent, when he, Dick Bell, and Cal Giddings reportedly huddled in the cave belay for two hours during a storm. The name “Outside Corner” later stuck after John Gottman popularized it in his 1979 guide
Wasatch Quartzite.
