Tucupit Occidentalis, 5.10+, 7 Pitches

Overview/Approach

There has not been a lot of new development in Zion National Park the past ten years compared to the previous decades that I have been climbing in the park.  The long routes that have been established in the recent past usually involve some aspects of poor rock and/or a contrived combining of crack systems.  In the 70’s and 80’s the locals had really got after the pure crack climbs available.  Tucupit Occidentalis, located along the North Fork of the less visited Kolob Canyon part of the park, is an exception and its outstanding crack system somehow has flown under the radar.

Occidentalis offers sustained 5.10 crack climbing traversing from pitches 1-2 to the left system for pitches 3-4 and then slightly right to yet another stellar (5^th) pitch.  These five pitches cover over 600’ of sustained and relatively clean crack climbing at the grade.  The 6^th pitch is the only “junk” pitch on the climb as well as the only pitch requiring any fixed pro (pitch 2 has two pitons but accepts gear placements if they were to go missing).  The 6th pitch traverses left through two bolts to reach another corner.  The 7^th pitch, although softer rock, surprises you with a “Headache” (ultra-popular route in the main Zion canyon) type splitter to finish off the day.  The FAer’s borrowed the first two pitches from an existing route, with the remaining five pitches established in 2015.  Like most routes in Zion, the FAer’s assigned it an alpine grade of IV, but a competent party can climb this route in a short day.  The approach is approximately one hour and the route raps back to the base.  The first two pitches climb well as a single full 200’ pitch and compete with the 4th pitch for the best, most sustained, lead of the day.  There is a lot of diversity on this route, off-width, chimney, fingers, overhanging hands, layback, face traverse…..the list goes on. The setting is remote and you more than likely won’t see or hear other humans with the exception of a few hikers if climbing on a weekend.

Park at the Taylor Creek trailhead.  Hike the well established trail east as it crosses the south fork of Taylor Creek several times.  You come to a historical cabin site on the left side of the trail.  From the cabin head northeast locating a much more subtle hiking trail that crosses the North Fork creek. Stay on the trail as it follows the North Fork for a short distance and continue to follow it as it bends east. The North Fork creek will remain on your left.  Tucupit Peak’s west face will come into full view.   In relatively short order look for a faint climber’s trail (normally marked with a small cairn) that switchbacks up the hill toward the base of the west face.  The route starts in the middle of the west face at the apex of some white low angled slab below (4th class) with a wide start that bites down to fingers.  You can locate two fixed raps on this right side crack.  The third pitch traverses left into the upper chimney and the remainder of the route follows that line to the top of the formation.

Route Description

1st /2nd Pitches- 200’-5.10+/ These first two pitches combined make for one of the finer 5.10 leads in all of Zion National Park.  The FAer’s have the first pitch marked up as 5.10 and the 2^nd as 5.10+, but depending on your skill level, there really is not much difference between the two. The total length is a full 200’ (without an inch to spare on lead).  The route is straight up and I felt minimal rope drag issues (extend your placements properly).  This is the only pitch the #6 in the gear call by the FAer’s is intended for and if I were to repeat the route, I would be comfortable sans a #6.  If anything, one could take two #5’s because they at least have added value on the 4^th pitch as well.  In reality, I am comfortable leading the entire route with a single rack from #3 to #5 for large gear.  Start out on a low angled slab with a few trees and bushes growing out of a crack to achieve the start of the wide crack system at the base and to the right of the crack system that makes up pitches #3 through #4. The start is true chimney and if competent at wide, you will feel secure in this wide start.  You pull out into solid fingers and pass a fixed rap at the top of pitch one.  Continue up past two fixed pins on the right face, climbing vertical fingers and utilizing facial features for your feet.  This section through the pitons is the sustained crux climbing at the grade.  The FA beta seems to allude to “transitioning” onto the face at some point, but for the most part you stay with the crack utilizing the ever-increasing featured face out right as the climbing eases up.  Near the top, make a relatively easy traverse left on positive features to the fixed semi-hanging rap/belay anchor.

3^rd Pitch- 120’-5.8/ This is the easiest pitch on the climb.  Move left into the large clean chimney.  Chimney up to an obvious exit out left onto 5.7 ground.  Easy climbing up to a comfortable bolted belay/rap.   If you brought the #6, you can leave it at this rap for collection on the way down.

