SummitPost - Namaste- 5.12a -- Photos, Diagrams & Topos

Namaste- 5.12a/
A fantastic route in a fantastical place. This Conrad Anker route goes down as one of my all time favorite sport routes anywhere in North America. A long sustained 150’er that requires double ropes for the rappel. It starts out way overhung and really never cuts much slack on the gravity situation until the last 20’ or so. The first bolt is off the ground a bit and until you reach the ladder like sandstone rungs, the beginning is the crux of the route. When you rap, you practically end up 40’-50’ away from the wall, which defines how overhung the route is. However, the holds are almost all huge jugs making the actual moves themselves no harder than 5.10. There is a finger hold or two, but the real crux is getting the route clean without pumping out, if you are human. Sun never hit the wall in June. Tons of birds and vegetation, offering kind of an alpine flare this deep in the canyon with lingering snow in June. 14 bolts to a three bolt fixed anchor.
Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park, Utah, June, 2009