4^th Pitch- 185’-5.10+/ This pitch is not as sustained for as long as the combined first two pitches at the same grade, but includes the two technical crux climbing sections of the entire route. You start out on a lower angled finger crack that steepens in short order.  The first real crux is an overhanging tight hand crack, not so much a roof, but rather an overhanging corner that requires laybacking which makes placing gear more technical than the rest of the route.  Once over this short obstacle (20’), you enter the #5 straight up clean off-width crack (2nd crux).  A #4 protects deep while you walk the #5 closer to the outside edge.  By bumping both a #4 and #5 up the entire length, you avoid hitting gear with your heal-toe and/or knee placements.   Left hand on the outer edge, it is an inch-worm type grunt fest.   You reach a bolted rap/belay on a small, but comfortable, sloping ledge.  Great pitch!

5^th Pitch- 130’-5.10+/ Move up and right on easy ground to the base of a significant left facing corner.  The crux is at the midpoint:  true laybacking a finger crack to wide transitioning corner with no hand jams inbetween.   Faint feet are out left on the steep face.  Once you pull out of the steep section, the climbing eases up immediately.  This crux is short, but is also as technical as any of the cruxes on this route.  You land atop a significant tower type of ledge with a large “rocker” boulder on top.   This is fixed rap/belay, but not with bolts, it is fixed passive gear in good order as of 2020. 

6^th Pitch- 50’-5.10/ Not sure there is any real 5.10 move on this pitch, but it is out of the ordinary in keeping with the rest of the route and seems to spook folks who discuss it on MP.com.  In reality, I found it fairly benign.  Make an exposed bold move off the deck to stand up on positive features.  Then place an off set cam or wire in a slot up and right.  Then traverse straight left past two bolts on relatively positive facial features.  You come to a hollow feature on the arete, mantel it and turn the arete to the left into a significant left facing and chossy corner.  Avoid going to high in the corner looking for a comfortable ledge as there is none and rope drag will become an issue.  Instead, climb up the corner a few meters to a semi hanging gear belay well below a hueco featured roof above.   

7^th Pitch- 170’-5.10+/ This hidden pitch will surprise you as to how good it is.  Most upper pitches on Zion sandstone become quite chossy due to exposure to moisture and this pitch is no exception.  Start out pulling the chossy hueco roof (physical) at the grade. Then be rewarded with a tight hand/finger crack for the remainder of the corner and transition into a curving hand splitter on the final face above.  When those hands end, make a few unique mantels on moss laden sandstone, but below grade, up and trending right to the top bolted anchor on the route with a significant spinner as of 2020.   This anchor is in line with the passive fixed anchor on the ledge atop pitch 5. 

Climbing Sequence

Descent

Descent, defined by all recorded parties to date, is the crux of the climb.  Unfortunately, the current rappel descent eats ropes which is clearly evident of what we found left behind and the comments on MP.com.  The first double 60m rope rap is down a face sans any crack or troublesome features to the top of pitch 5 (hex and wire nut rap).  The next rap is one of the troublesome ones.  I recommend saddle bagging your ropes to avoid issues with tossing the ropes on this rap. If you can pull the ropes with only one snag on this rap, consider it a win.  Definity saddle bag the ropes for the next rap as you rap down pitch 4.  The finger crack you climbed at the start is deep and will swallow ropes.  Pulling the ropes down on this pitch should not be much of an issue however.  The next two raps go down the broad face to climbers left of the first three pitches and should present no snag or crack issues.  However, the next double 60m rope rap is a full 200’ to the fixed rap station below.  There is one single bolt drilled in about 25’ above that I suspect was done by someone with a bolt kit handy who had to cut a rope.  There is no bolted route on this face.  So if you do end up cutting 10m of one of your 60m ropes, you do have an option to rap off a single bolt vs having to try and rap the chimney and off-width sections of the first three pitches.  The final rap is a single 60m rope rap to the base of the route.    

Essential Gear

The FA gear call talks about single to #6, doubles to #5 and triples from fingers to tight hands along with an optional big bro.  I brought a single to #6, doubles to #3 and triple #.75-1’s.  If I were repeating the route, I would leave the #6 at home.  I combined the first two pitches and the 3^rd pitch is the easiest pitch of the entire climb. There is no need for the #6 beyond those three pitches.  I did not find a #6 or big bro necessary.  A single #4 and #5 is critical to protect the 4^th pitch off width section, but I do not see a need for doubles in those sizes for the competent off-width leader.  I also had no need for double #3’s.  I did however place those triple #.75-1’s.  My gear call suggestion is single to #5, doubles from #.5 to #2’s, triple #.75 to #1 along with a single selection of offset nuts or cams.  Take ten shoulder length slings.  The route is true west facing, therefore does not see sun in September until early afternoon.